Aww Snap vs Smithsonian
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Aww Snap
Become a field researcher and solve a life science mystery by observing bees and collecting data on snapdragon flowers. Interpret your findings to understand why white snapdragons are spreading. This game is designed for emergent readers and aligns with science standards for grades 3-5.
- Observe bee behavior
- Collect and interpret data
- Solve a life science mystery
- Aligned to 3rd-5th grade science standards
- Designed for emergent readers
- Explore changes over time
- Introduces pollination concepts
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Aww snap, we have a mystery to solve! We need you to watch these bees closely and count how many times they visit the different color snapdragon flowers. Maybe then you can find out why the white snapdragons keep covering the mountainside! From the Smithsonian Science Education Center, Aww Snap! a Snapdragon Study is a life science game where players get to become field researchers. Observe and collect data, interpret your findings, and try to find your own answer to the mystery of the white snapdragons! Educational features: • Aligned to educational science standards for third to fifth grade. • Designed for emergent readers • Grounded in educational psychology research • Several open text prompts for active data interpretation and journaling • Unfolding gameplay lets students explore how their field changes from month to month and year to year. • Teachers can assess student responses through answers to prompts and track how student thinking changes as new data is collected • In-game tutorial to teach students how to play • Introduces students to ideas of pollination and biological competition • Fully standalone learning experience • Field Study mode designed to be used with SSEC Science for the Classroom Curriculum
Smithsonian
Explore a prehistoric world by digging for fossils and uncovering facts about dinosaurs. Earn coins to unlock new tools and learn about over 15 dinosaur species through interactive scenes and quizzes. Develop literacy and critical thinking skills with engaging educational content.
- Dig for fossils with virtual tools
- Learn facts about 15+ dinosaur species
- Unlock dinosaur cards with information
- Interactive prehistoric world exploration
- Earn coins for better digging tools
- Prehistoric quiz to test knowledge
- Phonetic spelling for vocabulary building
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Welcome to Digging for Dinosaurs – a gorgeous interactive app brought to you by The ©Smithsonian and PlayDate Digital! This is a must-have app for dino explorers of any age, where you can dig up fossils and open up a prehistoric world filled with facts, pterosaurs, giant sea reptiles and every kind of prehistoric dinosaur! EXPLORE every layer of a vibrant and prehistoric world with virtual fossil hunter tools! LEARN fun and surprising facts about Dinosaurs! DISCOVER the reptiles that flew, swam and stalked the Earth! Explore the different time periods when Dinosaurs dominated the land, air, and sea, through guided play, puzzles and digging up fossils and facts. The more you dig, the more you will discover! Earning coins let’s you select new more powerful tools to dig up our prehistoric past. Each new dig is an opportunity for budding paleontologists to crack rocks, brush away dirt, assemble fossils and uncover new dinosaurs and new dinosaur facts! Each dinosaur discovery is rewarded with interactive scenes packed with learning moments and interesting information. Collect all the creature cards and then come back for more! Think you know your dinosaurs facts? Test your knowledge with a Prehistoric Quiz, earn more dino coins, and keep digging with even better fossil hunting tools! We’ll see you at the dig site! Features: • Learn about more than 15 dinosaur species including Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, and the Velociraptor! • Unlock dinosaur cards, packed with interesting info about each prehistoric creature you dig up! • Explore a prehistoric and interactive world that fills with more dinosaurs as you discover them! • Dig up fossils, test your dino knowledge, and collect creature cards! • Earn dino coins to unlock better digging tools—without spending any additional ‘real’ money! • Phonetic spelling helps you sound out and learn exciting new words • Engaging educational content and beautiful illustrations based on the original Dinosaurs book! • Learn about all the different Dinosaur ages! There is something for kids at every level in Digging For Dinosaurs - from cracking rocks and digging up fossils to brushing up on the latest Dino knowledge! Learning goals: • Dinosaur knowledge: Learn the names of dinosaurs, what they ate and how they lived. • Literacy Skills: practiced through reading and creative play about dinosaurs! • Vocabulary: Learn new words with phonetic spelling and pronunciation. • Critical thinking: learn what life was like for all the different types of dinosaurs in all their different environments and ages! ABOUT THE SMITHSONIAN The ©Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum and research complex, dedicated to public education, national service, and scholarship in the arts, ©Smithsonian sciences, and history. The name of the ©Smithsonian Institution and the sunburst logo are registered trademarks of the ©Smithsonian Institution. For more information, please visit www.si.edu ABOUT PLAYDATE DIGITAL PlayDate Digital Inc. is a publisher of high-quality, interactive, mobile educational software for children. PlayDate Digital's products nurture children's emerging literacy and creativity skills by turning digital screens into engaging experiences. PlayDate Digital content is built in partnership with some of the world's most trusted global brands for kids. Visit us: playdatedigital.com Like us: facebook.com/playdatedigital Follow us: @playdatedigital Watch all our app trailers: youtube.com/PlayDateDigital1 HAVE QUESTIONS? We'd love to hear from you! Your questions suggestions and comments are always welcome. Contact us 24/7 at info@playdatedigital.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Aww Snap at Free against Smithsonian's $3.99. Smithsonian's advantage is update cadence (every 6 months vs every 35 months) and ratings volume (6 vs 1). On rating, ads, in-app purchases 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
Aww Snap is free to download; Smithsonian costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Aww Snap against 5.0 for Smithsonian. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Smithsonian has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Aww Snap ships an update every 35 months, Smithsonian every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Aww Snap | Smithsonian |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 6 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 35 months | Every 6 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 74 MB | 440 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Smithsonian Institution | PlayDate Digital |
Customer experience
Aww Snap
Smithsonian
In-app purchases
Aww Snap
No in-app purchases
Smithsonian
No in-app purchases
Questions
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Is Smithsonian free?
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