Comparison

Smithsonian vs Dinomus

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

Head to head
About

Smithsonian

Explore a prehistoric world by digging for fossils and uncovering facts about dinosaurs. Earn coins to unlock new tools and learn about over 15 dinosaur species through interactive scenes and quizzes. Develop literacy and critical thinking skills with engaging educational content.

Highlights
  • Dig for fossils with virtual tools
  • Learn facts about 15+ dinosaur species
  • Unlock dinosaur cards with information
  • Interactive prehistoric world exploration
  • Earn coins for better digging tools
  • Prehistoric quiz to test knowledge
  • Phonetic spelling for vocabulary building
Read full description

Welcome to Digging for Dinosaurs – a gorgeous interactive app brought to you by The ©Smithsonian and PlayDate Digital! This is a must-have app for dino explorers of any age, where you can dig up fossils and open up a prehistoric world filled with facts, pterosaurs, giant sea reptiles and every kind of prehistoric dinosaur! EXPLORE every layer of a vibrant and prehistoric world with virtual fossil hunter tools! LEARN fun and surprising facts about Dinosaurs! DISCOVER the reptiles that flew, swam and stalked the Earth! Explore the different time periods when Dinosaurs dominated the land, air, and sea, through guided play, puzzles and digging up fossils and facts. The more you dig, the more you will discover! Earning coins let’s you select new more powerful tools to dig up our prehistoric past. Each new dig is an opportunity for budding paleontologists to crack rocks, brush away dirt, assemble fossils and uncover new dinosaurs and new dinosaur facts! Each dinosaur discovery is rewarded with interactive scenes packed with learning moments and interesting information. Collect all the creature cards and then come back for more! Think you know your dinosaurs facts? Test your knowledge with a Prehistoric Quiz, earn more dino coins, and keep digging with even better fossil hunting tools! We’ll see you at the dig site! Features: • Learn about more than 15 dinosaur species including Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, and the Velociraptor! • Unlock dinosaur cards, packed with interesting info about each prehistoric creature you dig up! • Explore a prehistoric and interactive world that fills with more dinosaurs as you discover them! • Dig up fossils, test your dino knowledge, and collect creature cards! • Earn dino coins to unlock better digging tools—without spending any additional ‘real’ money! • Phonetic spelling helps you sound out and learn exciting new words • Engaging educational content and beautiful illustrations based on the original Dinosaurs book! • Learn about all the different Dinosaur ages! There is something for kids at every level in Digging For Dinosaurs - from cracking rocks and digging up fossils to brushing up on the latest Dino knowledge! Learning goals: • Dinosaur knowledge: Learn the names of dinosaurs, what they ate and how they lived. • Literacy Skills: practiced through reading and creative play about dinosaurs! • Vocabulary: Learn new words with phonetic spelling and pronunciation. • Critical thinking: learn what life was like for all the different types of dinosaurs in all their different environments and ages! ABOUT THE SMITHSONIAN The ©Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum and research complex, dedicated to public education, national service, and scholarship in the arts, ©Smithsonian sciences, and history. The name of the ©Smithsonian Institution and the sunburst logo are registered trademarks of the ©Smithsonian Institution. For more information, please visit www.si.edu ABOUT PLAYDATE DIGITAL PlayDate Digital Inc. is a publisher of high-quality, interactive, mobile educational software for children. PlayDate Digital's products nurture children's emerging literacy and creativity skills by turning digital screens into engaging experiences. PlayDate Digital content is built in partnership with some of the world's most trusted global brands for kids. Visit us: playdatedigital.com Like us: facebook.com/playdatedigital Follow us: @playdatedigital Watch all our app trailers: youtube.com/PlayDateDigital1 HAVE QUESTIONS? We'd love to hear from you! Your questions suggestions and comments are always welcome. Contact us 24/7 at info@playdatedigital.com

About

Dinomus

A fun dinosaur guessing game for children aged 4 and up. Listen to clues and identify famous dinosaurs to earn points and badges. It's designed to aid reading skills with beautiful illustrations and engaging facts.

Highlights
  • Dinosaur guessing gameplay
  • Audio clues and voice recognition
  • Fun dinosaur facts
  • Badge collection system
  • Score tracking
  • Beautiful illustrations
Features
Read full description

Dinomus is the ultimate dinosaur guessing game for kids age 4+! Listen to clues about famous dinosaurs and try to guess their name. The fewer clues you need, the higher your score! PARENTS: - Pay once to get all current and future levels + dinos - No Ads - No in-game purchases FEATURES: - 32 exciting dinosaurs to discover + regular additions - Fun facts about each dinosaur read aloud - Earn new badges as you go! - Beautiful illustrations - Score tracking and high scores - A fun way to help reading - There will be 8 new dinosaurs soon! HOW TO PLAY: - Listen to the clues read aloud - Tap the dino to guess, you can also speak your guess in voice mode - The fewer clues you use, the more points you earn Perfect for budding paleontologists, dinosaur lovers, and kids learning to read. Play together as a family or let kids play independently!

Screenshots

Smithsonian4 screens
Dinomus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Dinomus at weekly against Smithsonian's every 6 months. Dinomus also leads on price ($0.99 vs $3.99). Smithsonian's advantage is ratings volume (6 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Smithsonian costs $3.99 and Dinomus $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Smithsonian against 5.0 for Dinomus. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Smithsonian has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Smithsonian ships an update every 6 months, Dinomus weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Smithsonian versus Dinomus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmithsonianDinomus
Price$3.99$0.99 — better
Rating5.0 (6 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size440 MB121 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPlayDate Digital Inc.James McKendree

Customer experience

Smithsonian

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Dinomus

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Smithsonian

No in-app purchases

None

Dinomus

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Smithsonian free?
Smithsonian costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dinomus free?
Dinomus costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Smithsonian or Dinomus?
Smithsonian and Dinomus are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 6 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Smithsonian or Dinomus have ads?
Neither Smithsonian nor Dinomus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Smithsonian or Dinomus?
Smithsonian ships an update every 6 months, and Dinomus weekly. Most recently, Smithsonian was updated on November 4, 2026 and Dinomus on October 31, 2026.

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