Comparison

ScratchJr vs Doodlematic 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

Doodlematic Education

Transform your paper drawings into playable video games in seconds. Design, enhance, and share your creations with friends and family. Ideal for creative learning and rapid game prototyping.

Highlights
  • Create games from drawings
  • Enhance games with powerups
  • Share games online
  • Create custom Game Rooms
  • Favorite and rate games
  • Supports multiple game types
Features
Read full description

DoodleMatic turns your drawings into video games! Build a game by drawing on paper, snapping a photo, and have your drawing come to life in seconds. ■ Make games: Multiple game types encourage hours of creative play. ■ Share your game: Share with your friends and family so they can play your game on the web, without the app! ■ Powerup your game: Use the DoodleMatic Powerups to enhance your game with tools like movement, projectiles and bounce. ■ Create your own Game Room: Create a Game Room for you and your friends. ■ Like a game: Add a game to your favorites for quick access, and give props to the creator! Get your paper and markers out, and get ready to DRAW, SNAP, PLAY! * This application is free to download and offers some optional in-app purchases. * Internet connectivity required to play. Data charges may apply. * DoodleMatic requires use of the camera, children under 13 require parent permission to play. ====================================== Teachers around the world are singing DoodleMatic's praises! Educational benefits are numerous and nearly limitless. Here are just a few of the ways teachers and students are using DoodleMatic to learn and play: ■ Make games: DoodleMatic lets you instantly create games from drawings, with multiple game modes that encourage prototyping and iteration. DoodleMatic is the best rapid prototyping tool on the planet. ■ Any age: From the youngest game fans turning color-coded drawings into playable levels through complex Photoshop-created illustrations, students from Kindergarten through High School (and beyond!) use DoodleMatic in many different ways. ■ Reinforcement and Rewards: Connect classroom success with game design, reinforcing reading and writing by accompanying games with stories. ■ Make learning fun: Turn your subject content into a game that students can play and learn from. ■ Turn students into teachers: Students can use DoodleMatic to make interactive quizzes for each other, to reinforce what they have learned. ■ Share: Put your students' best lessons in the hands of other students in your school! Visit doodlematic.com or email us at info@doodlematic.com for more information on creating an educator account!

Screenshots

ScratchJr1 screens
Doodlematic Education4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ScratchJr at 3.9 against Doodlematic Education's 3.3. ScratchJr also leads on ratings volume (1.8K vs 6). Doodlematic Education's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ScratchJr holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ScratchJr has 1.8K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of ScratchJr's written reviews are positive against 100% of Doodlematic Education's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ScratchJr ships an update every 6 months, Doodlematic Education every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ScratchJr versus Doodlematic Education: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScratchJrDoodlematic Education
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (1.8K ratings) — better3.3 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews66.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.8K — better6
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB122 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperScratch Foundation, Inc.BitOGenius Inc

Customer experience

ScratchJr

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

Doodlematic Education

All ratings6 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Doodlematic Education

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ScratchJr

No in-app purchases

None

Doodlematic Education

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ScratchJr free?
ScratchJr is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Doodlematic Education free?
Doodlematic Education is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ScratchJr or Doodlematic Education?
ScratchJr is rated higher. ScratchJr averages 3.9 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while Doodlematic Education averages 3.3 from 6 ratings.
Do ScratchJr or Doodlematic Education have ads?
Neither ScratchJr nor Doodlematic Education shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ScratchJr or Doodlematic Education?
ScratchJr ships an update every 6 months, and Doodlematic Education every 2 months. Most recently, ScratchJr was updated on October 14, 2026 and Doodlematic Education on October 8, 2026.

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