Comparison

Hopscotch vs codeSpark

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

Head to head
About

Hopscotch

This app allows children to create their own games, art, and stories using kid-friendly programming. Users can share their creations with a moderated community, play and remix projects from others, and learn to code through interactive video tutorials.

Highlights
  • Create games, art, and stories
  • Kid-friendly programming interface
  • Share creations with a moderated community
  • Play and remix projects from other users
  • Learn coding through video tutorials
  • Build advanced games and apps
Features
Read full description

“Hopscotch is the best way to express your imagination! Most other "learn to code" apps just make you complete boring levels with 4 "move" blocks, but in hopscotch you have the freedom to create anything, which is amazing.” — BuildASnowman, Hopscotcher “This taught me sooooo much about basics of coding. I have been able to make some cool games I hope to learn more as I advance this app was extremely helpful and easy to learn.” — BestBeginnersCoding, Hopcotcher “I had ZERO background or programming experience. I personally checked all 8 or 10 of these blogs about recommendations. And Hopscotch was the most intuitive and interactive. It’s not like you’re just playing video games. My daughter loves it!” — Mom, S. to daughter, 8 “I am a 4th grade teacher who LOVES your app. Our students have been introduced to coding through it and I am impressed with the creativity they have shown and the skills they are building while creating projects.” — Kelley, 4th grade teacher CREATE Whether games, art, stories or more, you can code whatever you want with kid-friendly programming. Publish your creations to Hopscotch’s fully moderated community, where kids can play and learn from your games. PLAY Explore and learn from millions of projects created by other kids. Open up any project to play, tweak, or remix it. With thousands of games published every week, you’ll never run out of ideas or inspiration! LEARN Our play-along video tutorials teach you to make Crossy Road, PokemonGo, and more. Listen, watch, and code as you go! As you become a better programmer, Hopscotch will challenge you to create increasingly advanced games and apps. These skills will help you in high school, college, and beyond. PRESS + AWARDS ** Parents Magazine: Best Apps for Families ** ** FastCompany: Innovation By Design Finalist ** ** Parent’s Choice Gold Medal: Software ** ** Children’s Technology Review: Best Educational Technology ** Featured in: ** The New York Times ** ** The Wall Street Journal ** ** WIRED ** ** Parents Magazine ** ** FastCompany ** ** Apple App Store Editors ** FOR PARENTS See how much your child will love learning to code with Hopscotch! Join 10 million families coding on Hopscotch. Upgrade to Hopscotch Pro for premium creation tools. Get a week-long free trial, and then subscribe for $9.99/month or $79.99/year. You can cancel anytime, hassle free. FOR EDUCATORS Hopscotch is used on 44% of school iPads in the US. Sign up as an educator when you download Hopscotch, and then start coding in your classroom with free lesson plans and student accounts. Increase student engagement with our library of self-guided video tutorials. Email us at classrooms@gethopscotch.com to get started. SAFETY + PRIVACY Hopscotch values kids’ safety and privacy. Hopscotch does not require or collect Personal Information from children, and is COPPA Certified by iKeep Safe. SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscribe to Hopscotch Pro for premium creation tools. You can choose between two auto-renewing subscription options: - $9.99 per month - $79.99 per year Get a 7-day free trial when you upgrade to Hopscotch Pro. Cancel at any time before the trial period ends, and you won’t be charged until after the trial period. Price may vary by location. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. To cancel a subscription, disable auto-renewal in your iTunes settings (General > iTunes Settings > Subscriptions > Manage) and allow the current period to end. Refunds are not available for unused portions of a subscription per iTunes policy. Hopscotch Privacy Policy: https://gethopscotch.com/privacy-policy Hopscotch Terms of Use: https://gethopscotch.com/terms

About

codeSpark

This app offers hundreds of interactive coding games and activities for children aged 3-10. Kids can solve puzzles, design their own games and stories, and even participate in coding contests. It focuses on building essential coding concepts and problem-solving skills in a safe, ad-free environment.

Highlights
  • Hundreds of coding games and activities
  • Create your own games and stories
  • Puzzles to master coding concepts
  • Monthly coding contests
  • Multiplayer coding challenges
  • Pre-coding activities for preschoolers
Features
Read full description

codeSpark: The Award-Winning Learn-to-Code App for Kids (Ages 3–10) 100s of coding games & activities—plus tools to create your own! Kids as young as 3 can start coding through play with puzzles, storytelling, and creativity tools designed just for them. Older kids can design and publish their own games, join monthly contests, and explore projects created by other kid coders. Get full access with a monthly or annual subscription—try membership free for 7 days! Annual subscribers can create up to 5 child profiles, making codeSpark perfect for families with multiple learners. OR play limited content through Hour of Code with no credit card required. Learn Coding Through Play - Puzzles – Master core coding and problem-solving concepts level by level - Create – Design and code your own games and interactive stories - Made by Kids – Play and explore games created by other young coders around the world - Monthly Coding Contests – Showcase creativity, code projects, and win prizes - Code Together – Join friends in a multiplayer water balloon fight while practicing coding logic - Pre-Coding for Preschoolers – Activities designed for early learners ages 3–4 - Adventure Maps – Unlock new puzzles and challenges while progressing through fun coding worlds Educational Benefits Backed by Research codeSpark’s curriculum is based on research from MIT, Princeton, and Carnegie Mellon. Kids learn the basics of computer science in a fun, accessible way—without words. - Coding concepts: sequencing, loops, conditionals, events, and debugging - Computational thinking: problem-solving, logic, pattern recognition, and creativity - Reinforces early skills: reading, math, and critical thinking - Builds confidence, perseverance, and collaboration through play - Encourages design thinking by letting kids turn ideas into working games and stories Kid-Safe & Ad-Free - Every game and story is reviewed before publishing to ensure safety - No ads, no micro-transactions, no distractions - Parent dashboard to manage profiles and track progress - A trusted environment for independent learning Praise from Parents & Teachers “My daughters are 6 and 8, and this is their new favorite game. Now they want to be programmers!” – Parent Review “I loved seeing how my children enjoyed working together on the puzzles.” – Parent Review Teachers and parents worldwide use codeSpark to introduce coding in classrooms, after-school programs, and at home. Kids stay motivated because the learning feels like play, and they are proud to share their creations. - Awards & Recognition - The LEGO Foundation – Pioneer in Reimagining Learning & Play - Children’s Technology Review – Editor’s Choice Award - Parent’s Choice Award – Gold Medal - Collision Conference – Kids & Family Silver Winner Why Families Choose codeSpark - Designed for kids ages 3–10 with no reading required - Builds STEM skills through fun, engaging coding challenges - Supports creativity with open-ended game and story design tools - Encourages collaboration through multiplayer games and contests - Trusted by parents, teachers, and schools worldwide - Helps kids see themselves as creators, problem-solvers, and future innovators Subscription & Download Start with a 7-day free membership trial. Subscriptions renew automatically; manage or cancel anytime in Account Settings. Annual subscribers can create up to 5 child profiles, making it easy to support the whole family. Privacy Policy: http://codespark.com/privacy/ Terms of Use: http://codespark.com/terms/ Start your child’s coding journey today with codeSpark—the award-winning learn-to-code app that makes programming fun, safe, and accessible for every kid ages 3–10!

Screenshots

Hopscotch4 screens
codeSpark4 screens

Verdict

The call

Hopscotch and codeSpark both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 70% of Hopscotch's written reviews are positive against 52% of codeSpark's. Hopscotch also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Hopscotch sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and codeSpark sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Hopscotch against 4.6 for codeSpark. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15K and 41K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Hopscotch's written reviews are positive against 52% of codeSpark's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hopscotch ships an update every 2 weeks, codeSpark fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Hopscotch versus codeSpark: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHopscotchcodeSpark
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (15K ratings)4.6 (41K ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews — better51.6% of reviews
Number of ratings15K41K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size203 MB130 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHopscotch TechnologiesHomer

Customer experience

Hopscotch

All ratings14,975 ratings
Positive87.7%
Neutral4.8%
Negative7.5%
Written reviews484 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral9.5%
Negative20.5%

codeSpark

All ratings40,522 ratings
Positive89.1%
Neutral2.8%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews1,421 reviews
Positive51.6%
Neutral6.3%
Negative42.2%

User reviews

Hopscotch

From 15K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use for beginners
  • 🚀 Powerful coding tools
  • 💡 Encourages creativity and problem-solving
  • 👍 Supportive community
  • 🚀 Great for learning coding

Room to improve

  • 💰 Subscription model restricts free access
  • 🐛 Glitches and bugs
  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🔒 Limited account/login options
  • 🔒 Concerns about child safety and moderation

codeSpark

From 41K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and engaging
  • 🚀 Great for learning coding
  • 🎨 Lots of creative possibilities
  • 🤩 Awesome game/app
  • 💯 Best coding app ever

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
  • 🔍 Confusing UI/UX
  • 🔑 Forced to pay for access
  • 🤬 Unauthorized charges

Bugs and requests

Hopscotch

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Projects disappearing or not saving properly
  • Shapes/objects not displaying correctly
  • Crashes and freezes when using certain features
  • Subscription/login issues

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add cloud variables and multiplayer support
  • Allow custom sounds and profile pictures for free
  • Improve the 'Newest' tab to better showcase new projects
  • Restore old features like unlimited free projects
  • Add a 'reset' button for projects
Show 1 more
  • Improve the coding logic and debugging tools

codeSpark

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Disappearing progress and lost stories
  • Inconsistent performance and crashes
  • Incorrect item purchases and coin deductions
  • Inability to access drafts and profiles
  • Incompatibility issues with newer devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more pet foos and customization options
  • Improve story sharing and collaboration features
  • Introduce more puzzles and challenges
  • Allow custom character and block creation
  • Implement better communication between coders

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Hopscotch

Subscriptions9
  • 1 Month Subscription with free trial7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Hopscotch Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Hopscotch Monthly Subscription1 Month trial$7.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Hopscotch Monthly Subscription7 Days trial2 variants$9.991 Month
  • Hopscotch Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • 1 Year Subscription with free trial1 Month trial$79.991 Year
  • 1 Year Subscription with free trial7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Hopscotch Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Hopscotch Yearly Subscription1 Month trial$79.991 Year
11 purchases

codeSpark

Subscriptions11
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment7 Days trial$9.991 Month
Show 8 more
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment7 Days trial2 variants$12.991 Month
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment7 Days trial$15.001 Month
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment7 Days trial$23.993 Months
  • codeSpark Holiday Annual Membership7 Days trial$63.001 Year
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment7 Days trial2 variants$79.991 Year
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment7 Days trial$90.001 Year
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment7 Days trial$99.991 Year

Questions

Is Hopscotch free?
Hopscotch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is codeSpark free?
codeSpark is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hopscotch or codeSpark?
codeSpark is rated higher. Hopscotch averages 4.5 out of 5 from 15K ratings, while codeSpark averages 4.6 from 41K ratings.
Do Hopscotch or codeSpark have ads?
Neither Hopscotch nor codeSpark shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hopscotch or codeSpark?
Hopscotch ships an update every 2 weeks, and codeSpark fortnightly. Most recently, Hopscotch was updated on September 25, 2026 and codeSpark on September 26, 2026.

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