Comparison

ScratchJr vs CogAT Test Prep

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

CogAT Test Prep

Prepare children in grades K-5 for cognitive ability tests with engaging practice sessions. Covers verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal reasoning with instant feedback and explanations. Offers free daily practice and a premium subscription for unlimited access.

Highlights
  • Verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal reasoning practice
  • Step-by-step question explanations
  • Grade-level specific practice
  • Progress tracking
  • Unlimited practice with premium
  • Full-length mock tests
  • Parent reports
Features
Read full description

Build your child's CogAT reasoning skills with thousands of practice questions for kindergarten through grade 5. Practice all nine CogAT reasoning skills with curiosity and confidence. CogAT Test Prep brings picture puzzles, word relationships and number challenges together in one easy-to-use app. No account needed: choose a grade, tap a category and start. THREE WAYS TO THINK Explore Verbal, Quantitative and Nonverbal reasoning. Work with picture analogies, sentence completion, classification, number patterns, figure matrices and paper folding. Practice follows your child's grade, with clear pictures for early learners and more involved reasoning for older children. A CLEARER START FOR YOUNG LEARNERS Bright new illustrations make familiar objects easier to recognize. Read prompts together, listen to English questions and take a closer look at figures. Choose a grade, tap a category and start thinking—without a complicated setup. MAKE EVERY ANSWER A LEARNING MOMENT Check the explanation after a practice question. Revisit completed sessions with the original questions and answers, and return to mistakes for another attempt. Clear diagrams and stable answer labels help children focus on the reasoning. BUILD TEST-DAY CONFIDENCE Full mock test brings all three reasoning categories into a focused session. Screening-length practice for grades 2–5 matches the length of a screening test: 54 questions across Verbal, Quantitative and Nonverbal reasoning in one sitting, with an optional 30-minute timer. Move back, skip a question or mark it for review. See answers after finishing, then explore how you approached each problem. Save unfinished sessions and continue when you're ready. SEE WHAT TO PRACTICE NEXT The parent report organizes practice results by nine reasoning skills at the selected grade. Choose a time period, notice strengths and find useful next steps. Results describe practice in this app, not an official CogAT score. MADE FOR YOUR FAMILY'S ROUTINE • Kindergarten through grade 5 • Phone and tablet • No account needed to start practicing • Most practice works offline • English practice questions • English and Spanish app interface • Optional parent-managed sign-in for synced progress • Earlier questions and answers preserved for history review Start with a picture. Discover a pattern. Build confidence for the next challenge. CogAT Test Prep is an independent practice resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Riverside Insights, the publisher of CogAT. CogAT is a registered trademark of its owner. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

ScratchJr1 screens
CogAT Test Prep4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: CogAT Test Prep at 4.7 against ScratchJr's 3.9. CogAT Test Prep also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months). ScratchJr's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (1.9K vs 10). On price, ads and device support 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. CogAT Test Prep sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. ScratchJr asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CogAT Test Prep holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ScratchJr has 1.9K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ScratchJr ships an update every 6 months, CogAT Test Prep every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
ScratchJr versus CogAT Test Prep: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScratchJrCogAT Test Prep
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (1.9K ratings)4.7 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.9K — better10
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperScratch Foundation, Inc.Neobile LLC

Customer experience

ScratchJr

All ratings1,812 ratings
Positive72.5%
Neutral7.1%
Negative20.4%
Written reviews598 reviews
Positive66.9%
Neutral10.9%
Negative22.2%

CogAT Test Prep

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral10.0%
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

CogAT Test Prep

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ScratchJr

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

CogAT Test Prep

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Membership Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Pro Membership Yearly$19.991 Year

Questions

Is ScratchJr free?
ScratchJr is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CogAT Test Prep free?
CogAT Test Prep is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ScratchJr or CogAT Test Prep?
CogAT Test Prep is rated higher. ScratchJr averages 3.9 out of 5 from 1.9K ratings, while CogAT Test Prep averages 4.7 from 10 ratings.
Do ScratchJr or CogAT Test Prep have ads?
Neither ScratchJr nor CogAT Test Prep shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ScratchJr or CogAT Test Prep?
ScratchJr ships an update every 6 months, and CogAT Test Prep every 3 weeks. Most recently, ScratchJr was updated on October 24, 2026 and CogAT Test Prep on October 25, 2026.

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