# Puppet Pals vs Cortex 5.0

The clearest difference is rating: Cortex 5.0 at 5.0 against Puppet Pals's 3.8. Cortex 5.0 also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 17.0). Puppet Pals's advantage is ratings volume (53 vs 1) and update cadence (every 6 months vs every 20 months). 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. Cortex 5.0 asks for nothing beyond the download.

Cortex 5.0 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Puppet Pals has 53 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Puppet Pals ships an update every 6 months, Cortex 5.0 every 20 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Puppet Pals | Cortex 5.0 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (53 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puppet-pals/id342076546/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cortex-50/id940894725/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **53** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 70.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 months** | Every 20 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 77 MB | 83 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **10.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Polished Play, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/332686547) | [PCS Edventures!](https://appshunter.io/developer/920195647) |

## 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


### Cortex 5.0

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cortex-50/id940894725)

This app provides a drag-and-drop interface for programming robotics kits, generating Arduino code. It allows users to build and program robots that interact with their environment using sensors and various building systems. The user-friendly, game-like environment is ideal for learning programming and Arduino coding.

**Highlights:** Drag-and-drop programming interface, Generates Arduino code, Supports multiple building systems (fischertechnik, LEGO, K'NEX, VEX), Robot interaction with sensors, Game-like learning environment, iPad compatible

**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 Cortex 5.0 free?

Cortex 5.0 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Puppet Pals or Cortex 5.0?

Cortex 5.0 is rated higher. Puppet Pals averages 3.8 out of 5 from 53 ratings, while Cortex 5.0 averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Puppet Pals or Cortex 5.0 have ads?

Neither Puppet Pals nor Cortex 5.0 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Puppet Pals or Cortex 5.0?

Puppet Pals ships an update every 6 months, and Cortex 5.0 every 20 months. Most recently, Puppet Pals was updated on November 1, 2026 and Cortex 5.0 on November 1, 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.*