Comparison

Move the Turtle vs ScratchJr

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

Head to head
About

Move the Turtle

This app introduces children aged 5 and up to programming fundamentals through interactive challenges and rewards. It teaches core coding concepts like loops, procedures, and variables in a fun, visual environment, empowering kids with 21st-century skills.

Highlights
  • Learn programming basics
  • Interactive challenges
  • Rewards system
  • Teaches loops, procedures, variables
  • Create own programs
  • Visual graphic environment
Features
Read full description

Unlock your child's potential and introduce them to the exciting world of programming with 'Move the Turtle' - the app trusted by parents and educators worldwide. Our fun and easy-to-use platform empowers kids with 21st century skills, helping them learn to code and prepare for a bright future! *** Winner of a Parents’ Choice Gold Award _______________________________________________ "I highly recommend it for all kids, whether or not they want to get into programming. The kind of thinking required to solve the tasks in the app is important for everyone to learn, for every field of study." -- Wired.com / Geek Dad "Are you a computer geek that loves programming or are you a classroom teacher instructing on such skills as angles, measurement and two dimensional geometry? If you answered yes to either these, then you have come to the right educational app" -- IEAR.org "I spent my formative tech-years trundling a robo-turtle around the floor while learning the Logo programming language. Now there's an app for that, although in this case the turtle is virtual" -- The Guardian _______________________________________________ *** Move the Turtle teaches children (ages 5+) the basics of programming (yes, we do mean coding!) *** Challenges and rewards keep children (with parents' assistance) & teenagers (on their own) engaged! -----------------------------------   Do you remember the Logo programming language? A friendly Turtle will introduce your child step by step to the basic concepts of programming in a colourful graphic environment. Who knows, maybe your child will be the next outstanding programmer!   By completing the tasks, one after another, your child learns: *** how to plan complex activities composed of simple elements *** how to reuse previously completed work *** how to use graphics, spatial orientation and sound in programming   Your child will also become familiar with the notions of loops, procedures, variables and conditional instructions.   Programming is about more than completing tasks, it is also about implementing your own ideas using your imagination. With this in mind we give you the opportunity to create your own programs from scratch or based on our inspiring examples. ----- Website: https://movetheturtle.com/ Our new math app: https://correctresult.app/

About

ScratchJr

This app allows young children to create their own interactive stories and games by snapping together graphical programming blocks. It fosters problem-solving, creative expression, and develops early numeracy and literacy skills in a fun, motivating context.

Highlights
  • Program interactive stories
  • Create games
  • Snap-together programming blocks
  • Develop problem-solving skills
  • Foster creative expression
  • Learn coding fundamentals
Features
Read full description

With ScratchJr, young children (ages 5-7) learn important new skills as they program their own interactive stories and games. By snapping together graphical programming blocks, children can make characters move, jump, dance, and sing. In the process, children learn to solve problems, design projects, and express themselves creatively on the computer. They also use math and language in a meaningful and motivating context, supporting the development of early-childhood numeracy and literacy. With ScratchJr, children don’t just learn to code, they code to learn. ScratchJr was inspired by the popular Scratch programming language (http://scratch.mit.edu), used by millions of people (ages 8 and up) around the world. The ScratchJr interface and programming language were redesigned to make them appropriate for younger children’s cognitive, personal, social, and emotional development. ScratchJr is a collaboration between the Lifelong Kindergarten research group at the MIT Media Lab, the Developmental Technologies research group at Tufts University, and the Playful Invention Company. The ScratchJr project has received generous financial support from the National Science Foundation (NSF DRL-1118664), Scratch Foundation, LEGO Foundation, and British Telecommunications. If you enjoy using this free app, please consider making a donation to the Scratch Foundation (www.scratchfoundation.org), a nonprofit organization that provides ongoing support for ScratchJr. We appreciate donations of all sizes, large and small.

Screenshots

Move the Turtle4 screens
ScratchJr1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ScratchJr at Free against Move the Turtle's $3.99. ScratchJr also leads on ratings volume (1.8K vs 14). Move the Turtle's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 67%) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 11.0). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

ScratchJr is free to download; Move the Turtle costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for Move the Turtle against 3.9 for ScratchJr. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ScratchJr has 1.8K ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of Move the Turtle's written reviews are positive against 67% of ScratchJr's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Move the Turtle versus ScratchJr: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMove the TurtleScratchJr
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (14 ratings) — better3.9 (1.8K ratings)
Positive reviews75.4% of reviews — better66.8% of reviews
Number of ratings141.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.3 — better11.0
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB51 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKrzysztof Haft-SzatynskiScratch Foundation, Inc.

Customer experience

Move the Turtle

All ratings14 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews57 reviews
Positive75.4%
Neutral14.0%
Negative10.5%

ScratchJr

All ratings1,812 ratings
Positive72.5%
Neutral7.1%
Negative20.4%
Written reviews594 reviews
Positive66.8%
Neutral10.9%
Negative22.2%

Bugs and requests

Move the Turtle

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

ScratchJr

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Freezing and crashing issues
  • Incorrect character movements and positioning
  • Saving and loading problems
  • Microphone and recording bugs

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more frames/scenes per project
  • Improve drawing/editing tools
  • Expand color and customization options
  • Enhance audio features and sound library
  • Integrate with the full Scratch platform

In-app purchases

None

Move the Turtle

No in-app purchases

None

ScratchJr

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Move the Turtle free?
Move the Turtle costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ScratchJr free?
ScratchJr is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Move the Turtle or ScratchJr?
Move the Turtle is rated higher. Move the Turtle averages 4.0 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while ScratchJr averages 3.9 from 1.8K ratings.
Do Move the Turtle or ScratchJr have ads?
Neither Move the Turtle nor ScratchJr shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Move the Turtle or ScratchJr?
Move the Turtle ships an update every 6 months, and ScratchJr every 6 months. Most recently, Move the Turtle was updated on October 11, 2026 and ScratchJr on October 13, 2026.

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