Comparison

Splats vs SAM Studio

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

SAM Studio

This platform offers tools and curriculum-aligned lesson plans for engaging STEAM and coding education. It features intuitive visual coding apps and wireless electronic blocks to bring computational thinking to life in the classroom.

Highlights
  • Curriculum-aligned lesson plans
  • Intuitive visual flow-based and block-based coding
  • Wireless Bluetooth electronic blocks
  • Lesson Builder tool
  • Teacher support and training
  • Support for various sensors and motors
Features
Read full description

SAM Labs provides everything you need to deliver the most engaging STEAM and Coding learning experiences in your classroom. Giving you the tools and support to make the most of your lessons, SAM Labs makes learning interactive and engaging. This includes curriculum-aligned lesson plans, intuitive visual flow-based and block-based apps, wireless electronic blocks that connect seamlessly to provide stimulating challenges. Design lessons with algorithms, programs and systems to bring computational thinking to life! Why use SAM Labs? - A fun and interactive way to bring coding to life - An intuitive visual, flow-based and block-based coding tailored for any classroom or ability level - SAM Blockly enables progression to block-based programming - Easy-to-use, wireless Bluetooth SAM Blocks that are made to last - NEW! Build your own lessons to integrate within your current or upcoming units of study - Unparalleled teacher support, onboarding, and training - Versatile technology that can be used across a variety of subjects Incredibly easy to bring into the classroom – and simple to teach with. You can use the SAM Studio App virtually or bring your projects to life using physical SAM Labs blocks, sensors and devices, including: - Buttons, RGB Light, Buzzer - Multiple sensors: Light, Proximity, Heat, Tilt, Pressure - Controller & Sliders - DC & Servo motors - Wheels, car chassis & roller ball - LEGO®-compatible gear attachments - Chargers and charging station A subscription to SAM Studio also gives you access to our standards-aligned course content, including easy-to-follow lesson plans, editable presentations, step-by-step guides, an engaging interactive Lesson Builder tool, and more! Link: https://store.samlabs.com For more information, book a quick demo: https://go.samlabs.com/book-a-demo Supported languages: English (US), English (UK), Chinese, Italian, Spanish, German, French, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hebrew Supported Bluetooth: Our app runs on devices that support Bluetooth 4.0 and up. LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this site.

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SAM Studio at 100% against Splats's 0%. SAM Studio also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.4). Splats's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SAM Studio holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Splats's written reviews are positive against 100% of SAM Studio's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Splats ships an update every 2 weeks, SAM Studio every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Splats versus SAM Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSplatsSAM Studio
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (7 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size368 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUnruly Studios, Inc.SAM Labs

Customer experience

Splats

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

SAM Studio

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Splats

No in-app purchases

None

SAM Studio

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Splats free?
Splats is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SAM Studio free?
SAM Studio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Splats or SAM Studio?
SAM Studio is rated higher. Splats averages 4.4 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while SAM Studio averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Splats or SAM Studio have ads?
Neither Splats nor SAM Studio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Splats or SAM Studio?
Splats ships an update every 2 weeks, and SAM Studio every 5 months. Most recently, Splats was updated on November 2, 2026 and SAM Studio on November 3, 2026.

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