# Swift Playground vs mBlock

The clearest difference is rating: Swift Playground at 3.7 against mBlock's 3.1. Swift Playground also leads on ratings volume (1.8K vs 152) and review sentiment (46% vs 34%). mBlock's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Swift Playground holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Swift Playground has 1.8K ratings behind it against 152, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Swift Playground's written reviews are positive against 34% of mBlock's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 28, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Swift Playground | mBlock |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.7 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swift-playground/id908519492/reviews)** | [3.1 (152 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mblock-learn-coding/id1367117202/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.8K** | 152 |
| Positive reviews | **45.7% of reviews** | 33.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 1.4 GB | 170 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) | [Makeblock Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1002364464) |

## What reviewers say

### Swift Playground

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swift-playground/id908519492)

Learn to code and build real apps through interactive puzzles and challenges. Explore Swift and SwiftUI, Apple's powerful programming languages, with guided lessons and hands-on creation. Suitable for beginners of all ages, it offers a unique learning experience on iPad.

**Highlights:** Interactive coding puzzles, Build real apps with SwiftUI, Learn Swift programming, Explore 3D worlds, Smart coding assistance, Access iOS frameworks

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great for learning coding
- 👍 Fun and engaging way to learn
- 🚀 Helpful for beginners
- 👍 Visually appealing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
- 🐛 Slow performance
- 🐛 Keyboard issues
- 🐛 Unreliable code execution

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to download or open lessons
- Crashes when running code
- Disappearing code and loss of progress
- Unresponsive keyboard and cursor issues

**Requested features**

- Support for more programming languages
- Ability to collaborate with others
- Better file management
- More advanced IDE features
- Improved code completion and error handling


### mBlock

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mblock-learn-coding/id1367117202)

This app enables students to learn coding through a block-based interface or Python. It supports creating games, animations, and programming robots, incorporating AI, IoT, and data science for advanced computer science education.

**Highlights:** Graphical programming with drag-and-drop blocks, Python programming support, Create games and animations, Program robots, AI, IoT, and data science features, Cloud storage for projects

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good for coding robots
- 👍 Works well with Codey Rocky
- 👍 Great for learning programming
- 👍 Similar to Scratch
- 👍 Bluetooth connection works

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Does not support mBot2/mBot Neo
- 🐛 Connection issues (Bluetooth)
- 🐛 App is glitchy
- 🐛 Upload mode not working on iPad
- 🐛 Live mode not working

**Reported bugs**

- mBot2/mBot Neo not supported
- Bluetooth connection fails or is unstable
- App crashes or freezes
- Upload mode not functional on iPad
- Live mode unresponsive

**Requested features**

- Add mBot2/mBot Neo support
- Improve Bluetooth connectivity
- Add local storage for programs
- Implement zoom functionality
- Add more examples for Codey Rocky


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Swift Playground free?

Swift Playground is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is mBlock free?

mBlock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Swift Playground or mBlock?

Swift Playground is rated higher. Swift Playground averages 3.7 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while mBlock averages 3.1 from 152 ratings.

### Do Swift Playground or mBlock have ads?

Neither Swift Playground nor mBlock shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Swift Playground or mBlock?

Swift Playground ships an update every 2 months, and mBlock every 2 months. Most recently, Swift Playground was updated on September 28, 2026 and mBlock on September 28, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*