Puppet Pals vs Tynker Junior
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Puppet Pals
This app provides a complete toolkit for creating animated puppet shows, allowing students to draw custom characters, use photos, and access pre-loaded assets. It includes printable lesson plans for various subjects and is designed for safe, offline classroom use.
- Create animated puppet shows
- Draw custom characters and backdrops
- Use photos as characters/backgrounds
- Over 100 pre-loaded characters
- Printable lesson plans and resources
- Offline functionality
- No ads or in-app purchases
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The complete classroom storytelling toolkit Puppet Pals helps students bring learning to life through animated storytelling. Create book reports, historical reenactments, science explanations, and more — all with the magic of puppet theater. Everything included. No subscriptions. No in-app purchases. Unlimited characters! DRAW: Students can draw unlimited custom characters and backdrops, bringing any story to life. PHOTO: Students can turn any photo into a character or background. INCLUDED: Over 100 pre-loaded characters NEW: Printable Lesson Plans & Resources Ready-to-use activities aligned to curriculum standards: English Language Arts — Story structure, character development, dialogue History — "Interview a Historical Figure" projects, timeline presentations Science — Explain-a-concept projects, hypothesis presentations Social-Emotional Learning — Conflict resolution, feelings identification World Languages — Vocabulary skits, conversation practice Assessment rubrics included to evaluate student storytelling projects. Safe for schools: No online sharing or social features No accounts required No advertisements Works completely offline Perfect for elementary and middle school classrooms, homeschool families, speech therapy, and special education settings.
Tynker Junior
This app introduces children aged 4-7 to coding concepts through engaging, word-free picture blocks. It helps them develop problem-solving, logic, and critical thinking skills through interactive coding adventures. Designed for young learners, it makes learning to code fun and accessible.
- Word-free picture block coding
- Problem-solving and logic development
- Music and art creation
- 200+ coding challenges
- Tap-based interface
- Voiceovers for guidance
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The Ultimate Coding Playground for Kids Ages 4-7! Tynker Junior is the award-winning app specifically designed for young learners, including pre-readers who haven’t even started school yet. Through vibrant, word-free picture blocks, your child will learn to solve problems, compose music, and create art—all with the power of code. Why Parents and Teachers Love Tynker: * Trusted Globally: Used by 1 out of every 3 U.S. K-8 schools and 100,000+ schools worldwide. * Proven Success: Over 60 million kids in 150 countries have started their STEM journey with Tynker. * Designed for Little Hands: A tap-based interface with friendly voiceovers and no complex dragging or reading required. 5 EPIC CODING ADVENTURES With 200+ coding challenges, your child will explore: Ocean Odyssey: Master sequencing and patterns while helping Gillie the Goldfish. Robots: Learn about events and parameters as you fix a wacky robot factory. Wild Rumble: Help endangered animals using counting loops and delays. Puffball Panic: Navigate dynamic environments using conditional logic. Super Squad: Defeat villains and retrieve stolen treasure using advanced problem-solving. WHAT YOUR CHILD WILL LEARN Tynker Junior transforms screen time into a brain-building workout. Your child will master: Logic & Sequencing: Understanding cause and effect. Critical Thinking: Solving complex puzzles step-by-step. Programming Concepts: Loops, conditional logic, and debugging. 21st Century Skills: Resilience, focus, and algorithmic thinking—the same foundations used in professional languages like Swift and Python. Privacy & Terms: Privacy Policy: https://www.tynker.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.tynker.com/terms/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Tynker Junior at Free against Puppet Pals's $6.99. Tynker Junior also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.1) and ratings volume (4.2K vs 13). Puppet Pals's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On ads and device support 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
Tynker Junior is free to download; Puppet Pals costs $6.99 up front. Tynker Junior sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Puppet Pals asks for nothing beyond the download.
Tynker Junior holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tynker Junior has 4.2K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of Puppet Pals's written reviews are positive against 59% of Tynker Junior's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Puppet Pals ships an update every 3 weeks, Tynker Junior every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.
| Parameter | Puppet Pals | Tynker Junior |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $6.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.1 (13 ratings) | 4.5 (4.2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 70.6% of reviews — better | 58.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 13 | 4.2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 78 MB | 396 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Polished Play, LLC | Tynker |
Customer experience
Puppet Pals
Tynker Junior
Bugs and requests
Puppet Pals
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Tynker Junior
Reported bugs
3 issues- Levels/games not progressing properly
- Login and account issues
- Compatibility problems on certain devices
Requested features
3 requests- Add more advanced coding lessons
- Improve customer support and responsiveness
- Integrate with full Tynker app for seamless experience
In-app purchases
Puppet Pals
No in-app purchases
Tynker Junior
- Individual Monthly$4.991 Month
- Tynker Jr. Web + Mobile Plan7 Days trial$24.991 Month
- Individual Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year
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- Tynker Jr. Web + Mobile Plan7 Days trial$59.993 Months
- Tynker Jr. Web + Mobile Plan$119.991 Year
- Tynker Jr. Web + Mobile Plan$314.99
Questions
Is Puppet Pals free?
Is Tynker Junior free?
Which has better reviews, Puppet Pals or Tynker Junior?
Do Puppet Pals or Tynker Junior have ads?
Which is updated more often, Puppet Pals or Tynker Junior?
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