Pattern Shapes, by MLC vs AR Makr
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
AR Makr
This app allows users to create and manipulate augmented reality objects. Users can sketch, scan, and transform 2D creations into 3D virtual objects, then place and record them in their real-world environment.
- Sketch and scan real-world objects
- Transform 2D creations to 3D
- Place virtual objects in environment
- Record and save AR scenes
- Share scenes with friends
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AR Makr is a creative toolbox for augmented reality. Sketch, scan, and snap the world around you. Transform your creations from 2D to 3D virtual objects. Place your creations anywhere in your environment. Record, save, and share your scenes with friends.
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Pattern Shapes, by MLC at 4.2 against AR Makr's 3.7. Pattern Shapes, by MLC also leads on review sentiment (70% vs 52%). AR Makr's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 26 months) and iOS requirement (12.4 vs 14.7). On price, ratings volume, 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.
Pattern Shapes, by MLC holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 17 and 22 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Pattern Shapes, by MLC's written reviews are positive against 52% of AR Makr's.
Pattern Shapes, by MLC ships an update every 26 months, AR Makr monthly. The most recent releases landed on June 2, 2026 and June 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pattern Shapes, by MLC | AR Makr |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (17 ratings) — better | 3.7 (22 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews — better | 52.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 17 | 22 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 26 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.7 | 12.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 85 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Math Learning Center | Line Break, LLC |
Customer experience
Pattern Shapes, by MLC
AR Makr
In-app purchases
Pattern Shapes, by MLC
No in-app purchases
AR Makr
No in-app purchases
