Comparison

Peekaboo Barn vs Elmo Calls

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

Head to head
About

Peekaboo Barn

This app offers a classic peekaboo experience for young children, introducing them to animals and language through simple, interactive play. It features gentle animations, authentic animal sounds, and multiple language options, with the ability to record custom narration. Designed for safety and privacy, it provides a calming and educational screen time experience.

Highlights
  • Interactive peekaboo with barn animals
  • Animal sounds and recognition
  • Multiple language options
  • Customizable narration recording
  • Gentle animations and calming visuals
  • Cause-and-effect learning
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Peekaboo Barn – The Original Toddler-Favorite Peekaboo Experience Step into the classic red barn and discover a world made just for littlest learners. For nearly two decades, Peekaboo Barn has offered a gentle introduction to animals, language, and cause-and-effect play. Woman-founded and led, Peekaboo Interactive Games preserves this beloved legacy for a new generation, delivering the same calming experience trusted by families everywhere. A Play Experience That Feels Like Childhood Peekaboo Barn isn’t about flashy distractions or complex rewards. It’s about sharing wonder with your child—the laughter as a barn door swings open, the delight of animal sounds, the magic of naming and pointing together. Toddlers love repeating the simple tap-to-reveal action, discovering a sheep, pig, horse, or cow with every touch. Everything is kept predictable, soothing, and accessible for the youngest users. Lovingly Designed for Little Hands and Big Imaginations Celebrated children’s illustrator Brianne Baker brings each animal to life with friendly faces and gentle animation. Our classic child narrator delivers authentic charm, with clear adult voices for speech modeling and therapy. A Safe, Private Place to Grow and Play From the start, children’s privacy and safety have come first. Peekaboo Barn is fully COPPA-compliant: no data collection, tracking, ads, in-app purchases, or external links. Offline play means no surprises—just pure, meaningful screen time. Language for All, Voices from Home Peekaboo Barn invites every family and every child to play. Choose from 8+ fully narrated languages, including Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi, Japanese, German, and French. Or, record your own voices for a personal touch—so kids hear familiar, comforting sounds as they explore. Benefits at Every Stage: Babies & toddlers: Gentle cause-and-effect, new words, animal recognition Kids with developmental differences: Predictable, comforting play for autism, speech delays, or motor practice Families & educators: A trusted tool for quiet breaks, early intervention, and language development A Woman-Founded Legacy of Trust Peekaboo Barn stands out by staying true to what works for kids. Woman-founded and led, our team nurtures a timeless, trusted screen-time experience—always respecting children’s privacy and needs. Perfect For: Independent or guided toddler play Early language/listening skills Speech or occupational therapy Autism and special needs Multilingual families, ESL/ELL Sensory-friendly breaks Peekaboo Barn is Different A gentle, research-backed app built for kids under 4 Distinct animal characters for endless delight Flexible language and narration options No overstimulation—calm visuals, real sounds, peaceful pace If there were a toddler on the App Store editorial team, Peekaboo Barn would be their favorite—because it’s made just for them. Timeless, trusted, and joyful—discover why families come back to Peekaboo Barn year after year. Privacy policy: peekaboointeractive.com/privacy Questions? support@peekaboointeractive.com

About

Elmo Calls

Engage in interactive video and audio calls with a beloved Sesame Street character. This app encourages imaginative play, teaches healthy habits, and fosters self-confidence through fun conversations and scheduled calls.

Highlights
  • Receive audio and video calls from Elmo
  • Send and receive voicemails from Elmo
  • Live video of user during calls
  • Schedule calls for various situations
  • Learn about healthy habits and letters
  • Engage in imaginative play with Elmo
Read full description

This is an app full of fun phone calls from Elmo, which will help teach your child about healthy habits, self-confidence, and letters. Pick up the phone, Elmo’s calling! Receive video calls, audio calls, and voice mail from Sesame Street’s own furry, red monster. Or, give him a call yourself! With Elmo Calls you can laugh, play, and sing with Elmo! FEATURES • Receive audio and video calls from Elmo, or dial Elmo yourself. • Receive voicemail from Elmo regularly and listen to the messages any time. • See live video of yourself in the corner of the screen while you’re chatting with Elmo. • Grown-ups can activate calls or schedule calls for a variety of situations, such as time to wake up! (more calls for going to the doctor, bath time and learning to potty available with additional call packs) LEARN ABOUT "Elmo Calls" encourages children to engage in imaginative play, practice listening skills and sing songs with Elmo! This app also fosters self-confidence by encouraging children to celebrate important life moments, such as visiting the doctor, going to the potty and learning the alphabet! CALL PACKS Elmo Calls comes with The Sunny Day Sampler Call Pack. This pack includes 13 fun-filled calls for you and your child to enjoy right away! For even more calls, get "Playdate with Elmo" which is ready to download, plus you can buy additional Call Packs easily right within the app: • Firsts and Celebrations: Special calls for special days. Elmo calls you during big events, such as your birthday! • Elmo is Proud of You: You're proud of your achievements and so is Elmo! • Feelings: Everybody has feelings and Elmo can call you to share and talk about those feelings. • ABCs: Saying your ABCs is fun! It’s even more fun with Elmo! • Special Visits: Elmo wants to talk about your special plans for today. • Holidays: Holidays are fun to celebrate and Elmo wants to celebrate with you! • You Can Do It!: No matter what you're learning, whether its your ABCs or using the potty, Elmo wants to cheer you on. • Sing with Elmo!: Elmo sings for you! You can sing along or just listen. • Happy Habits: Healthy habits are more fun when you do them with Elmo. • Laugh with Elmo: Elmo just wants to say hi! • Playdate with Elmo: Play and pretend with Elmo! Ready to download! TIPS • Please allow Notifications to receive scheduled calls from Elmo! ABOUT US Sesame Workshop’s mission is to use the educational power of media to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. Delivered through a variety of platforms, including television programs, digital experiences, books and community engagement, its research-based programs are tailored to the needs of the communities and countries they serve. Learn more at www.sesameworkshop.org. ABOUT IDEO IDEO is a human-centered design and innovation firm ranked independently among the ten most innovative companies in the world. Learn how our team of child-development experts, veteran toy designers and interaction designers approach the creation of award-winning kid apps at www.ideotoylab.com. PRIVACY POLICY The Privacy Policy can be found here: https://www.sesameworkshop.org/privacy-policy/ CONTACT US Your input is very important to us. If you have any questions, comments or need help, please contact us at: sesameworkshopapps@sesame.org.

Screenshots

Peekaboo Barn4 screens
Elmo Calls4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Peekaboo Barn at none against Elmo Calls's 10. Peekaboo Barn also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 7 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Elmo Calls's advantage is ratings volume (956 vs 27) and review sentiment (73% vs 63%). On rating, ads, chart position 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

Peekaboo Barn costs $3.99 and Elmo Calls $1.99 up front. Elmo Calls sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Peekaboo Barn asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Peekaboo Barn holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Elmo Calls has 956 ratings behind it against 27, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 63% of Peekaboo Barn's written reviews are positive against 73% of Elmo Calls's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Peekaboo Barn ships an update every 3 months, Elmo Calls every 7 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Peekaboo Barn versus Elmo Calls: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPeekaboo BarnElmo Calls
Price$3.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.5 (27 ratings) — better4.3 (956 ratings)
Positive reviews62.5% of reviews73.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings27956 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#24#16 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size204 MB171 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBHHC LLCSesame Workshop (Apps)

Customer experience

Peekaboo Barn

All ratings26 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral3.8%
Negative11.5%
Written reviews256 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral9.4%
Negative28.1%

Elmo Calls

All ratings956 ratings
Positive83.9%
Neutral4.5%
Negative11.6%
Written reviews275 reviews
Positive73.5%
Neutral4.7%
Negative21.8%

User reviews

Peekaboo Barn

From 27 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
  • 🤗 Engaging for young children
  • 🎓 Helps with learning animal names and sounds
  • 🎨 Cute and colorful visuals
  • 🎶 Pleasant background music

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
  • 🔁 Repetitive after a while
  • 🔊 Child voice pronounces some words incorrectly
  • 🕰️ Ending sequence is too short

Elmo Calls

From 956 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💕 Fun and engaging
  • 👍 Great for kids
  • 🤩 Elmo calls are entertaining
  • 😊 Brings joy and laughter

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔒 Weak parental controls
  • 📵 Scheduled calls don't work as expected

Bugs and requests

Peekaboo Barn

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App no longer opens or crashes on launch
  • Sound and audio issues after updates
  • Inability to access settings or options

Requested features

4 requests
  • More animals and variety
  • Ability to record custom voices
  • Option to loop or extend the experience
  • Multilingual support beyond English and Spanish

Elmo Calls

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes on launch
  • Video calls don't work
  • Purchased content not restoring
  • Scheduled calls not triggering

Requested features

4 requests
  • More character call options (Big Bird, Cookie Monster, etc.)
  • Ability to record video calls
  • Improved UI for young users
  • Scheduled calls that actually ring the device

In-app purchases

None

Peekaboo Barn

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Elmo Calls

One-time10
  • "Playdate With Elmo" PackFree
  • "ABCs" pack$0.99
  • "Special Visits" Pack$0.99
Show 7 more
  • "Firsts and Celebrations" Pack$0.99
  • "Elmo is Proud of You!" Pack$0.99
  • "Laugh With Elmo!" Pack$0.99
  • "Happy Habits" Pack$0.99
  • "You Can Do It!" Pack$0.99
  • "Sing With Elmo!" Pack$0.99
  • "All Calls" Pack$6.99

Questions

Is Peekaboo Barn free?
Peekaboo Barn costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Elmo Calls free?
Elmo Calls costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Peekaboo Barn or Elmo Calls?
Peekaboo Barn is rated higher. Peekaboo Barn averages 4.5 out of 5 from 27 ratings, while Elmo Calls averages 4.3 from 956 ratings.
Do Peekaboo Barn or Elmo Calls have ads?
Neither Peekaboo Barn nor Elmo Calls shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Peekaboo Barn or Elmo Calls?
Peekaboo Barn ships an update every 3 months, and Elmo Calls every 7 months. Most recently, Peekaboo Barn was updated on November 6, 2026 and Elmo Calls on November 6, 2026.
Which is more popular, Peekaboo Barn or Elmo Calls?
Peekaboo Barn currently peaks at #24 in the App Store charts, and Elmo Calls at #16. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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