Comparison

Puppet Pals vs ScratchJr

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

Head to head
About

Puppet Pals

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
Read full description

Create your own animated shows in real time! Pick your actors and backdrops, drag them onto the stage, and tap record. Your movements and voice are captured live, ready to play back, save, and watch again. Act out a pirate adventure on the high seas, a spooky monster showdown, or a Wild West escape — and mix any characters and scenes however you like. Your shows are only limited by your imagination. FREE FEATURES - A stage full of characters and backdrops to perform with - Turn a photo into a character or a backdrop - Record shows with live animation and audio - Zoom, rotate, and flip characters as you perform - Save shows and watch them anytime CREATIVE CLUB (optional subscription) Join the Creative Club to unlock the full show: - Imagine any character or backdrop, describe it, and watch AI bring it to life - Every character and scene pack included - Record shows up to 10 minutes long - Draw your own characters and backdrops - Export your shows as videos - Widescreen stage and full control over the end-of-show outro Choose your plan, monthly or annual: - Essentials — includes 40 AI creations per month - Unlimited — includes up to 1,000 AI creations per month SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime in your App Store account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Privacy Policy: https://www.polishedplay.com/puppetpals1/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Puppet Pals is fully usable without a subscription — the Creative Club just adds more magic.

About

ScratchJr

This app enables graphical programming to control hardware via Bluetooth, allowing for two-way interaction between software and physical devices. Create interactive projects by programming hardware or controlling on-screen characters with physical inputs.

Highlights
  • Graphical programming interface
  • Bluetooth device connectivity
  • Hardware control via programming
  • On-screen character control via hardware
  • Two-way software-hardware interaction
Features
Read full description

图形化编程,通过蓝牙连接设备,可以通过编程控制硬件,也可以通过硬件控制舞台角色,实现软硬件双向互动。

Screenshots

Puppet Pals4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Puppet Pals at 3.8 against ScratchJr's 2.5. Puppet Pals also leads on review sentiment (71% vs 50%) and ratings volume (52 vs 4). ScratchJr's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). 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. Puppet Pals sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. ScratchJr asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Puppet Pals holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Puppet Pals has 52 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Puppet Pals's written reviews are positive against 50% of ScratchJr's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Puppet Pals ships an update every 6 months, ScratchJr every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Puppet Pals versus ScratchJr: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPuppet PalsScratchJr
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (52 ratings) — better2.5 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews71.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings52 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPad
Requires iOS17.09.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB284 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperPolished Play, LLCI Create Robot Technology Co., LTD

Customer experience

Puppet Pals

All ratings50 ratings
Positive68.0%
Neutral8.0%
Negative24.0%
Written reviews210 reviews
Positive71.0%
Neutral7.6%
Negative21.4%

ScratchJr

All ratings4 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

Bugs and requests

Puppet Pals

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

4 requests
  • 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

ScratchJr

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Puppet Pals

One-time10
  • Wild West$0.99
  • Political Par-tay$0.99
  • Monsters$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Talk Shows$0.99
  • Pirates$0.99
  • Fairytale$0.99
  • Zombie Attack$0.99
  • On the Farm$0.99
  • Christmas$0.99
  • Director's Pass$3.99
None

ScratchJr

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Puppet Pals free?
Puppet Pals is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ScratchJr free?
ScratchJr is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Puppet Pals or ScratchJr?
Puppet Pals is rated higher. Puppet Pals averages 3.8 out of 5 from 52 ratings, while ScratchJr averages 2.5 from 4 ratings.
Do Puppet Pals or ScratchJr have ads?
Neither Puppet Pals nor ScratchJr shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Puppet Pals or ScratchJr?
Puppet Pals ships an update every 6 months, and ScratchJr every 2 months. Most recently, Puppet Pals was updated on October 23, 2026 and ScratchJr on October 13, 2026.

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