Comparison

Splats vs Merge Explorer

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Splats

This app combines coding with active play, allowing students to program physical floor buttons to control games and learning activities. It offers a virtual playground, teacher-vetted games, and classroom management tools for an engaging computer science education experience.

Highlights
  • Active play coding
  • Virtual playground
  • 80+ teacher-vetted games
  • Classroom manager
  • Unlimited student profiles
  • Cross-curricular activities
Features
Read full description

PLEASE NOTE: This app requires Unruly Splats™ programmable floor buttons available through our K-8 school membership (unrulysplats.com/memberships) and a compatible Bluetooth LE-enabled device to play. Welcome to Unruly Studios, the home of Unruly Splats! Splats combine coding and active play to make computer science education more inclusive, collaborative, and fun for both educators and students Our cross-curricular program is used by educators in all 50 states and across Canada Engage students in science, math, ELA, SEL—you name it, let’s code it! We offer hardware: our durable Splats that students can press and stomp We offer software: our kid-friendly App that lets students program Splats to control their play What’s Included in the App? Unlimited profiles for students Color-coded block tray to make coding easy, fun, and fast Virtual Playground to see your code in action 80+ teacher-vetted games ready at a click of a button Activities that range from recess favorites like Capture the Splat to versatile learning games like Voting Machine and Splats Calculator Classroom Manager and Teacher Portal for optimal organization and access to lesson plans, supplemental materials, and student-facing slide decks Most importantly—the silliest noises you have ever heard! Trusted by School Districts All Across the US Somerville Public Schools Cobb County School District Virginia Beach City Public Schools Hawaii Department of Education Bristol Public Schools—and more! ***WINNER*** Common Sense Media Reviewed & Approved GOLD 2021 Stevie Winner—American Business Awards Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence Membership Site memberships for all educators and learners in building with robust warranty Choose your plan—1 to 3-year licensing with exciting customer-exclusive events to help schools get the most out of their plan Easy to expand! REAL humans work with your team to onboard teachers and ramp up use within schools AND districts 360° support—Unruly never leaves you hanging! From personal success managers to customer experience to community—we got you, all stages of growth, all year round Bring a membership to your school or district by visiting unrulysplats.com/memberships Contact Website: unrulysplats.com Instagram: instagram.com/unruly_studios Facebook: facebook.com/playunrulystudios Twitter: twitter.com/unruly_studios Privacy Policy: unrulysplats.com/privacy-policy Terms & Conditions: unrulysplats.com/terms-of-service

About

Merge Explorer

Explore over 100 interactive science simulations using a smartphone and a Merge Cube. Investigate volcanoes, sharks, the solar system, and more with hands-on activities and quizzes. Ideal for K-8 students learning science at school or home.

Highlights
  • Over 100 science simulations
  • Interactive Merge Cube experiences
  • Hands-on learning activities
  • Built-in quizzes
  • NGSS-aligned K-8 curriculum
  • Physical, Life, and Earth/Space Science topics
Features
Read full description

PLEASE NOTE: This app requires a Merge Cube and a smartphone or a tablet to experience. Find out how to get a Merge Cube and learn more at: https://www.MergeCube.com. Students can learn science effectively with over 100 science simulations they can touch, hold and interact with! Merge Explorer (along with a Merge Cube) allows students to investigate a smoking volcano in the palm of their hand, examine a great white shark up close, hold and explore the solar system, dissect a frog (humanely!), and so much more. With easy-to-follow activities and built-in quizzes, students gain key knowledge while immersed in learning, both in the classroom or while remote learning at home. Merge Explorer includes NGSS-aligned topics for K-8th grade, like Physical Science, Life Science, and Earth & Space Science. If you have any questions or suggestions, we want to hear from you! Contact us at any time at support@mergeedu.com. Privacy Policy: https://MergeEdu.com/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://MergeEdu.com/terms-of-use

Screenshots

Merge Explorer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Merge Explorer at 46% against Splats's 0%. Merge Explorer also leads on ratings volume (279 vs 7) and device support (3 vs 1). Splats's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and rating (4.4 vs 4.1). On price, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Merge Explorer sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Splats asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Splats holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merge Explorer has 279 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of Splats's written reviews are positive against 46% of Merge Explorer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Splats ships an update every 2 weeks, Merge Explorer monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Splats versus Merge Explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSplatsMerge Explorer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (7 ratings) — better4.1 (279 ratings)
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews46.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7279 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size368 MB1.3 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUnruly Studios, Inc.Merge Apps

Customer experience

Splats

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

Merge Explorer

All ratings279 ratings
Positive76.3%
Neutral7.2%
Negative16.5%
Written reviews65 reviews
Positive46.2%
Neutral10.8%
Negative43.1%

Bugs and requests

Splats

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Merge Explorer

Reported bugs

13 issues
  • App crashes on iPad
  • App crashes when pressing play
  • Camera not working in app
  • Black screen when using cube or camera
  • VR function broken
Show 8 more
  • VR doesn't work with iPhone XS Max
  • App crashes or loads forever
  • Problems with galactic explore
  • App has trouble recognizing the cube
  • Screen recording only records cube, not overlay
  • Words appear sideways in horizontal mode
  • Content appears incorrectly
  • App crashes

Requested features

9 requests
  • Make the app free to play
  • Add more fun things, not just learning
  • Bring back the fun apps (time bomb, block courses)
  • Allow users to create their own games for the merge cube
  • Add a way to reset quizzes for class sets of devices
Show 4 more
  • Improve functionality for remote teaching, including screen recording
  • Add more content in the future
  • Add dark mode option
  • Add advanced analytics dashboard

In-app purchases

None

Splats

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Merge Explorer

Subscriptions4
  • Merge EDU Individual14 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Explorer Premium Monthly14 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Merge EDU Individual14 Days trial$99.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Explorer Premium Annual14 Days trial$99.991 Year

Questions

Is Splats free?
Splats is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Merge Explorer free?
Merge Explorer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Splats or Merge Explorer?
Splats is rated higher. Splats averages 4.4 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Merge Explorer averages 4.1 from 279 ratings.
Do Splats or Merge Explorer have ads?
Neither Splats nor Merge Explorer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Splats or Merge Explorer?
Splats ships an update every 2 weeks, and Merge Explorer monthly. Most recently, Splats was updated on October 7, 2026 and Merge Explorer on October 12, 2026.

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