# PLAY vs Care Bears

The clearest difference is ads: PLAY at none against Care Bears's shown. PLAY also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 15 months). Care Bears's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PLAY sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Care Bears sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for PLAY against 4.4 for Care Bears. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 25 and 19 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 51% of PLAY's written reviews are positive against 50% of Care Bears's.

PLAY ships an update every 2 months, Care Bears every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PLAY | Care Bears |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/play-doh-create-abcs/id652113712/reviews) | **[4.4 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/care-bears/id1199880457/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **25** | 19 |
| Positive reviews | **51.2% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 15 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 243 MB | 118 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PlayDate Digital](https://appshunter.io/developer/652113715) | [Tap Tap Tales, SL](https://appshunter.io/developer/953158919) |

## What reviewers say

### PLAY

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/play-doh-create-abcs/id652113712)

This app uses virtual Play-Doh to teach children the alphabet. Kids can trace letters, learn new vocabulary, and create custom Play-Doh scenes. It also includes letter matching games and progress tracking for parents.

**Highlights:** Virtual Play-Doh letter tracing, Vocabulary association with letters, Customizable Play-Doh creations, Play-Doh scene building, Letter matching games, Progress tracking for parents

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock All Alphabets | $3.99 | one-time |


### Care Bears

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/care-bears/id1199880457)

Children aged three to seven can learn and play with over 100 interactive games. This app enhances skills in letters, numbers, colors, and shapes through a progressive difficulty system and a rewarding experience.

**Highlights:** Over 100 interactive learning games, Develops conception, perception, math, memory, and creativity, Progressive difficulty levels, Reward system with stars and prizes, Focus on letters, numbers, colors, and shapes, Supervised by child education specialists, Parental control

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Maths | $1.99 | one-time |
| Language | $1.99 | one-time |
| Colors | $1.99 | one-time |
| Shapes | $1.99 | one-time |
| Care Bears Fun to learn - Buy all | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PLAY free?

PLAY is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Care Bears free?

Care Bears is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, PLAY or Care Bears?

Care Bears is rated higher. PLAY averages 4.4 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while Care Bears averages 4.4 from 19 ratings.

### Do PLAY or Care Bears have ads?

Care Bears shows ads; PLAY does not.

### Which is updated more often, PLAY or Care Bears?

PLAY ships an update every 2 months, and Care Bears every 15 months. Most recently, PLAY was updated on October 15, 2026 and Care Bears on October 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*