ScratchJr vs mBlock
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.
mBlock
This app enables students to learn coding through a block-based interface or Python. It supports creating games, animations, and programming robots, incorporating AI, IoT, and data science for advanced computer science education.
- Graphical programming with drag-and-drop blocks
- Python programming support
- Create games and animations
- Program robots
- AI, IoT, and data science features
- Cloud storage for projects
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With mBlock, students can easily create games, animations, and program robots by dragging and dropping blocks, or through writing Python. Moreover, mBlock comes with AI, IoT, data science features for cutting-edge computer science learning, making it the perfect helper for coding educators and learners. Features: - Graphical programming: The app allows users to create projects with the most popular graphical programming language and program robots to do things as they can imagine. It makes programming as easy as blocks building. - Game-based learning: Children learn to code in completing tasks and know how it feels to accomplish something. - Cloud storage: Users can store their projects in the cloud, syncing the projects across devices. It’s safe and convenient. - Compatible with Makeblock robots: mBot, mBot Ranger, Codey Rocky, Neuron - Support multiple languages: Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, Polish, and Korean. Contact us: - For more information, please visit the official website: https://www.mblock.cc - Contact us via email: support@makeblock.com - Join Facebook group: Makeblock Talk & Share
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: ScratchJr at 3.9 against mBlock's 3.1. ScratchJr also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 34%) and ratings volume (1.8K vs 152). mBlock's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ScratchJr has 1.8K ratings behind it against 152, 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 34% of mBlock's.
ScratchJr ships an update every 6 months, mBlock every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ScratchJr | mBlock |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (1.8K ratings) — better | 3.1 (152 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.8% of reviews — better | 33.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.8K — better | 152 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 51 MB | 170 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Scratch Foundation, Inc. | Makeblock Co., Ltd. |
Customer experience
ScratchJr
mBlock
User reviews
ScratchJr
From 1.8K App Store ratingsWhat 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
mBlock
From 152 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Good for coding robots
- 👍 Works well with Codey Rocky
- 👍 Great for learning programming
- 👍 Similar to Scratch
- 👍 Bluetooth connection works
Room to improve
- 🐛 Does not support mBot2/mBot Neo
- 🐛 Connection issues (Bluetooth)
- 🐛 App is glitchy
- 🐛 Upload mode not working on iPad
- 🐛 Live mode not working
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
mBlock
Reported bugs
26 issues- mBot2/mBot Neo not supported
- Bluetooth connection fails or is unstable
- App crashes or freezes
- Upload mode not functional on iPad
- Live mode unresponsive
Show 21 moreShow fewer
- Sprites cannot be moved correctly
- Key blocks not functioning as expected
- Saving and syncing issues lead to data loss
- Cannot upload programs
- Firmware update required via PC, not Bluetooth
- Translation errors in blocks and interface
- Tutorials are glitchy or do not work
- Fixed rotation issues
- No zoom in/out for blocks
- iPad development appears to be halted
- Cannot grant Bluetooth permissions on iPad
- Parts of the app interface disappear
- Cannot create variables on specific devices
- Incompatibility with older iOS versions
- Some sensors are not controllable via the app
- Quad RGB sensor library is not fully translated
- Costume editor lacks copy-paste and image/sound import
- Line follower functionality not working
- Code execution results in no robot action
- App requires re-login frequently
- Web version updates break iPad version compatibility
Requested features
18 requests- Add mBot2/mBot Neo support
- Improve Bluetooth connectivity
- Add local storage for programs
- Implement zoom functionality
- Add more examples for Codey Rocky
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Enable Arduino coding in the app
- Improve translation of blocks and interface
- Add copy-paste functionality in costume editor
- Allow adding photos and sounds in costume editor
- Fix variable creation on iPhone X/iPad
- Update Scratch 3 features
- Add more sprites/photos
- Improve tutorial functionality
- Add dark mode
- Enable firmware updates via Bluetooth
- Improve compatibility with older Makeblock controllers
- Add full French language support
- Allow sharing projects
In-app purchases
ScratchJr
No in-app purchases
mBlock
No in-app purchases
