Comparison

Puppet Pals 2 vs PhET Simulations

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Create animated cartoons
  • Interactive puppet show
  • Star in shows with built-in characters
  • Share finished projects easily
  • Engage students in learning
  • Create instructional videos
Read full description

• “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!

About

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.

Highlights
  • Interactive science and math simulations
  • Offline play capability
  • Multiple language support
  • Customizable favorites collection
  • Automatic simulation updates
  • Easy simulation sorting
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

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

Puppet Pals 24 screens
PhET Simulations3 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Puppet Pals 2 versus PhET Simulations: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPuppet Pals 2PhET Simulations
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.1 (123 ratings)4.5 (49 ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.4% of reviews65.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings123 — better49
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 14 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#51 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size359 MB125 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPolished Play, LLCUniversity of Colorado Boulder

Customer experience

Puppet Pals 2

All ratings123 ratings
Positive76.4%
Neutral7.3%
Negative16.3%
Written reviews216 reviews
Positive63.4%
Neutral10.2%
Negative26.4%

PhET Simulations

All ratings49 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.2%
Written reviews145 reviews
Positive65.5%
Neutral4.1%
Negative30.3%

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

10 purchases

Puppet Pals 2

One-time10
  • North Pole Pack$0.99
  • Royal Hall Pack$0.99
  • Time & Tech Pack$0.99
Show 7 more
  • 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
None

PhET Simulations

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Puppet Pals 2 free?
Puppet Pals 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PhET Simulations free?
PhET Simulations costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Puppet Pals 2 or PhET Simulations?
PhET Simulations is rated higher. Puppet Pals 2 averages 4.1 out of 5 from 123 ratings, while PhET Simulations averages 4.5 from 49 ratings.
Do Puppet Pals 2 or PhET Simulations have ads?
Neither Puppet Pals 2 nor PhET Simulations shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Puppet Pals 2 or PhET Simulations?
Puppet Pals 2 ships an update every 2 months, and PhET Simulations every 14 months. Most recently, Puppet Pals 2 was updated on October 16, 2026 and PhET Simulations on October 19, 2026.

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