Comparison

ScratchJr vs Wonder for Dash

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

Head to head
About

ScratchJr

This app allows young children to create their own interactive stories and games by snapping together graphical programming blocks. It fosters problem-solving, creative expression, and develops early numeracy and literacy skills in a fun, motivating context.

Highlights
  • Program interactive stories
  • Create games
  • Snap-together programming blocks
  • Develop problem-solving skills
  • Foster creative expression
  • Learn coding fundamentals
Features
Read full description

With ScratchJr, young children (ages 5-7) learn important new skills as they program their own interactive stories and games. By snapping together graphical programming blocks, children can make characters move, jump, dance, and sing. In the process, children learn to solve problems, design projects, and express themselves creatively on the computer. They also use math and language in a meaningful and motivating context, supporting the development of early-childhood numeracy and literacy. With ScratchJr, children don’t just learn to code, they code to learn. ScratchJr was inspired by the popular Scratch programming language (http://scratch.mit.edu), used by millions of people (ages 8 and up) around the world. The ScratchJr interface and programming language were redesigned to make them appropriate for younger children’s cognitive, personal, social, and emotional development. ScratchJr is a collaboration between the Lifelong Kindergarten research group at the MIT Media Lab, the Developmental Technologies research group at Tufts University, and the Playful Invention Company. The ScratchJr project has received generous financial support from the National Science Foundation (NSF DRL-1118664), Scratch Foundation, LEGO Foundation, and British Telecommunications. If you enjoy using this free app, please consider making a donation to the Scratch Foundation (www.scratchfoundation.org), a nonprofit organization that provides ongoing support for ScratchJr. We appreciate donations of all sizes, large and small.

About

Wonder for Dash

This app introduces children aged 8 and up to coding through interactive challenges and creative play with robots. It features a picture-based language and guided adventures to teach programming concepts. Users can create their own inventions and transfer code directly to the robots.

Highlights
  • Picture-based coding language
  • Over 50 guided challenges
  • Robotic adventures in various environments
  • Transform robot capabilities
  • Free Play mode for custom inventions
  • Code transfer to robots
Features
Read full description

Wonder makes robotics as delightful as finger painting. With a picture-based coding language and guided challenges, Wonder lets kids ages 8 and up explore robotics on their own – and have a blast doing it. A FRESH NEW LOOK The redesigned main menu puts everything one tap away: - Scroll Quest – multiple guided coding adventures, from first steps to tricky puzzles - Free Play – an open coding canvas for your own inventions CODING ADVENTURES WITH DASH Travel through the African Grasslands, the Arctic Wilderness and even Outer Space to uncover new ideas for your robot. Transform Dash into a ferocious lion, dodge asteroids together, play a game of Marco Polo, and much more. Every challenge introduces a new coding concept – sequences, events, loops, conditions and variables – through play. CREATE YOUR OWN INVENTIONS When you're ready, jump into Free Play and build anything you can imagine. Once your program is finished, transfer it to Dash – the next time you turn Dash on, it runs your code without being connected to an iPhone or iPad. HOW TO GET STARTED 1. Turn on Dash and enable Bluetooth on your iPhone or iPad. 2. Open Wonder and connect to Dash from the main menu. 3. Update your robot when prompted. The update brings new sounds, personality and abilities and may take up to 10 minutes. 4. Start with Challenges to learn the basics, then explore Free Play. PRAISE FOR WONDER "Thoroughly absorbing." – The New York Times "Both kids begged me to take out the robots and start playing with them again." – Business Insider SAFE FOR KIDS Wonder contains no third-party advertising and does not collect personal information. For details, see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. ABOUT WONDER WORKSHOP Wonder Workshop creates award-winning educational robots and apps that make learning to code meaningful and fun. Founded in 2012 by three parents, Wonder Workshop is now part of MORAVIA Education. We play-test with children throughout development to make sure every experience is frustration-free and fun. Questions or ideas? We'd love to hear from you at https://help.makewonder.com. Privacy Policy: https://www.makewonder.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://www.makewonder.com/TOS

Screenshots

ScratchJr1 screens
Wonder for Dash4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Wonder for Dash at 4.3 against ScratchJr's 3.9. ScratchJr's advantage is ratings volume (1.8K vs 473) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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

Wonder for Dash holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.8K and 473 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of ScratchJr's written reviews are positive against 69% of Wonder for Dash's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ScratchJr ships an update every 6 months, Wonder for Dash every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ScratchJr versus Wonder for Dash: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScratchJrWonder for Dash
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (1.8K ratings)4.3 (473 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.8% of reviews68.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.8K — better473
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB455 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperScratch Foundation, Inc.MORAVIA Consulting, spol. s r.o.

Customer experience

ScratchJr

All ratings1,812 ratings
Positive72.5%
Neutral7.1%
Negative20.4%
Written reviews594 reviews
Positive66.8%
Neutral10.9%
Negative22.2%

Wonder for Dash

All ratings473 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral6.1%
Negative12.1%
Written reviews106 reviews
Positive68.9%
Neutral11.3%
Negative19.8%

User reviews

ScratchJr

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use for kids
  • 🚀 Great for coding and creating animations
  • 💡 Allows customization of characters and backgrounds
  • ⭐ Fun and engaging for young users

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitchy drawing/editing tools
  • 🔧 Limited number of frames/scenes per project
  • 🎨 Lack of color options and customization
  • 🔊 Poor audio quality and limited sound options

Wonder for Dash

From 473 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great app for programming robots
  • 🚀 Fun and engaging for kids
  • 💡 Allows transferring programs to robots
  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 👍 Teaches coding and logic skills

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
  • 🐛 Bluetooth connectivity issues
  • 🐛 Buggy app behavior
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🔒 Concerns about data privacy

Bugs and requests

ScratchJr

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Freezing and crashing issues
  • Incorrect character movements and positioning
  • Saving and loading problems
  • Microphone and recording bugs

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more frames/scenes per project
  • Improve drawing/editing tools
  • Expand color and customization options
  • Enhance audio features and sound library
  • Integrate with the full Scratch platform

Wonder for Dash

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes when trying to run certain programs
  • Bluetooth connection frequently drops
  • Incorrect Bluetooth status detection
  • Certain features and commands not working as expected
  • App freezes or becomes unresponsive

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more robots and accessories support
  • Improve app stability and performance
  • Implement a user profile system
  • Add more advanced programming features
  • Improve Bluetooth connectivity and reliability

In-app purchases

None

ScratchJr

No in-app purchases

None

Wonder for Dash

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ScratchJr free?
ScratchJr is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Wonder for Dash free?
Wonder for Dash is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ScratchJr or Wonder for Dash?
Wonder for Dash is rated higher. ScratchJr averages 3.9 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while Wonder for Dash averages 4.3 from 473 ratings.
Do ScratchJr or Wonder for Dash have ads?
Neither ScratchJr nor Wonder for Dash shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ScratchJr or Wonder for Dash?
ScratchJr ships an update every 6 months, and Wonder for Dash every 3 months. Most recently, ScratchJr was updated on October 19, 2026 and Wonder for Dash on October 16, 2026.

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