Comparison

Kidoodle.TV vs Playpen

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

Head to head
About

Kidoodle.TV

Stream thousands of kid-safe TV episodes and full series for free. Discover new shows updated weekly, create custom profiles with parental controls, and enjoy educational content. This ad-supported platform offers unlimited access to a vast library of entertainment for children.

Highlights
  • Stream thousands of kid-safe episodes
  • Discover new shows weekly
  • Customizable profiles with parental controls
  • Educational content for toddlers and K-12
  • Large gaming and gameplay library
  • Available in over 160 countries
Features
Read full description

Stream over 40,000 episodes including popular shows like PAW Patrol: Pup Tales, Peppa Pig Minis, SpongeBob SquarePants, Blippi Wonders, The Dodo, Baby Shark, Roblox, Minecraft, Blippi, Little Angels, & more*. Stream hours of kid-safe videos for free. No hidden fees, no subscription needed, no trial offers, and no payment or credit card necessary. Our ad-supported plan offers unlimited access to our entire Safe Streaming™ library. Download Kidoodle.TV® for FREE and your kids can: - Instantly watch unlimited kids TV episodes and full series on-demand - Easily discover new shows, updated weekly - Search for favorites across the entire content library - Create your own profile, customizable by color, avatar, title selection, and age group set parental control screen time limits - “Like” favorites and add them to a special category and then share them with friends (on Mobile) - Watch and learn with toddler ABCs, 123s, rhyming, shapes and colors and with fun educational preschool cartoons and live-action TV - Dance all day with musical sing-a-longs for toddlers and K-12 - View one of the largest gaming and gameplay libraries featuring creators such as Abdallah Smash, Beard Bear, and Ethan Gamer! Kidoodle® is available in more than 160 countries and territories and is accessible on more than 1,000 streaming devices. Kidoodle.TV is a recipient of the kidSAFE+ COPPA Seal. Winner of the Mom's Choice Award, Best Mobile App Award, Stevie Award (Family & Kids Category) and Parents' Picks Award (Best Products for Elementary Kids). CUSTOMER SERVICE We're here to answer questions and hear how we can improve the Kidoodle.TV app for you and your kids. You can message us at team@kidoodle.tv.
 ---------------------------------- * IMPORTANT: Content and feature availability may vary or be restricted according to the country of subscription and will change from time to time. ** Requires internet connection to watch videos. Wi-Fi is highly recommended when streaming videos Privacy Policy: https://www.kidoodle.tv/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://kidoodle.tv/terms-of-use

About

Playpen

This app helps parents keep children entertained with pre-approved activities, preventing access to the full device. It allows parents to select specific content like YouTube videos or photo albums, ensuring a safe and engaging experience for kids and peace of mind for adults.

Highlights
  • Curated child-friendly activities
  • Restricted access to device features
  • Pre-approved YouTube videos
  • Access to specific photo albums
  • Interactive animal sounds
  • Apple Watch control
Features
Read full description

An app to help parents keep their kids entertained without allowing them to rifle through their devices. Made by a parent for other parents. By giving kids access to pre-approved activities, Playpen gives parents a well-earned break safe in the knowledge that their little ones are entertained. — WHAT IS PLAYPEN Playpen is an app created by a father who found that simply giving their kid an iPhone locked to an app with Guided Access* wasn't enough. Kids soon get bored of playing the same game or looking at the same photos, and sometimes giving them unfettered access to YouTube isn't something parents want to do. Playpen is the answer. With Playpen, parents can configure which activities they want to allow their kids to access and then enter Guided Access mode. That way, they don't get bored and parents have peace of mind because they know exactly what their child is doing. Activities available to kids via Playpen include being able to take photos, look at photo libraries, watch YouTube videos, and more: - Access to the selfie camera, but not your entire Photo Library - Preconfigured YouTube videos but without access to the wider YouTube library of content - The ability to view specific photo albums without the ability to edit them - Listen to multiple interactive and cute animal sounds Playpen will automatically start an activity whenever Guided Access mode is enabled as well, making it super easy to get up and running when parents need it. Even better, Playpen supports parents' Apple Watches, so they can control the activities that kids are using without having to take the iPhone or iPad away. *Guided Access is an iPhone and iPad feature that locks devices to a single app with a special sequence of button presses and a passcode required to unlock. — WHO IS PLAYPEN FOR? Playpen is for parents of kids who need to be entertained on long car drives, while waiting for a meal in a restaurant, or anywhere else. As parents, we've all been in situations where our kids are bored and need a little extra stimulation and Playpen is an app that offers that in a way that ensures not only are our kids safe, but so are our devices as well. Giving kids access to iPhones and iPads, often that are used for work, can be problematic. That's no longer a concern when using Playpen. People who could benefit from using Playpen include: - Parents stuck in line with a child who is becoming restless - Anyone who's been on a long car journey with a child who keeps asking "are we there yet?" - Parents who would normally give their iPhone to a child to entertain them but worry that they'll go snooping through their work emails - Any parent, with any child, who just needs some peace! https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Kidoodle.TV4 screens
Playpen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Playpen at 5.0 against Kidoodle.TV's 4.1. Playpen also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 days vs monthly). Kidoodle.TV's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (420 vs 3). On price 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

Both are free to download. Playpen sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Kidoodle.TV asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Playpen holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Kidoodle.TV has 420 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kidoodle.TV ships an update monthly, Playpen every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Kidoodle.TV versus Playpen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKidoodle.TVPlaypen
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (420 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings420 — better3
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 6 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size79 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperA Parent Media Co. Inc.Josh Holtz

Customer experience

Kidoodle.TV

All ratings415 ratings
Positive75.4%
Neutral6.7%
Negative17.8%
Written reviews244 reviews
Positive67.2%
Neutral9.8%
Negative23.0%

Playpen

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Kidoodle.TV

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Parent controls don't work as expected
  • Playback issues and video freezing
  • Difficulty signing in and accessing account

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more popular shows like Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
  • Improve search and filtering to easily find and block unwanted content
  • Offer a premium subscription to remove ads
  • Add offline viewing and download options
  • Improve Chromecast and smart TV support

Playpen

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Kidoodle.TV

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Playpen

Subscriptions2
  • Plus Monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Plus Annually3 Days trial$12.991 Year
One-time1
  • Plus Lifetime$39.99

Questions

Is Kidoodle.TV free?
Kidoodle.TV is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Playpen free?
Playpen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Kidoodle.TV or Playpen?
Playpen is rated higher. Kidoodle.TV averages 4.1 out of 5 from 420 ratings, while Playpen averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Kidoodle.TV or Playpen have ads?
Kidoodle.TV shows ads; Playpen does not.
Which is updated more often, Kidoodle.TV or Playpen?
Kidoodle.TV ships an update monthly, and Playpen every 6 days. Most recently, Kidoodle.TV was updated on November 6, 2026 and Playpen on November 3, 2026.

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