# Puppet Pals vs Sumdog

The clearest difference is rating: Sumdog at 4.2 against Puppet Pals's 3.8. Sumdog also leads on ratings volume (1.6K vs 52) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Puppet Pals sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Sumdog sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $8.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Sumdog holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sumdog has 1.6K ratings behind it against 52, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of Puppet Pals's written reviews are positive against 64% of Sumdog's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Puppet Pals ships an update every 6 months, Sumdog every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Puppet Pals | Sumdog |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (52 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puppet-pals/id342076546/reviews) | **[4.2 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sumdog/id1145809959/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 52 | **1.6K** |
| Positive reviews | **70.9% of reviews** | 63.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 77 MB | 135 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Polished Play, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/332686547) | [Sumdog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/644331332) |

## What reviewers say

### Puppet Pals

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puppet-pals/id342076546)

Bring your stories to life by creating animated shows in real time. Choose actors and backdrops, then record your movements and voice to produce unique performances. Unleash your creativity with endless storytelling possibilities.

**Highlights:** Real-time animation recording, Create actors from photos, Use photos as backdrops, Zoom and rotate characters, Downloadable creative characters, Director's Pass for all content

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wild West | $0.99 | one-time |
| Political Par-tay | $0.99 | one-time |
| Monsters | $0.99 | one-time |
| Talk Shows | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pirates | $0.99 | one-time |
| Fairytale | $0.99 | one-time |
| Zombie Attack | $0.99 | one-time |
| On the Farm | $0.99 | one-time |
| Christmas | $0.99 | one-time |
| Director's Pass | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Great app for classrooms and education
- 🤩 Lots of fun and creativity
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💯 Awesome for making videos and animations
- 🎨 Ability to use own photos and characters

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Many features require paid upgrade
- 🤬 Frustrating that you can't use own characters without paying
- 🐛 Bugs with exporting and saving videos
- 🙄 Limited free content

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when trying to export videos
- Saved videos not playing back properly
- Issues with using own photos and characters

**Requested features**

- Add more characters, backgrounds, and themes
- Allow exporting and sharing of videos
- Improve video editing and recording features
- Add sound effects and background music options


### Sumdog

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sumdog/id1145809959)

This app offers personalized math and spelling practice for children aged 5-14 through engaging games and adaptive learning. It uses diagnostic tests to tailor learning journeys and provides virtual rewards to motivate students. Parents can set up accounts for home use or connect to school-assigned work.

**Highlights:** Personalized adaptive learning, Engaging single and multiplayer games, Thousands of standards-aligned questions, Virtual coin rewards system, 3D avatar and house personalization, Diagnostic assessment

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Family Membership | $8.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Fun and engaging games
- 🏆 Competitive leaderboards
- 🏠 Customizable avatar and house
- 📚 Helps with learning math, spelling, and grammar
- 🏫 Useful for schools and teachers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitches and bugs
- 🕰️ Slow loading times
- 🔒 Limited access to premium features without subscription
- 🤖 Weird or unappealing 3D character models
- 🔍 Lack of instructions for some games

**Reported bugs**

- Flower Defenders game not working properly
- Goalz game not registering shots correctly
- Sudden logout issues
- Incompatibility with certain devices or browsers

**Requested features**

- Add more free games
- Bring back old 2D games
- Allow interaction with house and garden items
- Improve multiplayer functionality
- Add more customization options for avatar and house


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Puppet Pals free?

Puppet Pals is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Sumdog free?

Sumdog is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Puppet Pals or Sumdog?

Sumdog is rated higher. Puppet Pals averages 3.8 out of 5 from 52 ratings, while Sumdog averages 4.2 from 1.6K ratings.

### Do Puppet Pals or Sumdog have ads?

Neither Puppet Pals nor Sumdog shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Puppet Pals or Sumdog?

Puppet Pals ships an update every 6 months, and Sumdog every 2 months. Most recently, Puppet Pals was updated on November 6, 2026 and Sumdog on November 6, 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.*