# Puppet Pals vs Pattern Shapes, by MLC

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pattern Shapes, by MLC at none against Puppet Pals's 10. Pattern Shapes, by MLC also leads on rating (4.2 vs 3.8) and iOS requirement (14.7 vs 17.0). Puppet Pals's advantage is update cadence (every 6 months vs every 26 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

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

Pattern Shapes, by MLC holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 50 and 17 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 71% and 70% positive.

Puppet Pals ships an update every 6 months, Pattern Shapes, by MLC every 26 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and June 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Puppet Pals | Pattern Shapes, by MLC |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (50 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puppet-pals/id342076546/reviews) | **[4.2 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pattern-shapes-by-mlc/id908511013/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **50** | 17 |
| Positive reviews | **71.0% of reviews** | 70.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 months** | Every 26 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 77 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **14.7** |
| 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


### Pattern Shapes, by MLC

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pattern-shapes-by-mlc/id908511013)

This app allows students to explore geometry and fractions through interactive shape manipulation. Users can create designs, fill outlines, measure angles, and annotate their work. It's an open-ended educational tool for learning mathematical concepts.

**Highlights:** Explore geometry and fractions, Create custom designs, Measure angles with protractor, Duplicate, resize, and recolor shapes, Fill built-in outlines, Annotate work with drawing tools, Share creations 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 Pattern Shapes, by MLC free?

Pattern Shapes, by MLC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Puppet Pals or Pattern Shapes, by MLC?

Pattern Shapes, by MLC is rated higher. Puppet Pals averages 3.8 out of 5 from 50 ratings, while Pattern Shapes, by MLC averages 4.2 from 17 ratings.

### Do Puppet Pals or Pattern Shapes, by MLC have ads?

Neither Puppet Pals nor Pattern Shapes, by MLC shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Puppet Pals or Pattern Shapes, by MLC?

Puppet Pals ships an update every 6 months, and Pattern Shapes, by MLC every 26 months. Most recently, Puppet Pals was updated on September 27, 2026 and Pattern Shapes, by MLC on June 2, 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.*