Comparison

Pyonkee vs ScratchJr

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Pyonkee

This app offers a real programming environment for creating games, animations, and stories using visual blocks. It's inspired by Scratch and optimized for touch devices, allowing users to learn logic, creativity, and collaboration through coding.

Highlights
  • Visual block-based programming
  • Create games, animations, and stories
  • Optimized for touch devices
  • Import sounds and pictures
  • Share projects easily
  • Connect with micro:bit
  • Utilize iPad sensors
Features
Read full description

Tired of consuming? Let's enjoy creating! Based on Scratch, Pyonkee provides a real, programming environment, anytime, anywhere! Pyonkee is a new dynamic media for developing various ideas. By combining visual blocks, kids/adults are able to create original games, animations, and stories on their own. Through the programming process, we will learn about logics, productivity, creativity, and collaborations. Pyonkee has been developed from the open-source code of "Scratch 1.4" from MIT Media Lab. Since Pyonkee is fully compatible with Scratch 1.4, millions of existing Scratch projects can be used for reference. Pyonkee's user interface is optimized for touch devices. We do not need cumbersome typing, even a mouse. Just write programs wherever you like. Pyonkee nicely supports pinch-in/out, and font scaling for small devices. Moreover, sound recorder and camera are provided for importing your sounds and pictures into the projects. We can mix various media on Pyonkee and program them. Moreover, you can share your projects via AirDrop, e-mail, iCloud, and other cloud storage services. From the version 2.1, you are able to create programs using various iPad sensors and Mesh network protocol. From the version 2.3, more than 100 instruments are available in sound block. You can even play other synth app's sounds by enabling Virtual MIDI. From the version 2.20, Pyonkee is able to connect to micro:bit. You can get values from various sensors and send analog/digital signals to the pins. By combining the micro:bit with Pyonkee, you can enjoy an even wider world of programming. Dive into the fun of visual programming!

About

ScratchJr

This app enables graphical programming to control hardware via Bluetooth, allowing for two-way interaction between software and physical devices. Create interactive projects by programming hardware or controlling on-screen characters with physical inputs.

Highlights
  • Graphical programming interface
  • Bluetooth device connectivity
  • Hardware control via programming
  • On-screen character control via hardware
  • Two-way software-hardware interaction
Features
Read full description

图形化编程,通过蓝牙连接设备,可以通过编程控制硬件,也可以通过硬件控制舞台角色,实现软硬件双向互动。

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Pyonkee at 3.6 against ScratchJr's 2.5. Pyonkee also leads on ratings volume (51 vs 4) and review sentiment (62% vs 50%). ScratchJr's advantage is iOS requirement (9.3 vs 13). On price, update cadence, 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

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

Pyonkee holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pyonkee has 51 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Pyonkee's written reviews are positive against 50% of ScratchJr's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pyonkee ships an update every 4 months, ScratchJr every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 15, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Pyonkee versus ScratchJr: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPyonkeeScratchJr
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (51 ratings) — better2.5 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews61.5% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings51 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS139.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size137 MB284 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperSoftUmeYa, LLC.I Create Robot Technology Co., LTD

Customer experience

Pyonkee

All ratings43 ratings
Positive60.5%
Neutral9.3%
Negative30.2%
Written reviews117 reviews
Positive61.5%
Neutral10.3%
Negative28.2%

ScratchJr

All ratings4 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

Bugs and requests

Pyonkee

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • App crashes when importing photos
  • App kicks user out
  • Blocks not working
  • Stamp and select features not working
  • Forever if block issue
Show 11 more
  • Storage usage too high (5GB)
  • App crashes when making games (e.g., Five Nights at Freddy's)
  • Loading screen stuck
  • Blocks/sprites disappear briefly when moved
  • Memory cleaning issues causing reloads
  • Pixels shift when drawing sprites
  • Image import forces rectangular crop
  • App crashes on launch (iOS 8, iPad Mini)
  • Slow performance/lagging
  • Editor runs slowly
  • Freezes when making multiple costumes

Requested features

24 requests
  • Update to Scratch 2.0/3.0
  • Support for .sb3 and .sjr files
  • Add clone blocks
  • Add original Scratch Cat sprite
  • Implement auto-save function
Show 19 more
  • Improve drawing/sprite editing tools
  • Add sharing rules and report buttons
  • Add social media sharing
  • Add new blocks (e.g., when screen swiped)
  • Support for importing images from camera roll
  • Support for importing audio from iTunes
  • Add more background images
  • Add more scripts and features
  • Improve performance and speed
  • Add scroll bar for UI elements
  • Make it lighter/less resource-intensive
  • Add a home screen
  • Allow uploading projects to Dropbox
  • Add online play and sharing
  • Add iMessage sharing and email file opening
  • Add mature sprites
  • Add programming explanations
  • Support for Kanji input
  • Make it more compatible with newer iOS versions

ScratchJr

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Pyonkee

No in-app purchases

None

ScratchJr

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pyonkee free?
Pyonkee is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ScratchJr free?
ScratchJr is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pyonkee or ScratchJr?
Pyonkee is rated higher. Pyonkee averages 3.6 out of 5 from 51 ratings, while ScratchJr averages 2.5 from 4 ratings.
Do Pyonkee or ScratchJr have ads?
Neither Pyonkee nor ScratchJr shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pyonkee or ScratchJr?
Pyonkee ships an update every 4 months, and ScratchJr every 2 months. Most recently, Pyonkee was updated on August 15, 2026 and ScratchJr on September 9, 2026.

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