Comparison

BrainPOP vs Kodable Basics

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

Head to head
About

BrainPOP

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
Read full description

Access BrainPOP’s award-winning animated movies, activities and quizzes made by educators and replace your kids’ passive screen time with active, enriched learning. Start your free trial today to access content for grades 3-8 across all subjects. BrainPOP is a research-backed learning platform created by educators that know how kids learn best, and perfect for age-appropriate, independent learning. Start watching, learning, playing and growing with us! Terms of Use: https://www.brainpop.com/about/terms_of_use/ Privacy Policy: https://www.brainpop.com/about/privacy_policy/ User Agreement: https://www.brainpop.com/about/user_agreement/

About

Kodable Basics

This app teaches children aged 4-10 foundational computer science concepts through engaging, game-based activities. It helps kids develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills by guiding them through mazes and allowing them to create their own games. The curriculum is designed to transition from basic logic to writing real code.

Highlights
  • Game-based learning approach
  • Develops critical thinking
  • Teaches coding concepts
  • Builds foundational computer science skills
  • Creative activities
  • Seasonal events
Features
Read full description

The coding curriculum used in over 50% of U.S. elementary schools, now at home! Kids go from solving their first maze at age 4 to writing real JavaScript by 5th grade, through games they actually ask to play. LOVED BY KIDS, TRUSTED BY SCHOOLS Rated 4.7 stars by 21,000+ families. Over 25 million downloads. Built with elementary teachers for more than a decade, and aligned to Common Core and CSTA standards, the same curriculum kids use in class. WHAT KIDS LEARN Ages 4-6 (no reading required): sequencing, patterns, and problem-solving through maze puzzles. This is the logic underneath all programming. Ages 7-10: conditions, loops, functions, and variables, leading to real typed JavaScript Every level builds critical thinking they'll use far beyond the screen MORE THAN LESSONS Kids design their own characters, build and share their own games, and jump into seasonal events. Creativity keeps them coming back long after the lesson ends. USING KODABLE AT SCHOOL? Sign in with your school account and your child's progress comes home with them. Some class content carries over free; Kodable Pro unlocks the full library at home. BUILT FOR FAMILIES No ads. Ever. Works offline for road trips, flights, and waiting rooms Designed to meet the strict privacy standards schools require TEACHERS: A complete K-5 STEM curriculum with 80+ scripted lesson plans and Google Classroom, Clever, and roster integrations is available at kodable.com. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION – Payment will be charged to iTunes Account – Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period – Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal – Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase – Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable.

Screenshots

BrainPOP4 screens
Kodable Basics4 screens

Verdict

The call

BrainPOP and Kodable Basics both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 93% of BrainPOP's written reviews are positive against 55% of Kodable Basics's. Kodable Basics's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. BrainPOP sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Kodable Basics sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for BrainPOP against 4.7 for Kodable Basics. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 34K and 21K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 93% of BrainPOP's written reviews are positive against 55% of Kodable Basics's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BrainPOP ships an update every 2 months, Kodable Basics every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
BrainPOP versus Kodable Basics: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrainPOPKodable Basics
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (34K ratings)4.7 (21K ratings)
Positive reviews92.7% of reviews — better54.5% of reviews
Number of ratings34K — better21K
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB422 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrainPOP®SurfScore, Inc

Customer experience

BrainPOP

All ratings34,241 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral2.9%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews1,055 reviews
Positive92.7%
Neutral2.4%
Negative4.9%

Kodable Basics

All ratings21,468 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral2.6%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews411 reviews
Positive54.5%
Neutral5.4%
Negative40.1%

User reviews

BrainPOP

From 34K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Kodable Basics

From 21K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Fun and educational coding game
  • 👍 Helps develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills
  • 🚀 Engaging for kids of various ages
  • 🎨 Ability to create custom characters and games

Room to improve

  • 💰 Subscription-based model with high costs
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔒 Misleading trial period and automatic subscription
  • 📉 Declining quality and value over time

Bugs and requests

BrainPOP

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login issues
  • Playback problems
  • Syncing issues across devices

Requested features

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

Kodable Basics

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to access app after subscription cancellation
  • Persistent crashes at certain levels or stages
  • Syncing and progress issues across devices
  • Unresponsive controls and UI elements

Requested features

4 requests
  • More free content and levels
  • Improved stability and performance
  • Customization options for parents/teachers
  • Better customer support and communication

In-app purchases

5 purchases

BrainPOP

Subscriptions5
  • BrainPOP Explorer Subscription$3.991 Month
  • BrainPOP Full Access14 Days trial$15.991 Month
  • BrainPOP Combo Monthly14 Days trial$19.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • BrainPOP Full Access Yearly14 Days trial$129.991 Year
  • BrainPOP Combo Yearly14 Days trial$159.991 Year
7 purchases

Kodable Basics

Subscriptions2
  • Kodable Monthly Plan7 Days trial$24.991 Month
  • Kodable Yearly Plan7 Days trial$119.991 Year
One-time5
  • 3-day Parent TrialFree
  • Fuzzes to Support Computer Science$4.99
  • Pre-Trial Parent Plan$19.99
Show 2 more
  • Parent Plan$29.99
  • Kodable Lifetime Plan$199.99

Questions

Is BrainPOP free?
BrainPOP is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Kodable Basics free?
Kodable Basics is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BrainPOP or Kodable Basics?
BrainPOP and Kodable Basics are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 34K and 21K ratings respectively.
Do BrainPOP or Kodable Basics have ads?
Neither BrainPOP nor Kodable Basics shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BrainPOP or Kodable Basics?
BrainPOP ships an update every 2 months, and Kodable Basics every 3 weeks. Most recently, BrainPOP was updated on October 13, 2026 and Kodable Basics on October 12, 2026.

Other comparisons