# Puppet Pals vs Number Frames, by MLC

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Number Frames, by MLC at none against Puppet Pals's 10. Number Frames, by MLC also leads on review sentiment (89% vs 71%) and rating (4.0 vs 3.8). Puppet Pals's advantage is update cadence (every 6 months vs every 13 months) and ratings volume (50 vs 7). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Puppet Pals sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Number Frames, by MLC asks for nothing beyond the download.

Number Frames, by MLC holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Puppet Pals has 50 ratings behind it against 7, 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 89% of Number Frames, by MLC's.

Puppet Pals ships an update every 6 months, Number Frames, by MLC every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Puppet Pals | Number Frames, by MLC |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (50 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puppet-pals/id342076546/reviews) | **[4.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/number-frames-by-mlc/id873198123/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **50** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 71.0% of reviews | **88.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 months** | Every 13 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 77 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Polished Play, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/332686547) | [The Math Learning Center](https://appshunter.io/developer/1542700905) |

## 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


### Number Frames, by MLC

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/number-frames-by-mlc/id873198123)

This app provides virtual number frames to help elementary students visualize and manipulate numbers up to one hundred. It supports counting, comparing, and computing, aiding the transition from one-by-one counting to more efficient strategies. Custom frames can be created for advanced visualization of factors and fractions.

**Highlights:** Standard and custom number frames, Variety of counters and colors, 5s grid for grouping emphasis, Resizable covers for problem modeling, Drawing and annotation tools, Math text and writing tools, Shareable work via image or code

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Puppet Pals free?

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

### Is Number Frames, by MLC free?

Number Frames, by MLC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Puppet Pals or Number Frames, by MLC?

Number Frames, by MLC is rated higher. Puppet Pals averages 3.8 out of 5 from 50 ratings, while Number Frames, by MLC averages 4.0 from 7 ratings.

### Do Puppet Pals or Number Frames, by MLC have ads?

Neither Puppet Pals nor Number Frames, by MLC shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Puppet Pals or Number Frames, by MLC?

Puppet Pals ships an update every 6 months, and Number Frames, by MLC every 13 months. Most recently, Puppet Pals was updated on October 10, 2026 and Number Frames, by MLC on October 3, 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.*