# BrainPOP vs Puppet Pals

The clearest difference is price: BrainPOP at Free against Puppet Pals's $6.99. BrainPOP also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.1) and ratings volume (34K vs 13). Puppet Pals's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

BrainPOP is free to download; Puppet Pals costs $6.99 up front. BrainPOP sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Puppet Pals asks for nothing beyond the download.

BrainPOP holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BrainPOP has 34K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 93% of BrainPOP's written reviews are positive against 70% of Puppet Pals's.

BrainPOP ships an update every 2 months, Puppet Pals every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BrainPOP | Puppet Pals |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $6.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (34K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brainpop/id364894352/reviews)** | [4.1 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puppet-pals-school-edition/id462134755/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **34K** | 13 |
| Positive reviews | **92.7% of reviews** | 69.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#197** |
| Size | 25 MB | 75 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [BrainPOP®](https://appshunter.io/developer/364894355) | [Polished Play, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/332686547) |

## What reviewers say

### BrainPOP

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brainpop/id364894352)

This app offers award-winning animated educational videos, interactive activities, and quizzes designed by educators. It aims to transform passive screen time into active, enriched learning experiences for children in grades 3-8 across all subjects.

**Highlights:** Animated educational movies, Interactive activities, Quizzes, Content for grades 3-8, All subjects covered, Research-backed learning platform

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BrainPOP Explorer Subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| BrainPOP Full Access | $15.99 | per month |
| BrainPOP Combo Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| BrainPOP Full Access Yearly | $129.99 | per year |
| BrainPOP Combo Yearly | $159.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and educational
- 🚀 Helpful for learning
- 👍 Great for kids
- 👍 Funny and entertaining
- 👍 Informative videos

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 💰 Limited free content
- 🙄 Biased or one-sided content
- 🙄 Lacks detail in some topics

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues
- Playback problems
- Syncing issues across devices

**Requested features**

- More topics and content
- Lower subscription cost
- Better organization of content
- More character diversity
- Support for older devices


### Puppet Pals

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puppet-pals-school-edition/id462134755)

**Currently charting:** #197 Top Paid · Education (US App Store)

This app provides a complete toolkit for students to create animated stories, ideal for educational projects like book reports and historical reenactments. It allows for custom character and backdrop creation using drawing or photos, and includes over 100 pre-loaded characters. The app is safe for schools with no online sharing or ads.

**Highlights:** Create animated stories, Draw custom characters and backdrops, Use photos as characters/backgrounds, Over 100 pre-loaded characters, Printable lesson plans and resources, Offline functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BrainPOP free?

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

### Is Puppet Pals free?

Puppet Pals costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.

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

BrainPOP is rated higher. BrainPOP averages 4.7 out of 5 from 34K ratings, while Puppet Pals averages 4.1 from 13 ratings.

### Do BrainPOP or Puppet Pals have ads?

Neither BrainPOP nor Puppet Pals shows ads.

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

BrainPOP ships an update every 2 months, and Puppet Pals every 3 weeks. Most recently, BrainPOP was updated on September 26, 2026 and Puppet Pals on September 11, 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.*