Comparison

VR Junior Chef vs Night Zookeeper

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

Head to head
About

VR Junior Chef

Learn to cook and bake 24 recipes in augmented and virtual reality. Explore the science behind food and then create dishes like muffins and burgers in a virtual kitchen. Requires a companion book to activate experiences.

Highlights
  • 24 virtual and augmented reality recipes
  • Learn food science concepts
  • Interactive virtual kitchen
  • Augmented reality book activation
  • Step-by-step cooking guidance
Features
Read full description

Step into the kitchen with Professor Maxwell to learn how to cook and bake 24 delicious recipes that come alive in augmented and virtual reality! Jump into the VR lab to learn where food comes from and the science behind each recipe, including how yeast makes dough rise, the effects of gluten, the process of osmosis and more. Then get hands on in the kitchen to make muffins, smoothies, burgers, fish tacos and other favorites, all in Professor Maxwell’s VR Junior Chef! To activate the experiences, simply download the app and hold your phone over the book included in the kit to see Professor Maxwell come to life.

About

Night Zookeeper

This app makes reading and writing fun for children aged 6-12. It offers mini-games, video lessons, and skill challenges covering a full English language arts curriculum. Children receive personalized feedback from tutors and earn rewards, while parents can track progress.

Highlights
  • Interactive mini-games
  • Video lessons
  • Skill challenges
  • Tutor feedback on writing
  • Parent progress tracking
  • Motivating rewards
  • Collaborative writing opportunities
Features
Read full description

The multi-award winning Night Zookeeper makes reading & writing fantastically fun and easy for 6-12 year olds. It’s trusted by thousands of parents around the world to improve their children’s spelling, grammar, reading & writing skills and really boost their confidence. The app has exciting mini games, video lessons, and skill challenges, created by educational experts and covering an entire english language arts curriculum. Children can play independently, and at their own pace, earning exciting and motivating rewards along the way. Tips from characters and inspiring prompts then help your child to write pieces of writing which our qualified tutors then read and give encouraging feedback on. This feedback can be viewed in your parent dashboard, where you can also track your child’s progress and achievements, and receive monthly printable resources. Alongside the thousands of learning activities and tutor feedback, a Night Zookeeper subscription provides your child with monthly awards, weekly writing competitions, and opportunities for collaborative writing in a safe, moderated environment. Night Zookeeper is: FUN: There are thousands of exciting and engaging activities for Grades 1 to 6. TRUSTED: An award winning program, used by thousands of families. Rated 4.7 on Trustpilot from 500+ reviews. COMPREHENSIVE: The program covers a full language arts curriculum of reading, writing, spelling, grammar & punctuation, that rewards children as they progress. SELF-PACED: Children can play independently and work through the program at their own pace. PERSONALIZED: Children get written feedback from our team of tutors on their pieces of writing- so you don't need to be the bad guy! SAFE: No in-app ads or purchases. TRACKABLE: A parent dashboard helps you to easily track your child's progress. OFFLINE & ONLINE: Free monthly printable resources are sent straight to your inbox. Users must log in with their account details to access Night Zookeeper. "There is nothing quite like Night Zookeeper, and I wish I had started them on it sooner!" Tim & Jennifer, parents "My kids were always frustrated with writing and reading, now they are excited each day and have started writing full stories." Justin, parent “My kids are loving this program and writing more than they ever have before. The game format and reward system holds their attention, and their creative juices keep flowing" Paul, parent Technical details: * Internet connection required Recommended: Latest iPad, Latest iPad Pro, Latest iPad Air, Latest iPad mini, Latest iOS Subscription options: The first 7 days of a subscription are free. Subscriptions renew automatically; your App Store account will be charged unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.nightzookeeper.com/privacy-policy Terms & Conditions: https://www.nightzookeeper.com/terms-and-conditions Start a FREE trial of Night Zookeeper today!

Screenshots

VR Junior Chef4 screens
Night Zookeeper4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Night Zookeeper at 83% against VR Junior Chef's 40%. Night Zookeeper also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.6) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). VR Junior Chef's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads and device support 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. Night Zookeeper sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. VR Junior Chef asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Night Zookeeper holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Night Zookeeper has 592 ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of VR Junior Chef's written reviews are positive against 83% of Night Zookeeper's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VR Junior Chef ships an update every 6 months, Night Zookeeper every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
VR Junior Chef versus Night Zookeeper: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVR Junior ChefNight Zookeeper
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (26 ratings)4.6 (592 ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews82.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings26592 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.7 GB378 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAbacusWonky Star

Customer experience

VR Junior Chef

All ratings26 ratings
Positive61.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative30.8%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

Night Zookeeper

All ratings592 ratings
Positive90.5%
Neutral2.2%
Negative7.3%
Written reviews93 reviews
Positive82.8%
Neutral2.2%
Negative15.1%

Bugs and requests

VR Junior Chef

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Night Zookeeper

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Freezing and crashing issues
  • Upside-down screen when creating new characters
  • Audio not working consistently

Requested features

3 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Compatibility improvements for older devices
  • More content for older age groups

In-app purchases

None

VR Junior Chef

No in-app purchases

12 purchases

Night Zookeeper

Subscriptions12
  • NZK 1 Month - 1 License7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • 1 Month - 2 Licenses7 Days trial$17.991 Month
  • NZK 1 Month - 3 Licenses7 Days trial$17.991 Month
Show 9 more
  • 1 Month - 4 Licenses7 Days trial$21.991 Month
  • 3 Months - 1 License7 Days trial$36.993 Months
  • 3 Months - 2 Licenses7 Days trial$49.993 Months
  • 3 Months - 3 Licenses7 Days trial$49.993 Months
  • Yearly - 1 License7 Days trial$118.991 Year
  • Yearly - 2 Licenses7 Days trial$154.991 Year
  • Yearly - 3 Licenses7 Days trial$154.991 Year
  • Yearly - 4 Licenses7 Days trial$189.991 Year
  • Yearly - 5 Licenses7 Days trial$239.991 Year

Questions

Is VR Junior Chef free?
VR Junior Chef is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Night Zookeeper free?
Night Zookeeper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, VR Junior Chef or Night Zookeeper?
Night Zookeeper is rated higher. VR Junior Chef averages 3.6 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while Night Zookeeper averages 4.6 from 592 ratings.
Do VR Junior Chef or Night Zookeeper have ads?
Neither VR Junior Chef nor Night Zookeeper shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VR Junior Chef or Night Zookeeper?
VR Junior Chef ships an update every 6 months, and Night Zookeeper every 2 months. Most recently, VR Junior Chef was updated on October 15, 2026 and Night Zookeeper on October 20, 2026.

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