Cato's Hike vs Stickleback Evolution Lab
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cato's Hike
Embark on a programming adventure where you guide a young boy through a new world by creating programs. Learn fundamental coding concepts like loops and branches through engaging puzzles and a visual interface. Create and share your own challenges with a powerful map editor.
- Visual programming interface with cards
- Introduction to loops, branches, and memory
- 60 levels and 12 tutorials
- Map editor for creating and sharing puzzles
- Save and preview custom maps
- Email puzzle solutions and maps
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A little programmer odyssey! "Who says that computer programming should only be left to the adults?... although Cato’s Hike is geared towards children, it can definitely unlock the little programmer in all of us." -- AppAdvice Cato is a little boy who just like every little boy likes to go out and play. One fine day Cato was playing outside when a portal to another world opened up in front of him; a portal to another world! Cato stepped through and discovered that this world unlike his own didn't follow the same rules. Every time he tried to take a step or an action he'd find himself stuck in place. Stuck that is until he finally discovered the rules in this universe: by writing a program for himself he would be able to overcome all obstacles and learn something new along the way! Features: * Simple programming interface using beautiful cards with pictures * A visual manual to help guide parents and more interested users * Loops, branches and if/else, goto labels, looking and chaining looks to look ahead, goto's, and simple memory using colored flags are the main tools used to introduce programming * 60 levels and 12 tutorials (always working to add more!) * Powerful map editor so you can create your own maps and puzzles and share with friends * Preview your maps directly in the map editor to save time and test out your maps more quickly! * Saves program progress so you can pick up at any time and iteratively develop * Email your puzzle solutions to share your genius with others * Beautiful artwork and amusing sound effects and music * Puzzles ranging from easy to hard to teach different programming concepts without trying to force them * Emailed maps include gorgeous screenshot of what you are sending so your friends know what to expect * Cato's Hike teaches children (ages 5+) the essentials of programming and how to think about solving complex problems * The challenges in there are solvable easily by children of all ages but more nuanced and complex solutions should challenge teenagers and parents alike! * Just a fun puzzle game :) Upcoming features: * MORE LEVELS! * Hints on harder levels * Possibly more tutorial levels if enough ask for it * Possible cloud-sync Essentially, 'Cato’s Hike' is a universal game for the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch to teach kids and young children basic programming skills. The younger ones will obviously enjoy solving levels using simpler coding techniques but the hope is the older ones will pick up more advanced concepts like loops and branching as well as even more advanced concepts like a basic stack or memory! There is enough in here to keep everyone from children to parents engaged! More challenges are upcoming however so stay tuned! As with all my projects I take this one very seriously and I hope you enjoy. I intend to continue improving Cato's Hike as much as possible and incorporate your feedback and suggestions as well as try to make it more intuitive and better able to convey the concepts it is setting out to teach. If you have any questions, suggestions, ideas, or bugs you'd like to report please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly at: hesham.wahba@gmail.com
Stickleback Evolution Lab
Explore the science of evolution by analyzing the pelvic structures of threespine stickleback fish. This virtual lab offers three experiments using real fish specimens and fossils, complete with graphing and statistical analysis tools for drawing conclusions about population evolution.
- Analyze pelvic structures of threespine stickleback fish
- Conduct experiments with living specimens and fossils
- Collect and analyze biological data
- Graphing and statistical analysis tools
- Learn about evolutionary science
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The Stickleback Evolution Virtual Lab will introduce you to the science and techniques used to analyze the forms and structures of organisms–in particular, the pelvic structures of the threespine stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus). The lab includes three experiments in which you will collect data using photographs of living fish specimens and fossils to draw conclusions about the evolution of stickleback fish populations. The lab includes graphing and statistical analysis of biological data. This app is geared to high school and college biology students, and anyone interested in the biological sciences. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is a nonprofit medical research organization that ranks as one of the nation's largest philanthropies. HHMI plays a powerful role in advancing biomedical research and science education. HHMI brings the latest biomedical research into the classroom with the award-winning BioInteractive website, featuring free resources for science education, including lectures, animations, short films, interactive features, and classroom-ready lesson plans and activities. Topics include all areas of biology and earth and environmental science. Vist the website at www.biointeractive.org.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Stickleback Evolution Lab at Free against Cato's Hike's $5.99. Stickleback Evolution Lab also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 64%) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.6). Cato's Hike's advantage is rating (4.1 vs 2.6) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 28 months). On 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
Stickleback Evolution Lab is free to download; Cato's Hike costs $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Cato's Hike holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cato's Hike has 48 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 64% of Cato's Hike's written reviews are positive against 100% of Stickleback Evolution Lab's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Cato's Hike ships an update fortnightly, Stickleback Evolution Lab every 28 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cato's Hike | Stickleback Evolution Lab |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.1 (48 ratings) — better | 2.6 (8 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 64.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 48 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 28 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 264 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hesham Wahba | Howard Hughes Medical Institute |
Customer experience
Cato's Hike
Stickleback Evolution Lab
In-app purchases
Cato's Hike
No in-app purchases
Stickleback Evolution Lab
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Cato's Hike free?
Is Stickleback Evolution Lab free?
Which has better reviews, Cato's Hike or Stickleback Evolution Lab?
Do Cato's Hike or Stickleback Evolution Lab have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cato's Hike or Stickleback Evolution Lab?
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