The Manhole vs Code Adventures
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Manhole
Explore a whimsical, interactive world filled with delightful characters and surprises. This award-winning digital playground offers endless discovery for children, featuring charming animations, original music, and engaging activities.
- Interactive world exploration
- Whimsical characters
- Original music and sounds
- Hand-rendered characters
- Award-winning design
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From the creators of Myst, The Manhole is a silly, delightful, interactive, busy-box-of-a-world that kids can explore and explore - finding something new around every corner. This award-winning romp transports children to the fanciful world around, above, and beneath what appears to be just an average, everyday manhole. But there is much more than meets the eye - have tea with a rabbit, wake up a walrus, nibble biscuits with a dragon, hang with a penguin, boat with an elephant, speak French with a turtle, and much more! First released in the 80s, the original version won rave reviews and numerous awards including "Best New Use of a Computer" from the Software Publishers Association. This Masterpiece Edition was produced in the 90s as a ground-up re-make of the original with meticulous computer-rendered scenes layered with delightful hand-rendered characters. There are over 30 original music compositions and scores of original sounds and voices.
Code Adventures
Embark on a coding adventure to solve puzzles and sharpen logic. This game features child-friendly puzzles designed to teach programming basics and boost problem-solving skills. It's a non-violent, educational experience suitable for all ages.
- Solve programming puzzles
- Learn programming basics
- Sharpen logic and problem-solving
- Child-friendly environment
- 32 well-crafted levels
- Boosts patience and self-confidence
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Embark on a magical adventure of coding, learning and fun! Sharpen your logic and elevate your problem solving skills with this brain-challenging game adored by kids and parents alike! Aesthetically rich and carefully designed child-friendly puzzles structured in 5 basic programming categories guarantee hours of mind-teasing entertainment. ________________________________ • Featured By Apple in over 150 countries in Educational and Puzzle categories • Rated 'Best of the Best' by Best Apps For Kids • Certified by Educational App Store ________________________________ Parents all around the world use Code Adventures to inspire their kids and spark in them a long-lasting interest in coding and science. Created with the help and input of educators and tested in schools, this game succeeds in teaching not only the basics of programming but also boosts logical thinking, problem solving, patience, persistence and self-confidence. THE GAME Take the exciting first steps in coding and delve into the world of Aurora - an utterly lovable fuzzball that needs your help to get back home. Train your brain and solve tricky spatial puzzles using only programming commands. Guide Aurora through fascinating colorful levels each of them presenting an even greater logical challenge. Different puzzle elements like flying platforms, movable bridges, ladders and portals are gradually introduced making programming even more fun. The game's beautiful graphics, sounds and humorous messages keep kids focused on the learning process. Main features: • Solve challenging puzzles while learning how to program • Non-violent educational game suitable for kids, parents and teachers • Fascinating visuals, humorous sounds and lovable characters • Child-friendly environment with no in-app purchases and no ads • 32 well-crafted levels and more to come WHO CAN PLAY Code Adventures is designed for everyone to enjoy - from kids to teens to adults. Even players with no interests in programming can benefit greatly by improving crucial skills. • Suitable for children aged 6+ • Suitable for adults with interests in programming or brain-challenging puzzles • Great opportunity for parents to bond with their kids and spark in them interests in STEM related subjects HIGH EDUCATIONAL VALUE Children have astounding capacity and infinite curiosity for learning new things. More often than not they are even better than adults at grasping complex concepts like algorithms and procedures. Getting familiar with software technology becomes more important each day in preparing your kid for the jobs of tomorrow. Code Adventures teaches the basics of every modern programming language in an amusing, positive and lovable environment. You will learn basic principles such as: • Order of operations • Functions • Lists • Goto and Wait statements • Loops • Conditionals Students using Code Adventures also develop valuable everyday skills. The game helps in the following ways: • Improves logical thinking and problem solving • Provides great mental training for the whole family • Boosts self-confidence, rewards patience and persistence • Develops cognitive and spatial skills • Teaches "out of the box" thinking • Fosters communication and curiosity A perfect brain teaser and an amazing educational gift for your kid, Code Adventures is a must-have. Immerse yourself into the colorful world of Aurora and see for yourself how easy it is to learn how to code!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Code Adventures at every 6 weeks against The Manhole's every 21 months. Code Adventures also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.6). The Manhole's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $5.99) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
The Manhole costs $1.99 and Code Adventures $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
The Manhole holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 23 and 44 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of The Manhole's written reviews are positive against 71% of Code Adventures's.
The Manhole ships an update every 21 months, Code Adventures every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.
| Parameter | The Manhole | Code Adventures |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 — better | $5.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (23 ratings) — better | 4.6 (44 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 86.0% of reviews — better | 71.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 23 | 44 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 21 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 88 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Cyan Worlds | Daniel Ivanov |
Customer experience
The Manhole
Code Adventures
In-app purchases
The Manhole
No in-app purchases
Code Adventures
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Manhole free?
Is Code Adventures free?
Which has better reviews, The Manhole or Code Adventures?
Do The Manhole or Code Adventures have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Manhole or Code Adventures?
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