Comparison

Showbie vs Blockly for Dash & Dot robots

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

Head to head
About

Showbie

This app facilitates paperless learning by allowing teachers to personalize assignments and provide detailed feedback on student work. It supports various feedback methods, including digital ink, text, and voice annotations, and enables the creation of digital portfolios for students. Parents can also be invited to view student progress.

Highlights
  • Personalize assignments and feedback
  • Digital ink, text, and voice annotations
  • Create digital student portfolios
  • Share work from compatible apps
  • Real-time class assessment
  • Private student chat
  • Parental access to student work
Features
Read full description

Used by over 3 million teachers and students worldwide, Showbie is the easiest and most effective digital learning app to personalise assignments and feedback on iPad. DNA of Learning: Your Foundation for Student Success Showbie supports the improvement of everyday teaching and learning by elevating four essential strands of effective classroom practice - direct instruction, independent practice, personalised feedback and real-time assessment - all in one platform. Find out how easy it is to assign, collect and review student work from thousands of compatible iPad apps, or have your students complete assignments with Showbie’s built in tools. Provide rich feedback using digital ink, text and voice annotations right on images and PDFs, and then add your students’ best work to personalized digital portfolios that can be securely shared with parents. WHAT EDUCATORS ARE SAYING “Showbie is my number one can't live without app! It makes the iPad workflow process a breeze! I especially love how it works seamlessly with so many other apps.” — Kristen Paino, Lead Technology Integrator at Avenues: The World School “I don't need to convince my colleagues that they need to use this app — it sells itself. I like that it gives me the flexibility in how I choose to grade my student's work, especially with the voice notes feature. There is no single third party app that I would rather champion.” — Suzanne Lustenhouwer, Teacher and iPad Coordinator, Apple Distinguished Educator “I love that Showbie is so versatile that the youngest of students can use it independently, yet it is appropriate for older grades as well. The ease of use makes it a great workflow solution for classes with iPads.” — Kristi Meeuwse, Kindergarten Teacher, Apple Distinguished Educator KEY FEATURES FOR TEACHERS & STUDENTS • Share work from thousands of compatible iPad apps in a few taps • Use the pen tool and pin text notes directly on any PDF or image • Gauge class understanding in real-time with minute-by-minute assessment • Instantly differentiate assignments and materials to specific students • Quickly distribute instructions and materials to your whole class • Chat privately with individual students to provide timely feedback • Record voice notes for verbal feedback or language exercises • Quickly review and assess batches of student work and provide rich, valuable feedback • Add student work to individual digital portfolios, or enable students to curate their own portfolios • Invite parents to view their student’s work and keep them informed of classroom activity • Can be used with any classroom subject • Available in 18 languages ENHANCED SHOWBIE PRO FEATURES • Record and track grades as numeric scores or letter grades, along with qualitative feedback • Provide richer feedback with more pen colours and line thicknesses, by typing on the page, or by pinning voice notes directly to student work • Record longer voice notes and videos and upload larger files • Lock assignments to control student access to documents and feedback • Give parents complete access to assignments in the classes you choose

About

Blockly for Dash & Dot robots

Learn coding fundamentals through interactive play with robots. This app uses a visual drag-and-drop interface to create programs for Dash and Dot robots, offering challenges and creative freedom for young learners.

Highlights
  • Visual drag-and-drop coding
  • Robot programming challenges
  • Create custom robot behaviors
  • Learn coding concepts (sequencing, loops, variables)
  • Bluetooth connectivity to robots
  • Playful storylines and puzzles
Features
Read full description

PLEASE NOTE: This app requires a Wonder Workshop robot (Dash or Dot) to play. To find out more, please visit our website: https://www.makewonder.com. This app is FREE to play. Blockly is a visual drag-and-drop programming tool developed by Google that allows children to snap together commands like puzzle pieces. This app includes dozes of coding challenges for kids to tackle. They can also invent their own creations using Blockly to program Dash & Dot! Learn concepts like sequencing, events, loops, algorithms, operations, and variables through self-directed play and guided challenges. A series of puzzles teach the concepts of coding through playful storylines, allowing kids to learn and explore all on their own. Kids can confidently embark on their own coding adventures with their newfound knowledge, a dash of creativity, and robot buddy - Dash. For ages 6 and up. As seen on the New York Times, USA TODAY, WIRED, Engadget, BBC, and more. “Thoroughly absorbing.” - New York Times “Both kids begged me to take out the robots and start playing with them again.” - Business Insider “Wonder Workshop's notion that kids need to learn twenty-first century skills (and can have fun doing it) flips the industry paradigm on its head, putting kids first.” - James Oppenheim "They are designed to encourage kids to explore and be curious while also learning problem solving." - VentureBeat HOW TO PLAY - Connect Dash and/or Dot to the Blockly app using Bluetooth Smart/4 - Start with a sample project or start your own projects from scratch - Navigate Dash through a maze or around the room, using object detection to avoid walls - Dash knows when it's being picked up and moved. Program Dash to sound the alarm when there is a disturbance! - Program Dash to do synchronized dance moves with lights, motion, and sounds If you have any questions or suggestions, we would love to hear from you! Contact us at any time at https://help.makewonder.com. ABOUT WONDER WORKSHOP Wonder Workshop, an award-winning creator of educational toys and applications for children, was founded in 2012 by three parents on a mission to make learning to code meaningful and fun for children. Through open-ended play and learning experiences, we hope to instill a sense of wonder while helping kids develop their creative problem solving skills. We play test with children throughout our product and app development process to make sure our experiences are frustration free and fun. Wonder Workshop takes children's privacy very seriously. Our apps do not include any third-party advertising or collect any personal information. For more details, please see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Privacy Policy: https://www.makewonder.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://www.makewonder.com/TOS Make Wonder: https://www.makewonder.com/make-wonder

Screenshots

Showbie4 screens
Blockly for Dash & Dot robots4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Blockly for Dash & Dot robots at 4.3 against Showbie's 3.7. Blockly for Dash & Dot robots also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (53% vs 36%). Showbie's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Showbie sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Blockly for Dash & Dot robots asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Blockly for Dash & Dot robots holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 240 and 172 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Showbie's written reviews are positive against 53% of Blockly for Dash & Dot robots's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Showbie ships an update every 8 days, Blockly for Dash & Dot robots every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Showbie versus Blockly for Dash & Dot robots: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShowbieBlockly for Dash & Dot robots
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (240 ratings)4.3 (172 ratings) — better
Positive reviews35.5% of reviews53.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings240 — better172
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size297 MB142 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperShowbie Inc.MORAVIA Consulting, spol. s r.o.

Customer experience

Showbie

All ratings240 ratings
Positive65.4%
Neutral4.6%
Negative30.0%
Written reviews476 reviews
Positive35.5%
Neutral5.3%
Negative59.2%

Blockly for Dash & Dot robots

All ratings168 ratings
Positive82.7%
Neutral1.2%
Negative16.1%
Written reviews92 reviews
Positive53.3%
Neutral12.0%
Negative34.8%

Bugs and requests

Showbie

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Text boxes disappearing or moving unexpectedly
  • Notifications not working correctly
  • Assignments not uploading or disappearing
  • Compatibility issues on older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Calendar view for assignments
  • More annotation tools and customization
  • Offline mode for accessing content
  • Better integration with other apps

Blockly for Dash & Dot robots

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Showbie

One-time1
  • Showbie Pro$239.99
None

Blockly for Dash & Dot robots

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Showbie free?
Showbie is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Blockly for Dash & Dot robots free?
Blockly for Dash & Dot robots is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Showbie or Blockly for Dash & Dot robots?
Blockly for Dash & Dot robots is rated higher. Showbie averages 3.7 out of 5 from 240 ratings, while Blockly for Dash & Dot robots averages 4.3 from 172 ratings.
Do Showbie or Blockly for Dash & Dot robots have ads?
Neither Showbie nor Blockly for Dash & Dot robots shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Showbie or Blockly for Dash & Dot robots?
Showbie ships an update every 8 days, and Blockly for Dash & Dot robots every 2 months. Most recently, Showbie was updated on November 1, 2026 and Blockly for Dash & Dot robots on November 1, 2026.

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