Comparison

Plickers vs Merge Explorer

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

Head to head

Plickers

Free

📚 Education

★ 4.1313 ratingsView app →

Merge Explorer

Hands-on science simulations

Free

📚 Education

★ 4.1279 ratingsView app →

About

Plickers

This app allows educators to conduct instant polls and check for understanding in their classrooms without requiring students to have individual devices. Simply scan student response cards using a smartphone or tablet to gather data, which is then automatically saved online.

Highlights

Free classroom polling
No student devices required
Scan student response cards
Instant checks-for-understanding
Automatic data saving
Online data access

Read full description

Plickers lets you poll your class for free, without the need for student devices. Just give each student a card (a "paper clicker"), and use your iPhone/iPad to scan them to do instant checks-for-understanding, exit tickets, and impromptu polls. Best of all, your data is automatically saved, student-by-student, at plickers.com. Happy teaching!

About

Merge Explorer

Explore over 100 interactive science simulations using a smartphone and a Merge Cube. Investigate volcanoes, sharks, the solar system, and more with hands-on activities and quizzes. Ideal for K-8 students learning science at school or home.

Highlights

Over 100 science simulations
Interactive Merge Cube experiences
Hands-on learning activities
Built-in quizzes
NGSS-aligned K-8 curriculum
Physical, Life, and Earth/Space Science topics

Features

Read full description

PLEASE NOTE: This app requires a Merge Cube and a smartphone or a tablet to experience. Find out how to get a Merge Cube and learn more at: https://www.MergeCube.com. Students can learn science effectively with over 100 science simulations they can touch, hold and interact with! Merge Explorer (along with a Merge Cube) allows students to investigate a smoking volcano in the palm of their hand, examine a great white shark up close, hold and explore the solar system, dissect a frog (humanely!), and so much more. With easy-to-follow activities and built-in quizzes, students gain key knowledge while immersed in learning, both in the classroom or while remote learning at home. Merge Explorer includes NGSS-aligned topics for K-8th grade, like Physical Science, Life Science, and Earth & Space Science. If you have any questions or suggestions, we want to hear from you! Contact us at any time at support@mergeedu.com. Privacy Policy: https://MergeEdu.com/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://MergeEdu.com/terms-of-use

Screenshots

Plickers3 screens

Merge Explorer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Plickers at none against Merge Explorer's 4. Plickers also leads on review sentiment (72% vs 46%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). Merge Explorer's advantage is ads (none vs shown). 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. Merge Explorer sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Plickers asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for Plickers against 4.1 for Merge Explorer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 313 and 279 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 72% of Plickers's written reviews are positive against 46% of Merge Explorer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Plickers ships an update every 2 months, Merge Explorer monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level

Plickers versus Merge Explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter	Plickers	Merge Explorer
Price	Free	Free
Rating	4.1 (313 ratings)	4.1 (279 ratings)
Positive reviews	72.3% of reviews — better	46.2% of reviews
Number of ratings	313 — better	279
Update frequency	Every 2 months	Monthly — better
Ads	Yes	No — better
In-app purchases	No — better	Yes
Monetization	Ad-supported — better	Free with in-app purchases
Devices	iPhone, iPad, iPod	iPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS	11.0 — better	15.0
Further details — not scored
Size	44 MB	1.3 GB
Age rating	4+	4+
Developer	Plickers Inc.	Merge Apps

Customer experience

Plickers

All ratings313 ratings

Positive77.6%

Neutral4.5%

Negative17.9%

Written reviews202 reviews

Positive72.3%

Neutral3.5%

Negative24.3%

Merge Explorer

All ratings279 ratings

Positive76.3%

Neutral7.2%

Negative16.5%

Written reviews65 reviews

Positive46.2%

Neutral10.8%

Negative43.1%

User reviews

Plickers

From 313 App Store ratings

What we love

🚀 Instant feedback and data
👍 Easy to use and set up
🤩 Students love it
📊 Helpful assessment tool
🏫 Great for the classroom

Room to improve

🐛 Crashes and glitches
🔒 Login/account issues
🔄 Difficult to navigate after updates
💰 Paywall for advanced features
🔍 Limited question customization

Merge Explorer

From 279 App Store ratings

What we love

👍 Easy for young students
💡 Flexible for lesson needs
🔬 Used for research and experiments
💡 Introduces new content exploratorily
🤩 Engaging and versatile for learning

Room to improve

💰 Expensive purchase
💰 Forced subscription for software
💰 Cannot view software before paying
💰 Money trap
💰 Only for rich people

Bugs and requests

Plickers

Reported bugs

5 issues

App crashing on launch
Scanning issues and inconsistent response detection
Syncing problems between app and website
Disappearing questions and data loss
Compatibility issues with newer OS versions

Requested features

5 requests

Ability to share question banks between teachers
More formatting options for questions and answers
Improved data reporting and export capabilities
Compatibility with more devices and platforms
Easier class and student management

Merge Explorer

Reported bugs

13 issues

App crashes on iPad
App crashes when pressing play
Camera not working in app
Black screen when using cube or camera
VR function broken

Show 8 more

VR doesn't work with iPhone XS Max
App crashes or loads forever
Problems with galactic explore
App has trouble recognizing the cube
Screen recording only records cube, not overlay
Words appear sideways in horizontal mode
Content appears incorrectly
App crashes

Requested features

9 requests

Make the app free to play
Add more fun things, not just learning
Bring back the fun apps (time bomb, block courses)
Allow users to create their own games for the merge cube
Add a way to reset quizzes for class sets of devices

Show 4 more

Improve functionality for remote teaching, including screen recording
Add more content in the future
Add dark mode option
Add advanced analytics dashboard

In-app purchases

None

Plickers

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Merge Explorer

Subscriptions4

Merge EDU Individual14 Days trial$9.991 Month
Explorer Premium Monthly14 Days trial$9.991 Month
Merge EDU Individual14 Days trial$99.991 Year

Show 1 more

Explorer Premium Annual14 Days trial$99.991 Year

Questions

Is Plickers free?

Plickers is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

Is Merge Explorer free?

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

Which has better reviews, Plickers or Merge Explorer?

Plickers and Merge Explorer are both rated 4.1 out of 5 on the App Store, from 313 and 279 ratings respectively.

Do Plickers or Merge Explorer have ads?

Plickers shows ads; Merge Explorer does not.

Which is updated more often, Plickers or Merge Explorer?

Plickers ships an update every 2 months, and Merge Explorer monthly. Most recently, Plickers was updated on October 4, 2026 and Merge Explorer on October 12, 2026.