Comparison

ScratchJr vs Minecraft Education

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

Minecraft Education

This game-based platform inspires creative, inclusive learning through play, offering lessons and challenges for various subjects. It helps students develop critical future-ready skills like problem-solving and collaboration in immersive, blocky worlds.

Highlights
  • Game-based learning platform
  • Lessons and curriculum for various subjects
  • Multiplayer collaboration
  • Code Builder for coding
  • Immersive Reader
  • Documentation tools (Camera, Book & Quill)
  • Integration with Microsoft Teams and Flipgrid
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

THIS APP IS FOR SCHOOL AND ORGANIZATIONAL USE. Minecraft Education is a game-based platform that inspires creative, inclusive learning through play. Explore blocky worlds that unlock new ways to tackle any subject or challenge. Dive into subjects like reading, math, history, and coding with lessons and standardized curriculum designed for all types of learners. Or explore and build together in creative open worlds. USE IT YOUR WAY With hundreds of ready-to-teach lessons, creative challenges, and blank canvas worlds, there are lots of ways to make Minecraft Education work for your students. It’s easy to get started, no gaming experience necessary. PREPARE STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE Help learners develop key key skills like problem solving, collaboration, digital citizenship, and critical thinking to help students them thrive now and in the future workplace. Spark a passion for STEM. GAME-BASED LEARNING Unlock creativity and deep learning with immersive content created with partners including BBC Earth, NASA, and the Nobel Peace Center. Inspire students to engage in real-world topics with culturally relevant lessons and build challenges. KEY FEATURES  - Multiplayer mode enables collaboration in-game across platforms, devices, and hybrid environments - Code Builder supports block-based coding, JavaScript, and Python with intuitive interface and in-game execution - Immersive Reader helps players read and translate text  - Camera and Book & Quill items allow documentation and export of in-game-creations - Integration with Microsoft Teams and Flipgrid supports assessment and teacher controls Minecraft Education licenses can be purchased with Admin access to a Microsoft 365 Admin Center account. Talk to your Tech Lead for information on academic licensing. Terms of use: The terms that apply to this download are the terms that were presented when you purchased your Minecraft Education subscription. If you subscribe to Minecraft Education via iTunes: Each Minecraft Education subscription lasts one year from date of purchase. The payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. If your subscription is set to auto-renew, your account will be charged within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period at the subscription price option you previously selected. Turn off auto-renewal by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. If you cancel after your subscription has activated, your account will not be refunded for the remaining active period of the subscription. Privacy policy: https://aka.ms/privacy

Screenshots

ScratchJr1 screens
Minecraft Education4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ScratchJr at none against Minecraft Education's 1. ScratchJr also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). Minecraft Education's advantage is ratings volume (42K vs 1.8K) and chart position (#62 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment 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. Minecraft Education sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year. ScratchJr asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.9 for ScratchJr against 4.0 for Minecraft Education. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Minecraft Education has 42K ratings behind it against 1.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 67% and 67% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ScratchJr ships an update every 6 months, Minecraft Education every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
ScratchJr versus Minecraft Education: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScratchJrMinecraft Education
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (1.8K ratings)4.0 (42K ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.8% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings1.8K42K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
Best chart rank—#62 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB1.3 GB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperScratch Foundation, Inc.Mojang

Customer experience

ScratchJr

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

Minecraft Education

All ratings41,793 ratings
Positive73.9%
Neutral5.7%
Negative20.4%
Written reviews3,398 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral10.8%
Negative22.5%

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

Minecraft Education

From 42K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎓 Educational and engaging
  • 👍 Free version of Minecraft
  • 🤝 Allows multiplayer with classmates
  • 🔍 Coding and chemistry features

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Requires school account to play
  • ⏱️ Slow updates compared to regular Minecraft
  • 🔌 Occasional crashes and loading issues
  • 🤔 Limited customization options

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

Minecraft Education

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Unable to connect to other players' worlds
  • Invisible chunks and terrain generation issues
  • Nether portal glitches and crashes
  • Inconsistent command block functionality

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more furniture and decoration options
  • Implement Nether and other recent Minecraft updates
  • Allow custom skins and player customization
  • Improve multiplayer functionality and server hosting

In-app purchases

None

ScratchJr

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Minecraft Education

Subscriptions1
  • 1 year License$4.991 Year

Questions

Is ScratchJr free?
ScratchJr is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Minecraft Education free?
Minecraft Education is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ScratchJr or Minecraft Education?
Minecraft Education is rated higher. ScratchJr averages 3.9 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while Minecraft Education averages 4.0 from 42K ratings.
Do ScratchJr or Minecraft Education have ads?
Neither ScratchJr nor Minecraft Education shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ScratchJr or Minecraft Education?
ScratchJr ships an update every 6 months, and Minecraft Education every 3 months. Most recently, ScratchJr was updated on October 17, 2026 and Minecraft Education on October 17, 2026.

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