Kalley's Machine Plus Cats vs Kanji Write
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Kalley's Machine Plus Cats
An interactive storybook where a child's imaginative drawing of a machine comes to life. Explore playful interactions, help the machine perform various actions, and engage with whimsical cats. Features include read-to-me and touch-to-read options for young readers.
- Interactive machine play
- Smash, inflate, shrink, and mold objects
- Interact with cats
- Read-to-me narration
- Touch-to-read word highlighting
- Child-friendly controls
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Based on a true story of childhood optimism, Kalley’s Machine Plus Cats is the super-fun interactive story about a 4-year-old girl’s drawing and her heartwarming plan to save her dad from his daily commute. PRESS ----------------------------------------------- USA Today (4/4 Stars) : “This app showcases some of the most elegant interactions ever placed inside of a kids’ book app.” Common Sense Media (5/5 Stars) : “Kalley’s excitement about her cool machine is contagious.” 148 Apps (4.5/5 Stars) : “I am so very impressed with the wonderful and witty machines ... as well as the overall quality of this app.” The iMums (5/5 Stars) : “A beautiful and brilliant storybook app unlike any I have ever seen.” AWARDS & HONORS ---------------------------- * USA Today’s 10 TOP KIDS APPS of 2014 * Kirkus’ BEST BOOK APPS of 2014 * 2014 Cybils AWARD WINNER * Common Sense Media's Best Book Apps for Kids * TechWithKids BEST PICK APP * THE KIRKUS STAR - Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit * mFWA Mobile of the Day - for Interactive Experience STORY ---------------------------------------------- When Kalley shows her dad her drawing for a new machine, he is baffled by the confusing collection of hammers, gears, fire, smoke and conveyors. As Kalley explains each part of her invention, the drawing comes to life even as its overall purpose becomes less and less clear to her dad. It is only when Kalley explains the machine’s final component that her master plan to keep her dad from commuting is revealed. THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY --------- So, there really is a ‘Kalley’. She really drew a machine. Her dad couldn’t build it. So they made an app out of it instead. Full story at kalleysmachine.com. FEATURES ---------------------------------------- ► PLAY WITH MACHINES! Kalley’s Machine was crafted with interactivity as the first priority. Satisfyingly touchable controls put kids in charge of each twist and smash of the machine. Controls come in a wide machiney variety: ● Cranks ● Sliders ● Dials ● Levers ● Switches ● Buttons With the machine, kids can: ● Smash Stuff ● Inflate Stuff ● Shrink Stuff ● Burn Stuff (or lightly toast it) ● Paint Stuff ● Grab Stuff ● Drop Stuff ● Mold Stuff Into Shapes ● Do A Few Other Things Including... ► MESS WITH CATS! Kalley’s Machine is a story based on a 4 year-old girl’s drawing. As such, it includes cats. They are completely irrelevant to the story. However, they are way fun to harass. Tease them. Scare them. Puzzle them. Adore them. We think you’ll love the cats. ► GET YOUR READ ON! Cuz it’s a story, right? Of course, you can read the story the old-fashioned way. But, to aid new readers, we’ve also included two helpful interactive story features: ● Read-to-Me, narrated by Kalley and her dad with highlighted words. ● Touch-to-Read, where words are spoken when they are touched. ► TRY TO LEARN! Honestly, we designed this story to be fun. But if you're not careful, you might actually learn something too! The interactive medium offers kids great chances to explore some basic concepts which are both safer and less messy than their real-world alternatives. Creative parents may recognize the opportunity to discuss: ● Subtractive Color Mixing ● Pressure/Temperature Relationships ● Gear Ratios ● Air Pressure/Vacuums ● How Overcooking Can Burn Stuff ► KEEP KIDS SAFE! We have made this app super-safe for kids by having: ● No Ads ● No In-App-Purchases ● Parental Gates in Our Parents Section
Kanji Write
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Learn to write Japanese by hand: kanji, hiragana and katakana, with correct stroke order and instant feedback on every stroke. Kanji Write teaches you to write Japanese stroke by stroke: over 2,000 JLPT kanji plus basic hiragana and katakana, including voiced forms. Practice with your finger on iPhone or with Apple Pencil on iPad, and build real muscle memory. ◆ Correct Stroke Order Every character is animated stroke by stroke and color-coded, so you learn the right order and direction from the start. No guessing, no bad habits. ◆ Instant Feedback Each stroke you draw is checked against the correct shape and order. Miss a few times in Guided mode and a hint appears automatically. ◆ Trace. Guide. Memorize. Three practice modes: trace over the character, follow the strokes one at a time, then write it from memory with the guides hidden. ◆ Hiragana & Katakana All 46 basic kana in both scripts, plus the voiced forms (が, ぱ…). Search by romaji: type "ka" to find か and カ. ◆ Complete JLPT Library (N5–N1) Filter kanji by JLPT level, search by meaning or reading, and see on'yomi, kun'yomi and meanings for every character. ◆ Built for Apple Pencil & iPad Pressure and tilt shape every stroke like a real brush. On iPad, practice in a notebook-style grid, like a calligraphy workbook. ◆ Quick Sessions Tap play for a random set of characters from any level or script and review your results at the end.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Kalley's Machine Plus Cats at 11.0 against Kanji Write's 16.0. 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Kalley's Machine Plus Cats ships an update every 5 weeks, Kanji Write every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Kalley's Machine Plus Cats | Kanji Write |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (38 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 92.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 38 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 35 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RocketWagon, LLC | Anastasiia Trofimova |
Bugs and requests
Kalley's Machine Plus Cats
Reported bugs
3 issues- Cannot get past the first page
- No sound at all
- Navigation issues on older devices
Requested features
5 requests- Disable swipe feature
- More interactive elements on the last page
- More content/sequels/series
- More interaction with cats
- More interactive elements in general
Kanji Write
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Kalley's Machine Plus Cats
No in-app purchases
Kanji Write
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Kalley's Machine Plus Cats free?
Is Kanji Write free?
Do Kalley's Machine Plus Cats or Kanji Write have ads?
Which is updated more often, Kalley's Machine Plus Cats or Kanji Write?
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