Comparison

Slice Fractions vs Simple Machines by Tinybop

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

Head to head
About

Slice Fractions

This game makes learning fractions fun and engaging for children aged 5-12. Through interactive puzzles, kids explore core fraction concepts like partitioning and equivalence in a safe, ad-free environment. It's designed to build a strong mathematical foundation while playing.

Highlights
  • Learn fraction concepts without words
  • Over 140 physics puzzles
  • Part-whole partitioning
  • Numerator/Denominator notation
  • Equivalent fractions
  • Fraction ordering
  • Safe digital environment
Features
Read full description

This award-winning, problem-solving game is an incredibly fun way to learn fractions. Thanks to the game’s research-proven effectiveness, kids get a head start at school while having fun with fundamental math concepts. Wow! *** Best of 2014 -- App Store, Apple *** *** Editors’ Choice -- App Store, Apple *** *** Editor’s Choice for Excellence in Design -- Children’s Technology Review *** *** Winner of a Parents’ Choice Gold Award 2014 *** *** Gold Medal Winner 2014 -- International Serious Play Awards *** *** Best Family Friendly Game 2014 -- Indie Prize Showcase Awards *** “Teaching without making it feel like a lesson.” -- maclife.com “Slice Fractions is wholly playful learning. At its best.” -- Parents' Choice “There's a lot more to this app than fractions.” -- Children’s Technology Review UNIVERSAL APP: Available for iPad, iPhone, and the new APPLE TV! GOAL: Kids between 5 and 12 slice through ice and lava to clear the mammoth’s path, unraveling the mystery of fractions! FEATURES: • Learning fraction concepts without words • Experiencing an activity reviewed by researchers at a Canadian university (UQAM) • Solving over 140 innovative physics puzzles • Collecting funky hats • Playing in a safe, digital environment. No ads or in-app purchases. FRACTION CONCEPTS: • Part-whole partitioning • Numerator / Denominator notation • Equivalent fractions • Fraction ordering • Subtracting fractions from 1 • Addition TEACHERS: Slice Fractions is based on the following Common Core concepts: (2.G.A.2) (2.G.A.3) (3.NF.A.1) (3.NF.A.3) (4.NF.A.1) (4.NF.A.2) (4.NF.B.3) (4.NF.B.3.B) (4.NF.B.3.C) LANGUAGES: Danish, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese ULULAB: We produce fun and pedagogically sound video games. We strive to ensure that these games are intuitive and will lead to profound conceptual learning. We believe we can push the limits of game-based learning. FOLLOW US: • Website: www.ululab.com • Twitter: www.twitter.com/Ululab • Facebook: www.facebook.com/Ululab • Newsletter: www.ululab.com/newsletter Your feedback is much appreciated, so please feel free to provide suggestions for future updates. If something isn't working as you would expect, please contact us: www.ululab.com/contact

About

Simple Machines by Tinybop

Explore the playful side of physics and learn about simple machines through interactive experiments. Kids can discover how levers, pulleys, and other mechanisms work by building and testing them in a digital sandbox environment. This app is designed to spark curiosity and understanding of scientific principles.

Highlights
  • Explore 6 simple machines
  • Experiment with real-world physics
  • Investigate physics at work
  • Learn about force and motion
  • Kid-friendly design
  • Interactive labels in 40+ languages
Features
Read full description

Explore the playful side of physics! “I just love how apps like these get kids genuinely excited about science." — COOL MOM TECH Experiment with levers, pulleys, inclined planes, inclined planes, wedges, wheel and axles, and screws. Discover how they work and investigate the invisible forces behind them in this sandbox app. Destroy a castle, make music, send satellites into orbit & more! *** App Store Editor's Choice *** *** Parents’ Choice Gold Award winner *** Simple Machines integrates with STEM curriculum: kids can alter and test each machine to learn about force and motion, actions and reactions, inputs and outputs, conservation of energy, mechanical advantages, and tradeoffs. Get free activity sheets at tinybop.com. Simple Machines is No. 4 in Tinybop’s Explorer’s Library series, designed for curious kids ages 4+ to dive deep into big ideas. The apps in this series have won Best of the App Store, App Store Editors’ Choice, Parents’ Choice, and Children's Technology Review Editor’s Choice awards. Features: * Explore 6 simple machines: levers, pulleys, inclined planes, wedges, wheel and axles, and screws. * Experiment with real world physics, actions and reactions, inputs and outputs. Learn about force and motion. * Investigate the physics at work behind each machine. * Sophisticated sound design rewards experimentation. * Original artwork by James Gilleard. * Smart features use your device’s camera to bring your kids’ world into the app. * Learn new vocabulary in 40+ languages with interactive labels. * Intuitive, safe, and kid-friendly design. * Entertaining for kids and adults alike. FREE handbook Our expert-reviewed handbook is full of facts, interaction hints, and discussion questions to support learning in this app, in the classroom or at home. Download in your app or at: http://tinybop.com/handbooks. Privacy Policy We take your and your child’s privacy very seriously. We do not collect or share personal information about your child, nor do we allow any third-party advertising. When the camera, microphone, and other services are used within an app, your information is neither collected nor distributed outside of the app. Read our complete privacy policy at tinybop.com. Tinybop, Inc. is a Brooklyn-based studio of designers, engineers, and artists. We make toys for tomorrow. We’re all over the internet. Visit us: www.tinybop.com Follow us: twitter.com/tinybop Like us: facebook.com/tinybop Peek behind the scenes: instagram.com/tinybop We love hearing your stories! If you have ideas, or something isn’t working as you expect it to, please contact us: hi@tinybop.com. Compatible with iPhone 5, 5s, 5c, 6, 6 Plus, iPod touch (5th generation), iPad 2, 3, mini, and Air. **This app is optimized for iPad 2 and iPhone 5 or higher. Requires iOS 7.0 or later. psst! It's not Tiny Bop, or Tiny Bob, or Tiny Pop. It's Tinybop.

Screenshots

Slice Fractions4 screens
Simple Machines by Tinybop4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Slice Fractions at 92% against Simple Machines by Tinybop's 37%. Slice Fractions also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.7) and ratings volume (473 vs 62). Simple Machines by Tinybop's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $3.99). On update cadence, 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

Slice Fractions costs $3.99 and Simple Machines by Tinybop $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Slice Fractions holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Slice Fractions has 473 ratings behind it against 62, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of Slice Fractions's written reviews are positive against 37% of Simple Machines by Tinybop's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Slice Fractions versus Simple Machines by Tinybop: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSlice FractionsSimple Machines by Tinybop
Price$3.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.7 (473 ratings) — better3.7 (62 ratings)
Positive reviews92.3% of reviews — better37.4% of reviews
Number of ratings473 — better62
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size211 MB112 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUlulabTinybop Inc.

Customer experience

Slice Fractions

All ratings470 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral2.6%
Negative4.5%
Written reviews457 reviews
Positive92.3%
Neutral4.2%
Negative3.5%

Simple Machines by Tinybop

All ratings62 ratings
Positive62.9%
Neutral14.5%
Negative22.6%
Written reviews131 reviews
Positive37.4%
Neutral8.4%
Negative54.2%

User reviews

Slice Fractions

From 473 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and engaging learning experience
  • 💡 Excellent way to teach fractions
  • 🚀 Addictive and challenging gameplay
  • 👍 Cute and appealing characters
  • 👍 Helps kids understand fractions intuitively

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Some users reported issues with sound not working
  • ⏱️ Relatively short in content, users want more levels

Simple Machines by Tinybop

From 62 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics and design
  • 🧠 Educational and informative
  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Good for kids and learning
  • 💡 Sparks curiosity and imagination
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use

Room to improve

  • 😴 Boring and repetitive
  • 💸 Expensive for limited content
  • 🤷‍♂️ Lacks clear goals or objectives
  • 🤏 Limited interaction and content
  • 🚫 Not a game, more of a toy

Bugs and requests

Slice Fractions

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Sound not working for some users
  • Level 19 on Addition mode reported as 'rigged' and not working

Requested features

3 requests
  • More levels and content to extend the learning experience
  • Ability to track individual user progress
  • Multiplayer or competitive mode

Simple Machines by Tinybop

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Crashes immediately on launch
  • Cannot install after purchase
  • App crashes after loading screen
  • No sound
  • Does not work
Show 3 more
  • Download issues
  • Does not open
  • Chinese language not displayed

Requested features

8 requests
  • Add a creative building mode
  • More levels and modules
  • Sandbox mode
  • Ability to build own machines
  • More interactive elements
Show 3 more
  • Add more complex mechanisms
  • Improve wheel and axle interaction
  • Allow bringing up planets in pulley game

In-app purchases

None

Slice Fractions

No in-app purchases

None

Simple Machines by Tinybop

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Slice Fractions free?
Slice Fractions costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Simple Machines by Tinybop free?
Simple Machines by Tinybop costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Slice Fractions or Simple Machines by Tinybop?
Slice Fractions is rated higher. Slice Fractions averages 4.7 out of 5 from 473 ratings, while Simple Machines by Tinybop averages 3.7 from 62 ratings.
Do Slice Fractions or Simple Machines by Tinybop have ads?
Neither Slice Fractions nor Simple Machines by Tinybop shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Slice Fractions or Simple Machines by Tinybop?
Slice Fractions ships an update every 4 months, and Simple Machines by Tinybop every 4 months. Most recently, Slice Fractions was updated on October 23, 2026 and Simple Machines by Tinybop on October 24, 2026.

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