ScratchJr vs SAS CodeSnaps
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Program interactive stories
- Create games
- Snap-together programming blocks
- Develop problem-solving skills
- Foster creative expression
- Learn coding fundamentals
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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.
SAS CodeSnaps
This app allows students to create and execute code using tangible, printable blocks. Programs are scanned and run on compatible robots, offering a collaborative coding experience for all skill levels.
- Printable, tangible coding blocks with QR codes
- Digital coding space for program manipulation
- Support for advanced coding concepts like loops
- Compatibility with multiple Sphero robot models
- Cloud storage for program access
- Teacher resources and lesson guides
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CodeSnaps is a collaborative coding environment requiring only one robot and one iPad. CodeSnaps takes advantage of tangible, printed coding blocks allowing students to prepare programs together on a work surface without a device. When blocks are scanned with the CodeSnaps app, the program is then executed on the connected robot. Features include: • Printable, tangible blocks equipped with QR codes allowing programs to be scanned with the CodeSnaps app • A digital coding space for further manipulating programs after scanning or starting a program from scratch • A variety of coding blocks including advanced concepts such as loops. • Support for Sphero robots including BOLT, SPRK+, Sphero, Ollie, and Sphero Mini • Cloud storage so students can access their programs anytime, anywhere • Teacher resources and lesson guides. Feedback Your feedback will help shape the next release of CodeSnaps. Please send questions or comments to socialinnovation@sas.com. Follow us twitter.com/saseducator License Agreement Your use of this Application indicates your acceptance of the terms of the SAS Institute Inc. License Agreement for SAS® CodeSnaps, linked above. If you do not agree with these terms, you are not authorized to use the Application.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SAS CodeSnaps at 5.0 against ScratchJr's 3.9. SAS CodeSnaps also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and iOS requirement (9.1 vs 11.0). ScratchJr's advantage is ratings volume (1.9K vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SAS CodeSnaps holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ScratchJr has 1.9K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of ScratchJr's written reviews are positive against 100% of SAS CodeSnaps's.
ScratchJr ships an update every 6 months, SAS CodeSnaps every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ScratchJr | SAS CodeSnaps |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (1.9K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.9% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.9K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | 9.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 51 MB | 67 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Scratch Foundation, Inc. | SAS Institute Inc. |
Customer experience
ScratchJr
SAS CodeSnaps
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
SAS CodeSnaps
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ScratchJr
No in-app purchases
SAS CodeSnaps
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ScratchJr free?
Is SAS CodeSnaps free?
Which has better reviews, ScratchJr or SAS CodeSnaps?
Do ScratchJr or SAS CodeSnaps have ads?
Which is updated more often, ScratchJr or SAS CodeSnaps?
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