Comparison

ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles vs Thinkrolls 1

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

Head to head
About

ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles

This app helps young children develop cognitive thinking and fine motor skills through interactive puzzles. It features easy-to-move shapes that snap into place, revealing images and professional voice recordings of words spoken by a speech therapist. The app offers a wide variety of puzzles, including animals, letters, numbers, and musical instruments, in a fun and engaging format.

Highlights
  • Interactive shape puzzles
  • Speech therapist voiceovers
  • Develops cognitive thinking
  • Enhances fine motor skills
  • Educational content (animals, letters, numbers)
  • Sound effects
Features
Read full description

From the creators of the hit, award winning, iPad app Drawing Pad! ShapeBuilder educates & entertains your little one with easy to move shapes that snap into place on top of silhouette puzzles. Each puzzle has 5 to 10 pieces & after positioning all of the pieces, the real image is revealed along with a professional voice recording of the word spoken by a licensed speech therapist that specializes in early child development. ShapeBuilder encourages cognitive thinking & fine motor skills plus exposes young minds to new music instruments, animals, produce, objects & the alphabet in a fun & engaging format with LOTS of sound effects! Designed for kids! No menu buttons on the puzzles to get in the way of game play! Highlights: Total of 173 puzzles! 30 Music instruments with sound effects 21 Fruits & Vegetables 45 Animals - awesome sound effects! 26 Letters - speech therapist sounds out each letter in a fun way 20 Numbers - one through twenty! 31 other fun items like Firetruck, Police Officer, Garbage Truck, and Volcano Random play resets after all puzzles are completed. Kids have so much fun trying to guess what the puzzle will be! By Darren Murtha & Chris Lott for kids and toddlers in preschool, kindergarden & firstgrade! App for kids 3 to 6 years old - MANY 2 year olds play this too but you may have to play together at first. (Perfect for toddlers / preschool / kindergarten / first grade / and babysitters) In 2009-2010 previously featured as an Apple Staff Favorite! (July) and iTunes App Store Essential for Toddlers (October) FEATURED IN: MACWORLD "App of the Day" tinyurl.com/app-of-day THE WASHINGTON TIMES tinyurl.com/sb-washingtontimes USATODAY.COM tinyurl.com/sb-usatoday SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE tinyurl.com/sb-sanfran O'REILLY's Book "Best iPhone Apps" http://tinyurl.com/sb-best-iphone-apps BEAT "Wheels on the Bus" on O'Reilly's APP SMACKDOWN tinyurl.com/app-smackdown "ShapeBuilder earns an edu.Mac.nation daddy score of "A" - Immediately my son was able to locate & move the pieces into position. The audio quality is fantastic, the application is stable, & the variety of puzzle types kept my son engaged & entertained. Together we worked on completing the puzzles & saying out loud what the images were." Michael (an elementary school teacher) from www.edumacnation.com "If you’ve got a preschooler then ShapeBuilder is a great app for your iPhone...This app is great on many levels & a terrific combination of learning & fun." The iPhone Mom (www.theiphonemom.com) "A great little jigsaw app for children aged 3 to 5 years." Daniel Donahoo, Geekdad at wired.com

About

Thinkrolls 1

This award-winning logic puzzle game challenges young children to develop reasoning and problem-solving skills. Players navigate characters through mazes, overcoming obstacles using physics and logic. It offers numerous levels and gradually introduces scientific concepts.

Highlights
  • 207 puzzle levels
  • Hands-on physics lessons
  • Develops logic and problem-solving
  • Introduces scientific concepts
  • Easy and hard modes
  • No penalties or time limits
Read full description

Boost your child's brain power and intelligence! Thinkrolls is an award-winning logic puzzle game that helps young kids develop reasoning and problem solving skills through a delightful and engaging gameplay. Get it now and let your little geniuses amaze you with their mental abilities and logic skills! ________________________________ ** Featured 'Best New App' on the App Store's Home Page in more than 70 countries ** ** Ranked #2 in US App Store, Education category ** • Parents’ Choice Award Winner • Named one of the "10 Top Kids Apps of 2014" by USA Today! • "Adorable physics platformer creates little problem-solvers." - Top Pick by Common Sense Media • "Thinkrolls has actually become a family affair...I enthusiastically recommend it." - 148 Apps • "Another smash hit by these ingenious and award winning developers." - Teachers With Apps • Editors' Choice by Children's Technology Review & Tech With Kids ________________________________ THE MISSION Have a blast navigating your Thinkrolls through a series of obstacles in brightly patterned mazes. The goal is to solve the puzzles and roll through the end of the maze where a new Thinkroll waits to be unlocked and lead the next quest! HOW TO PLAY The app offers 207 clever puzzle levels filled with fun science concepts. Seven playful elements with unique physical properties are gradually introduced. Kids will discover through hands-on manipulation how to use these objects to their advantage and clear a path. • Cookies • Munch them to clear a path or resist those treats to avoid getting trapped! • Crates • Push them to fill gaps or stack them to reach higher ground. • Balloons • Burst them on spikes to get them out of your way. • Rocks • Get a crash course in Newtonian physics by dropping heavy, dense boulders to break through cracked ground. • Jelly • Bounce Thinkrolls and objects on springy jellies to launch them up. • Fire • Use ice blocks to put out the fire and safely pass through. • Elevators • Timing is added to the mix! Synchronize movements of two different elevators to navigate through the maze. MASTER THE ART OF THINKING Little players will master the art of thinking while using to their advantage force, acceleration, buoyancy, heat, elasticity and gravity to reach the end of the maze. The puzzles gradually build upon successive science lessons to strengthen observation, creative thinking, logic, problem solving, spatial cognition and memory. There are unlimited tries and no penalties. Thinkrolls not only challenges the brain but also develops and rewards patience and perseverance. As kids try different combinations to achieve their goal, they intuitively learn through trial and error what works. They must think ahead, use precise timing and rely on their memory to reunite their Thinkroll buddies. ________________________________ MAIN FEATURES • 207 levels with mind-sharpening puzzles • Easy mode for ages 3-5, hard mode for ages 5-8 • Hands-on physics lessons • Experiment with gravity, heat, buoyancy, speed, elasticity, friction and other science concepts • Enhance logic, spatial cognition, problem solving, memory, perseverance • 26 hilarious, super smart characters to play with • Fun brain training for the whole family • Track progress for up to 9 player profiles • Supreme design and beautiful artwork • Original soundtrack and sound design • Language neutral game-play • COPPA compliant, no 3rd party ads, no in-app purchases More info: avokiddo.com ________________________________ PRIVACY POLICY We respect your privacy! We do not collect, store, or share any personal information or location data. Our apps do not contain third-party ads and are safe for young children. Read our privacy policy here: http://avokiddo.com/privacy-policy.

Screenshots

ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles4 screens
Thinkrolls 14 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Thinkrolls 1 at 4.5 against ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles's 4.1. Thinkrolls 1 also leads on ratings volume (16K vs 86). ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $5.99) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 11.0). On review sentiment, 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

ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles costs $2.99 and Thinkrolls 1 $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Thinkrolls 1 holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thinkrolls 1 has 16K ratings behind it against 86, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles's written reviews are positive against 91% of Thinkrolls 1's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles ships an update every 8 months, Thinkrolls 1 every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles versus Thinkrolls 1: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShapeBuilder Preschool PuzzlesThinkrolls 1
Price$2.99 — better$5.99
Rating4.1 (86 ratings)4.5 (16K ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.2% of reviews90.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings8616K — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better11.0
Further details — not scored
Size98 MB137 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMurtha Design LLCAVOKIDDO

Customer experience

ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles

All ratings86 ratings
Positive72.1%
Neutral10.5%
Negative17.4%
Written reviews161 reviews
Positive83.2%
Neutral7.5%
Negative9.3%

Thinkrolls 1

All ratings16,011 ratings
Positive87.9%
Neutral7.0%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews240 reviews
Positive90.8%
Neutral3.3%
Negative5.8%

User reviews

ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles

From 86 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🎓 Educational for young kids
  • ⭐ Engaging and entertaining
  • 🎨 Vibrant graphics and visuals

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and compatibility issues
  • 🔇 Missing sound or audio features
  • 🔁 Repetitive puzzles
  • 🕰️ Puzzles advance too quickly

Thinkrolls 1

From 16K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Engaging and fun
  • 💡 Promotes problem-solving and critical thinking
  • 🤗 Cute and appealing characters
  • 🧠 Helps develop logic and reasoning skills
  • 😊 Great for kids and adults alike

Room to improve

  • 🤔 Some levels can be too easy
  • 🕰️ Lack of new content/levels
  • 🔇 Sound issues on certain devices

Bugs and requests

ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes on launch
  • No sound or audio issues
  • Puzzles not displaying correctly

Requested features

4 requests
  • More variety and new puzzles
  • Ability to pause, replay, or navigate puzzles
  • Customization options (e.g. difficulty, categories)
  • Support for multiple languages

Thinkrolls 1

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Certain levels are unbeatable
  • Crashes on older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • More levels and difficulty options
  • Ability to create custom characters
  • Sync progress across devices
  • Additional game modes or challenges

In-app purchases

None

ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles

No in-app purchases

None

Thinkrolls 1

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles free?
ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Thinkrolls 1 free?
Thinkrolls 1 costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles or Thinkrolls 1?
Thinkrolls 1 is rated higher. ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles averages 4.1 out of 5 from 86 ratings, while Thinkrolls 1 averages 4.5 from 16K ratings.
Do ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles or Thinkrolls 1 have ads?
Neither ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles nor Thinkrolls 1 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles or Thinkrolls 1?
ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles ships an update every 8 months, and Thinkrolls 1 every 4 months. Most recently, ShapeBuilder Preschool Puzzles was updated on November 10, 2026 and Thinkrolls 1 on November 11, 2026.

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