Comparison

Osmo Newton vs Plugo by PlayShifu

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

Head to head
About

Osmo Newton

Engage with creative physics puzzles by drawing or placing physical objects. Guide falling balls into target zones using everyday items. Experience a blend of physical and digital play.

Highlights
  • Draw lines to solve puzzles
  • Place physical objects to interact
  • Guide falling balls into targets
  • Works with everyday items
  • Hands-on learning experience
  • Promotes creativity and problem-solving
Read full description

Solve creative physics puzzles by drawing lines or placing items in front of the screen. Play your favourite Osmo Newton on both iPhone and iPad! Use your iPhone with the "Osmo Base for iPad" which can be found at playosmo.com. * Please see our device compatibility list here: https://support.playosmo.com/hc/articles/115010156067 "..games that interact with just about any physical object—pen, paper, blocks, even toys your kids already own. - The Wall Street Journal "This interplay between the physical and digital realms looks and feels like magic." - Forbes "Osmo has been a revolution in our family." - Wired Awarded: **Best Design** - Good Design, 2016 **Best Product Designs** - Fast Company Finalist, 2016 **Innovative Toy of the Year** - TOTY Finalist, 2015 **Best Inventions** - TIME, 2014 Works with any object or drawing – Mom’s keys, hand-drawn basket, even toys you already own. Simply place the object/drawing in front of the screen and manipulate it to guide the falling balls into the target zones. About Osmo Osmo is using the screen to create a new healthy, hands-on learning experience that promotes creativity, problem-solving and social interaction. We do this with our reflective artificial intelligent technology.

About

Plugo by PlayShifu

This interactive AR gaming system uses interchangeable kits and a gamepad to make learning STEM subjects fun and hands-on for children. Kids can play and learn without directly touching the screen, developing skills in math, vocabulary, logic, and critical thinking through engaging games.

Highlights
  • Interactive AR gaming
  • Hands-on STEM learning
  • Interchangeable game kits
  • Develops logic and critical thinking
  • No screen touching required
  • Multiple educational games
Read full description

** PlayShifu Plugo: An interactive AR gaming system to stimulate STEM skills ** Plugo is an AR gaming system that makes STEM super fun and hands-on - 1 gamepad, 7 interchangeable kits, unlimited gaming! Designed for 5-11-year-old kids, each gaming kit offers exciting educational games that are conceptualized to make your child play, learn and have fun—all at the same time. With Plugo, your child can interact and play using various tactile kits without touching the screen. They won’t even realize they’re learning math, vocabulary, dexterity, logical reasoning, critical thinking and so much more. The gamepad is built for all Plugo kits and is compatible with multiple devices. No wires, no electronics or additional hardware; our gaming system requires minimum effort to set-up and play. Plugo app has many games with over 60+ levels for each gaming kit! ** Plugo Link: Construction Kit ** Design structures with hexagon building blocks to solve problems ** Plugo Count: Hands-on Math Kit ** Unravel mysteries and cross hurdles with numbers & arithmetic 
 ** Plugo Piano: Music Learning Kit ** Step into the musical world and get friendly with keys, notes & beats ** S.T.E.A.M. Ahead with Plugo ** S.T.E.A.M. is an integral part of our educational approach to kids’ playtime. -- Science: Explore the underwater world & celestial objects with Plugo Steer. -- Technology: Learn about the functioning of basic electric & sound circuits with Plugo Link. -- Engineering: Build gravity-defying structures with Plugo Link. Build innovative thinking & logical reasoning ability with Plugo Quest. -- Arts: Hone your creative problem-solving skills with Plugo Link. Foray into the world of music with Plugo Piano. -- Mathematics: Learn problem-solving involving numbers & algebra with Plugo Count. ** How It Works ** -- Download the Plugo by PlayShifu app -- Login -- Sync the kits you have -- Unfold the gamepad and place the device in the slot -- Tap on any game to let the fun times roll ** About Team PlayShifu ** We are a passionate team of parents, early learning experts, innovators and technologists that fit together like puzzle pieces. Our aim is to make every experience exciting and meaningful for kids, and we strive to give the best! ** Contact Us ** Your feedback is very important to us. If you have any questions, comments, feedback or need any help, please contact us at reachout@playshifu.com

Screenshots

Osmo Newton4 screens
Plugo by PlayShifu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Plugo by PlayShifu at 4.7 against Osmo Newton's 4.1. Plugo by PlayShifu also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Osmo Newton's advantage is review sentiment (65% vs 51%). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Plugo by PlayShifu holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Plugo by PlayShifu has 7.8K ratings behind it against 384, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Osmo Newton's written reviews are positive against 51% of Plugo by PlayShifu's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Osmo Newton ships an update every 2 months, Plugo by PlayShifu every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Osmo Newton versus Plugo by PlayShifu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOsmo NewtonPlugo by PlayShifu
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (384 ratings)4.7 (7.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.4% of reviews — better50.7% of reviews
Number of ratings3847.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size451 MB862 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTangible PlaymobilizAR

Customer experience

Osmo Newton

All ratings383 ratings
Positive75.5%
Neutral6.8%
Negative17.8%
Written reviews81 reviews
Positive65.4%
Neutral8.6%
Negative25.9%

Plugo by PlayShifu

All ratings7,805 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral2.8%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews219 reviews
Positive50.7%
Neutral7.3%
Negative42.0%

User reviews

Osmo Newton

From 384 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Engaging and fun gameplay for all ages
  • 🧠 Educational value with physics and problem-solving
  • ✨ Satisfying visual feedback and animations
  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Great for family bonding and social play
  • 🎨 Creative drawing mechanics

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing
  • 📱 Compatibility issues with newer iPad models and iOS versions
  • 👁️ Line detection sensitivity problems
  • 🖐️ Hand obstruction during gameplay
  • 💡 Poor lighting recognition for drawn lines

Plugo by PlayShifu

From 7.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great learning tool
  • 🎓 Engaging and educational games
  • 🤩 Fun for kids
  • 🧠 Helps with math, spelling, and music fundamentals
  • 💻 Works well on iPads and iPhones

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitchy and buggy app performance
  • 🤔 Confusing or unclear instructions
  • 🙅‍♀️ Inappropriate content (witchcraft)
  • 🤯 Frustrating sync and connection issues
  • 🤖 Poor figure/object detection

Bugs and requests

Osmo Newton

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App crashes on launch or during gameplay
  • Unresponsive app after recent updates
  • Lorem Ipsum placeholder text stuck on screen
  • Achievement page frozen preventing gameplay
  • App incompatible with iPad Air 2 and 11-inch iPad
Show 5 more
  • Camera permission prompt issues on newer iOS
  • Line detection fails to recognize drawings
  • Game slows down significantly with multiple balls
  • App fails to load or gets stuck on loading screen
  • Whiteboard compatibility issues

Requested features

8 requests
  • Back/front camera option for better positioning
  • Pause menu functionality
  • More levels beyond the current 61
  • Grid screen option for better line detection
  • Adjustable camera sensitivity settings
Show 3 more
  • Better instructions and tutorial for beginners
  • Start button before gameplay begins
  • Support for older iPad models

Plugo by PlayShifu

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Camera permissions not working
  • Incorrect math answers provided
  • Spelling mistakes in the app
  • Compatibility issues with newer devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add lowercase letter tiles
  • Ability to create custom spelling lists
  • More diverse avatar options
  • Parental controls and profile management
  • Randomize word/puzzle selection

In-app purchases

None

Osmo Newton

No in-app purchases

None

Plugo by PlayShifu

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Osmo Newton free?
Osmo Newton is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Plugo by PlayShifu free?
Plugo by PlayShifu is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Osmo Newton or Plugo by PlayShifu?
Plugo by PlayShifu is rated higher. Osmo Newton averages 4.1 out of 5 from 384 ratings, while Plugo by PlayShifu averages 4.7 from 7.8K ratings.
Do Osmo Newton or Plugo by PlayShifu have ads?
Neither Osmo Newton nor Plugo by PlayShifu shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Osmo Newton or Plugo by PlayShifu?
Osmo Newton ships an update every 2 months, and Plugo by PlayShifu every 3 weeks. Most recently, Osmo Newton was updated on November 3, 2026 and Plugo by PlayShifu on November 2, 2026.

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