Pattern Shapes, by MLC vs SnapType
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pattern Shapes, by MLC
This app allows students to explore geometry and fractions through interactive shape manipulation. Users can create designs, fill outlines, measure angles, and annotate their work. It's an open-ended educational tool for learning mathematical concepts.
- Explore geometry and fractions
- Create custom designs
- Measure angles with protractor
- Duplicate, resize, and recolor shapes
- Fill built-in outlines
- Annotate work with drawing tools
- Share creations via image or code
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Students use Pattern Shapes to explore geometry and fractions, creating their own designs, or filling in outlines. As they work with the shapes students explore geometric relationships, think about angles, investigate symmetry, and compose and decompose larger shapes. Many of these explorations lead naturally to thinking about fractions as parts of a whole. This virtual version of pattern blocks is an open-ended educational tool, ideal for elementary classrooms and other learning environments that use iPads. Pattern blocks are a key model used in Bridges in Mathematics, second edition. Online preview available at: www.mathlearningcenter.org/bridges FEATURES • Rotate shapes in increments of 15 degrees. • Measure angles with the protractor tool. • Duplicate and change the color and size of shapes. • Fill the built-in outlines with shapes or create your own to share with others. • Choose between a triangular or square grid, or a blank background. • Hide and reveal work with resizable covers to create your own problems and model strategies. • Use the drawing tools to annotate work and show understanding. • Add equations, expressions, and descriptions with the math text and writing tools. • Share your work by saving an image or providing a share code to others. ABOUT US This resource is brought to you by The Math Learning Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to K-12 education since 1976. Our mission is to inspire and enable individuals to discover and develop their mathematical confidence and ability. www.mathlearningcenter.org This app was crafted by Clarity Innovations. We help improve teaching and learning by creating solutions that match promising technologies with the needs of education. Visit us: www.clarity-innovations.com
SnapType
This app allows students to easily complete school worksheets by adding text to images of their assignments using their device's keyboard. It's a helpful tool for those who struggle with handwriting, enabling them to share their completed work via print, email, or other sharing options.
- Add text to worksheet images
- Import worksheets from device
- Use device keyboard for input
- Print completed worksheets
- Email completed worksheets
- Share completed worksheets
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SnapType helps students keep up with their peers in class even when their penmanship holds them back. Students can easily complete school worksheets with the help of an iPad or iPhone. With SnapType, students can take a picture of their worksheets, or import worksheets from anywhere on their device. They can then use their iOS device keyboard to add text to these documents and print, email, or share their creations. It is the perfect solution for kids, and even adults, who struggle with their handwriting. Just read a few of our amazing testimonials: "Dear Amberlynn, Thank you so much for creating this app. You have changed the way my 12 year old son with dyspraxia functions in school. He is more independent and I cannot thank you enough. Please continue to help kids like my son. You are changing lives. Thank you." "Thank you for this ! I am going to talk to my sons teachers about this -you are a blessing ! I can honestly tell you that I have spent many hours crying inside an Hurting watching my son struggle to write pages of sentences and spelling words and other homework - to the point that I have stopped him and honestly wrote for him left handed to make it look more like a neater version of his because I could not take it anymore ! Thank you" "I just wanted to personally thank you for creating it, as this is an app that I use nearly every day with my son to do his homework. You have created an app with a simple interface, but with an incredibly powerful impact. Thank you." "It is wonderful and something so simple yet so so so important for little guys like mine who cannot write BUT is learning to type and has so much to say and SHOW." "We trialed SnapType with an 8-year old who is receiving school-based occupational therapy due to visual motor and visual perceptual issues. The biggest complaint from teachers about handwriting for this student was related to illegible answers on worksheets. The student quickly learned to take images of the worksheets with her iPad, upload them to the device and type in her answers. In addition to making her writing legible and eliminating issues with visual perceptual skills, the child's interest in the task was greatly improved, as was her pride in her work." "Thank you so much Amberlynn. What a wonderful idea and gift to those kids that struggle with dysgraphia. I have converted many a workbook page for my son. This is WONDERFUL!" "Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm a mother of twins. My son is autistic and my daughter has cerebral palsy. They are still only 2 and a half... but I'm sure they will both need and use this. The fact that you have also made it free and are paying for it out of pocket is just the sweetest thing ever. I read about this last night and cried tears of joy. You are amazing! And I'm going to be telling everyone who will listen about you, this story, and your app. Thank you again, I truly appreciate it!!”
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pattern Shapes, by MLC at none against SnapType's 1. SnapType's advantage is update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 26 months) and rating (4.5 vs 4.2). On price, review sentiment, ads and iOS requirement 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. SnapType sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $49.99 per year. Pattern Shapes, by MLC asks for nothing beyond the download.
SnapType holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SnapType has 366 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 70% of Pattern Shapes, by MLC's written reviews are positive against 64% of SnapType's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Pattern Shapes, by MLC ships an update every 26 months, SnapType every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pattern Shapes, by MLC | SnapType |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (18 ratings) | 4.5 (366 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews — better | 64.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 18 | 366 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 26 months | Every 4 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 14.7 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 23 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Math Learning Center | SNAPTYPE, LLC |
Customer experience
Pattern Shapes, by MLC
SnapType
Bugs and requests
Pattern Shapes, by MLC
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
SnapType
Reported bugs
10 issues- Location is never where you tap
- Boxes don’t move when you want it to
- Automatic blur problem
- Upgrade doesn't restore
- Crashes when trying to install on iPad
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- Keeps crashing
- Will not let me delete more than 3 documents
- Bought pro and when I tap restore it crashes
- Can not save
- Having issues getting the desired document or pic of worksheet to open
Requested features
5 requests- Fix automatic blur
- Add erasing function for Apple Pencil
- More space for documents (basic version)
- Ability to write on SnapType (free version)
- Enable text-to-speech for worksheet directions
In-app purchases
Pattern Shapes, by MLC
No in-app purchases
SnapType
- Everything Unlocked14 Days trial$49.991 Year
Questions
Is Pattern Shapes, by MLC free?
Is SnapType free?
Which has better reviews, Pattern Shapes, by MLC or SnapType?
Do Pattern Shapes, by MLC or SnapType have ads?
Which is updated more often, Pattern Shapes, by MLC or SnapType?
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