Comparison

Coding Express LEGO® Education 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

Coding Express LEGO® Education

This app introduces preschoolers to early coding concepts and 21st-century skills using a LEGO DUPLO train set. It offers four engaging activity areas: Journeys, Characters, Math, and Music, fostering problem-solving, collaboration, and creativity.

Highlights
  • Early coding concepts for preschoolers
  • LEGO DUPLO train set integration
  • Four activity areas: Journeys, Characters, Math, Music
  • Develops sequencing, problem-solving, and collaboration
  • Teacher guides and lesson plans included
  • Supports social and emotional development
Read full description

All on board the Coding Express! Coding Express LEGO® Education introduces early coding concepts and 21st century skills to preschoolers. Using the popular LEGO® DUPLO® train set, teacher guide and an easy-to-use app, preschool teachers have all they need to teach early coding concepts. TEACHER QUOTES “I have never seen anything like Coding Express and I am very intrigued with its structure and the varying ways it can teach children specific skills they might not have gained through play before. I love its versatility and how the many different areas of play will keep most children occupied for a very long time.” Kate, preschool teacher, USA “Coding Express gives preschoolers a very different learning experience. Building different shapes with the train track helps them to understand the coding concept and combined with the educational activities and teacher material it makes early coding intuitive, fun and educational. The app enhances the experience and it gives the early learners more ways to learn about coding.” Wenting, pre-school and kindergarten teacher, China With the Coding Express app and LEGO® DUPLO® solution you will get: • 234 LEGO® DUPLO® bricks, including Push & Go train with lights and sounds, motor, color sensor, 5 color-coded action bricks, 2 railroad switches and 3.8 meters of train track • Teaching materials that includes 8 online lessons, introduction guide, poster, 3 building inspiration cards for building 12 unique models, 5 getting started activities and 8 simple video tutorials • Free app featuring 4 fun and educational activity areas, including: o Journeys: Explore destinations and traffic signs. Learn about the sequencing of events, making predictions, planning and problem solving. Characters: Support children’s social and emotional development. Children identify and examine the feelings of characters, considering the consequences for others. Math: Explore and understand how to measure, estimate distance and identify numbers. Music: Learn about sequencing and looping. Compose simple melodies, explore different animal and instruments sounds. • Key learning values include sequencing, looping, conditional coding, problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, language and literacy, and expressing ideas with digital elements • Teaching solution and early coding toy for preschool children 2-5 years old; Developed using science, math and technology from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the 21st Century Early Learning Framework (P21 ELF) and the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework. *** IMPORTANT*** This is not a standalone educational app. This app is used to program the LEGO® Education Coding Express set, which is sold separately. Please contact your local LEGO Education reseller for further information. Getting Started: www.legoeducation.com/codingexpress Lesson Plans: www.legoeducation.com/lessons/codingexpress Support: www.lego.com/service Twitter: www.twitter.com/lego_education Facebook: www.facebook.com/LEGOeducationNorthAmerica Instagram: www.instagram.com/legoeducation Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/legoeducation LEGO, the LEGO logo and DUPLO are trademarks and/or copyrights of the LEGO Group. ©2024 The LEGO Group. All rights reserved.

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 Coding Express LEGO® Education's 50%. SAM Studio also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.2). Coding Express LEGO® Education's advantage is ratings volume (250 vs 3). On price, update cadence, 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 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Coding Express LEGO® Education has 250 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Coding Express LEGO® Education's written reviews are positive against 100% of SAM Studio's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Coding Express LEGO® Education ships an update every 8 months, SAM Studio every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Coding Express LEGO® Education versus SAM Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCoding Express LEGO® EducationSAM Studio
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (250 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings250 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsEvery 5 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size855 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLEGO EducationSAM Labs

Customer experience

Coding Express LEGO® Education

All ratings250 ratings
Positive78.4%
Neutral9.6%
Negative12.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

SAM Studio

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

In-app purchases

None

Coding Express LEGO® Education

No in-app purchases

None

SAM Studio

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Coding Express LEGO® Education free?
Coding Express LEGO® Education 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, Coding Express LEGO® Education or SAM Studio?
SAM Studio is rated higher. Coding Express LEGO® Education averages 4.2 out of 5 from 250 ratings, while SAM Studio averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Coding Express LEGO® Education or SAM Studio have ads?
Neither Coding Express LEGO® Education nor SAM Studio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Coding Express LEGO® Education or SAM Studio?
Coding Express LEGO® Education ships an update every 8 months, and SAM Studio every 5 months. Most recently, Coding Express LEGO® Education was updated on October 7, 2026 and SAM Studio on September 26, 2026.

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