ScratchJr vs Magic Sketch by Boogie Board
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.
Magic Sketch by Boogie Board
This app digitizes drawings made on a physical electronic writing tablet, allowing users to save, edit, and enhance their creations with drawing tools. It captures artwork using a mobile device's camera and offers a fun way to interact with physical drawings.
- Scan physical drawings
- Edit and draw on creations
- Save digital artwork
- Vivid rainbow color integration
- Requires physical Magic Sketch tablet
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Magic Sketch™ by Boogie Board® is a fun electronic writing tablet that lets kids doodle, trace, and play in vivid rainbow colors! The free Magic Sketch app makes it easy to save and edit your Magic Sketch creations! CAPTURE YOUR CREATIVITY The Magic Sketch app uses your mobile device camera to scan your Magic Sketch writing surface. EDIT YOUR CREATION The Magic Sketch app includes tools to draw and edit your creation! FEEDBACK OR HELP? E-mail us anytime at customerservice@buffalogames.com Requires use of a Magic Sketch writing tablet, sold separately in stores.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ScratchJr at 67% against Magic Sketch by Boogie Board's 12%. ScratchJr also leads on rating (3.9 vs 2.6) and ratings volume (1.9K vs 18). 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.
ScratchJr holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ScratchJr has 1.9K ratings behind it against 18, 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 12% of Magic Sketch by Boogie Board's.
ScratchJr ships an update every 6 months, Magic Sketch by Boogie Board every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ScratchJr | Magic Sketch by Boogie Board |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (1.9K ratings) — better | 2.6 (18 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.9% of reviews — better | 11.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.9K — better | 18 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months — better | Every 10 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 51 MB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Scratch Foundation, Inc. | Buffalo Games, LLC |
Customer experience
ScratchJr
Magic Sketch by Boogie Board
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
Magic Sketch by Boogie Board
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ScratchJr
No in-app purchases
Magic Sketch by Boogie Board
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ScratchJr free?
Is Magic Sketch by Boogie Board free?
Which has better reviews, ScratchJr or Magic Sketch by Boogie Board?
Do ScratchJr or Magic Sketch by Boogie Board have ads?
Which is updated more often, ScratchJr or Magic Sketch by Boogie Board?
Other comparisons
