ScratchJr vs Boya Scratch Programming
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.
Boya Scratch Programming
This educational software allows users to control robot operations through a bar-chart programming interface. Drag and drop command modules to build programs and execute them directly or download them to a controller. It offers a straightforward way to learn programming concepts for robotics.
- Bar-chart programming interface
- Drag-and-drop command modules
- Robot operation control
- Program execution
- Downloadable programs to controller
- Clear instructions
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Boya Scratch Programming is a bar-chart programming software that controls the robot’s operation. Drag command modules to the execution area on the right and click for execution. You can also download self-designed programs to the controller and try them out. With clear instructions, the software is easy to use.
Screenshots
Verdict
ScratchJr and Boya Scratch Programming both sit at 3.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 67% of ScratchJr's written reviews are positive against 0% of Boya Scratch Programming's. ScratchJr also leads on ratings volume (1.8K vs 3). Boya Scratch Programming's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 6 months) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 11.0). On price, rating, 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 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ScratchJr has 1.8K ratings behind it against 3, 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 0% of Boya Scratch Programming's.
ScratchJr ships an update every 6 months, Boya Scratch Programming every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ScratchJr | Boya Scratch Programming |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (1.8K ratings) — better | 3.7 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.8% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.8K — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 51 MB | 61 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Scratch Foundation, Inc. | Shanghai PartnerX Robotics Co., Ltd. |
Customer experience
ScratchJr
Boya Scratch Programming
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
Boya Scratch Programming
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ScratchJr
No in-app purchases
Boya Scratch Programming
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ScratchJr free?
Is Boya Scratch Programming free?
Which has better reviews, ScratchJr or Boya Scratch Programming?
Do ScratchJr or Boya Scratch Programming have ads?
Which is updated more often, ScratchJr or Boya Scratch Programming?
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