# Tinkercad vs ScratchUP

The clearest difference is price: Tinkercad at Free against ScratchUP's $0.99. Tinkercad also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (20K vs 4). ScratchUP's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 59%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Tinkercad is free to download; ScratchUP costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Tinkercad holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tinkercad has 20K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 59% of Tinkercad's written reviews are positive against 75% of ScratchUP's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tinkercad | ScratchUP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | **[4.6 (20K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tinkercad/id1469440830/reviews)** | [4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scratchup/id1596380124/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **20K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 58.6% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 12 MB | 476 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Autodesk Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/295089690) | [Ulrich PICAUD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1582663236) |

## What reviewers say

### Tinkercad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tinkercad/id1469440830)

This app empowers aspiring designers and engineers with essential skills in 3D design, electronics, and coding. Learn through hands-on projects, build confidence, and bring your creations to life in the real world. It's a safe, ad-free environment for all ages to explore innovation.

**Highlights:** 3D design optimized for mobile, Circuit simulation with Arduino/micro:bit, 3D design from code (Codeblocks), AR viewer for designs, Import/export various file formats, Educational tools for teachers

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Powerful 3D modeling capabilities
- 💡 Lots of built-in shapes and templates
- 👍 Good for beginners
- 👍 Smooth performance on iPad

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Buggy controls and UI issues
- 🐛 Compatibility problems on some devices
- 🐛 Unreliable saving and loading of designs
- 🐛 Lack of advanced modeling tools

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and lost connection problems
- Dimensions box repeatedly appearing
- Designs reverting to earlier versions
- Overlapping UI elements

**Requested features**

- Add support for Apple Pencil and trackpad
- Improve alignment and grouping tools
- Provide offline functionality
- Expand library of shapes and templates
- Implement better tutorial and documentation


### ScratchUP

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scratchup/id1596380124)

This app allows users to learn, teach, and play with code. It offers a variety of features for creating educational activities, including sensor integration, machine learning capabilities, and math tools. Compatible with Scratch files, it provides an offline coding experience for students and educators.

**Highlights:** Scratch file compatibility (.sb2, .sb3), Sensor event integration (touch, keyboard, camera, Bluetooth), Machine learning for object and sound recognition, Body detection, Handpose, and Facemesh, QRCode scanner, Math tools for learning, Offline app functionality

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tinkercad free?

Tinkercad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ScratchUP free?

ScratchUP costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Tinkercad or ScratchUP?

Tinkercad is rated higher. Tinkercad averages 4.6 out of 5 from 20K ratings, while ScratchUP averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Tinkercad or ScratchUP have ads?

Neither Tinkercad nor ScratchUP shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Tinkercad or ScratchUP?

Tinkercad ships an update every 4 months, and ScratchUP every 4 months. Most recently, Tinkercad was updated on October 16, 2026 and ScratchUP on October 16, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*