Pattern Shapes, by MLC vs CHAT
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
CHAT
This interactive tool uses puppet-guided interviews to help researchers collect structured responses from young children. It's designed for early childhood research, improving data consistency and child engagement in developmental psychology and educational studies.
- Puppet-driven interactive interviews
- Structured data collection
- Enhanced child engagement
- Improved data consistency
- Reduced training overhead
- Optimized for field studies
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CHAT-E is an interactive interview tool designed to facilitate early childhood research using engaging, puppet-guided interactions. Developed in collaboration with Northwestern University and Head Start programs, CHAT-E helps researchers collect structured responses from young children in a playful and standardized way. Built with research usability in mind, CHAT-E improves upon traditional interview methods by reducing training overhead, enhancing data consistency, and promoting child engagement through animated puppet hosts. The platform is optimized for field studies in developmental psychology, language acquisition, and educational interventions.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: CHAT at every 6 weeks against Pattern Shapes, by MLC's every 26 months. CHAT also leads on device support (3 vs 1). Pattern Shapes, by MLC's advantage is review sentiment (70% vs 50%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 ships an update every 26 months, CHAT every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 2, 2026 and June 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pattern Shapes, by MLC | CHAT |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (17 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 17 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 26 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 14.7 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 37 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Math Learning Center | Synergetx |
Customer experience
Pattern Shapes, by MLC
CHAT
In-app purchases
Pattern Shapes, by MLC
No in-app purchases
CHAT
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Pattern Shapes, by MLC free?
Is CHAT free?
Do Pattern Shapes, by MLC or CHAT have ads?
Which is updated more often, Pattern Shapes, by MLC or CHAT?
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