Puppet Pals 2 vs PhET Simulations
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Puppet Pals 2
Unleash creativity by making animated cartoons with interactive puppets. Children and teachers can easily create high-quality animated stories, presentations, and educational content. Share finished projects via email, social media, or direct file transfer.
- Create animated cartoons
- Interactive puppet show
- Star in shows with built-in characters
- Share finished projects easily
- Engage students in learning
- Create instructional videos
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• “Puppet Pals is an amazing app that lets you create animated cartoons.” -David Pogue (NewYork Times) Children unlock creativity with this easy to use (but hard to put down) interactive puppet show! Even young children can create high quality cartoons from their imaginations. Kids can even star in the show along side the built-in characters! Teachers: Engage students by allowing them to act out historical events, practice language skills, or deliver a killer book report. The cartoons that kids are making have delighted thousands of teachers and parents around the world - let yours be next to experience this award-winning digital addition to your classroom. The finished projects are easily shared to be watched by others (share via email, Facebook, or simply copy the video file to your computer and distribute how you see fit - Hint: students love to see their work displayed on a classroom blog). • Create short instructional videos (in any learning area) • Storytelling, Reports, Historic Retells • Help reluctant public speakers present to the class • Help foreign language or ESL students practice their fluency & language skills • Brainstorming or storyboarding ideas and presentations Characters chosen from standard curriculum allow kids to fully engage with content - not even realizing they are actually learning valuable lessons that will stay with them for years to come!
PhET Simulations
Explore science and math concepts through interactive simulations. This app provides over 75 HTML5 simulations for learning about atoms, energy, multiplication, and more. It's ideal for students, parents, and educators, offering offline access and multiple language support.
- Interactive science and math simulations
- Offline play capability
- Multiple language support
- Customizable favorites collection
- Automatic simulation updates
- Easy simulation sorting
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Engage in learning science and math with the award-winning PhET simulations! Whether understanding atoms, exploring energy, or mastering multiplication, there is a sim for every learner. Perfect for at home, in class, or on the road, this app delivers all PhET HTML5 sims (over 75 sims) in one easy-to-use package. Developed by experts at the University of Colorado Boulder, PhET sims are used by millions of students every year. The PhET iPad app delivers these exclusive features: • Offline play: learn on the bus or at the park without a WiFi connection. • Multiple languages: app translate in many languages (great for bilingual learners). • Favorites: pick your favorite sims and create your own custom collection. • Automatic updates: get the latest HTML5 sims as soon as they are released. • Easy sorting: find the right sims for you. • Fullscreen: maximize your screen real estate for optimal sim exploration. PARENTS: Engage your child in science and math discovery. TEACHERS: Your favorite HTML5 sims at your fingertips, even without internet access. ADMINISTRATORS: Optimized for school use, so your teachers will be seamlessly up to date. STUDENTS: Tell your parents there’s an exciting app for learning science and math. Note: The app does not include PhET’s Java or Flash sims. In addition, although we are currently working on improving the accessibility of our sims, most of the sims included in this app do not include keyboard navigation or screen reader access. As accessible sims become available, they will be updated within the app. Proceeds from the app support the development of more HTML5 sims. On behalf of the PhET team and the students whose lives you have helped improve — Thank you!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Puppet Pals 2 at Free against PhET Simulations's $0.99. Puppet Pals 2 also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 14 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). PhET Simulations's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and rating (4.5 vs 4.1). On review sentiment, 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
Puppet Pals 2 is free to download; PhET Simulations costs $0.99 up front. Puppet Pals 2 sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. PhET Simulations asks for nothing beyond the download.
PhET Simulations holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 123 and 49 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Puppet Pals 2's written reviews are positive against 66% of PhET Simulations's.
Puppet Pals 2 ships an update every 2 months, PhET Simulations every 14 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Puppet Pals 2 | PhET Simulations |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.1 (123 ratings) | 4.5 (49 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 63.4% of reviews | 65.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 123 — better | 49 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 14 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #51 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 359 MB | 125 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Polished Play, LLC | University of Colorado Boulder |
Customer experience
Puppet Pals 2
PhET Simulations
Bugs and requests
Puppet Pals 2
Reported bugs
4 issues- Saving issues causing loss of progress
- Freezing and crashing when trying to access certain features
- Audio and visual glitches during playback
- Compatibility problems on newer devices
Requested features
5 requests- Add more free characters and backgrounds
- Implement better saving and autosave functionality
- Allow for custom character creation and customization
- Add more diverse themes and settings
- Improve overall stability and reduce crashes
PhET Simulations
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Puppet Pals 2
- North Pole Pack$0.99
- Royal Hall Pack$0.99
- Time & Tech Pack$0.99
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- Saddle Up Pack$0.99
- Vroom Vroom Pack$0.99
- Civil Rights$0.99
- Ptolemaic$0.99
- Under The Sea$0.99
- Custom Heads$1.99
- All Access Pass$5.99
PhET Simulations
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Puppet Pals 2 free?
Is PhET Simulations free?
Which has better reviews, Puppet Pals 2 or PhET Simulations?
Do Puppet Pals 2 or PhET Simulations have ads?
Which is updated more often, Puppet Pals 2 or PhET Simulations?
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