Comparison

codeSpark vs MentalUP

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

codeSpark

This app offers hundreds of interactive coding games and activities for children aged 3-10. Kids can solve puzzles, design their own games and stories, and even participate in coding contests. It focuses on building essential coding concepts and problem-solving skills in a safe, ad-free environment.

Highlights
  • Hundreds of coding games and activities
  • Create your own games and stories
  • Puzzles to master coding concepts
  • Monthly coding contests
  • Multiplayer coding challenges
  • Pre-coding activities for preschoolers
Read full description

codeSpark: The Award-Winning Learn-to-Code App for Kids (Ages 3–10) 100s of coding games & activities—plus tools to create your own! Kids as young as 3 can start coding through play with puzzles, storytelling, and creativity tools designed just for them. Older kids can design and publish their own games, join monthly contests, and explore projects created by other kid coders. Get full access with a monthly or annual subscription—try membership free for 7 days! Annual subscribers can create up to 5 child profiles, making codeSpark perfect for families with multiple learners. OR play limited content through Hour of Code with no credit card required. Learn Coding Through Play - Puzzles – Master core coding and problem-solving concepts level by level - Create – Design and code your own games and interactive stories - Made by Kids – Play and explore games created by other young coders around the world - Monthly Coding Contests – Showcase creativity, code projects, and win prizes - Code Together – Join friends in a multiplayer water balloon fight while practicing coding logic - Pre-Coding for Preschoolers – Activities designed for early learners ages 3–4 - Adventure Maps – Unlock new puzzles and challenges while progressing through fun coding worlds Educational Benefits Backed by Research codeSpark’s curriculum is based on research from MIT, Princeton, and Carnegie Mellon. Kids learn the basics of computer science in a fun, accessible way—without words. - Coding concepts: sequencing, loops, conditionals, events, and debugging - Computational thinking: problem-solving, logic, pattern recognition, and creativity - Reinforces early skills: reading, math, and critical thinking - Builds confidence, perseverance, and collaboration through play - Encourages design thinking by letting kids turn ideas into working games and stories Kid-Safe & Ad-Free - Every game and story is reviewed before publishing to ensure safety - No ads, no micro-transactions, no distractions - Parent dashboard to manage profiles and track progress - A trusted environment for independent learning Praise from Parents & Teachers “My daughters are 6 and 8, and this is their new favorite game. Now they want to be programmers!” – Parent Review “I loved seeing how my children enjoyed working together on the puzzles.” – Parent Review Teachers and parents worldwide use codeSpark to introduce coding in classrooms, after-school programs, and at home. Kids stay motivated because the learning feels like play, and they are proud to share their creations. - Awards & Recognition - The LEGO Foundation – Pioneer in Reimagining Learning & Play - Children’s Technology Review – Editor’s Choice Award - Parent’s Choice Award – Gold Medal - Collision Conference – Kids & Family Silver Winner Why Families Choose codeSpark - Designed for kids ages 3–10 with no reading required - Builds STEM skills through fun, engaging coding challenges - Supports creativity with open-ended game and story design tools - Encourages collaboration through multiplayer games and contests - Trusted by parents, teachers, and schools worldwide - Helps kids see themselves as creators, problem-solvers, and future innovators Subscription & Download Start with a 7-day free membership trial. Subscriptions renew automatically; manage or cancel anytime in Account Settings. Annual subscribers can create up to 5 child profiles, making it easy to support the whole family. Privacy Policy: http://codespark.com/privacy/ Terms of Use: http://codespark.com/terms/ Start your child’s coding journey today with codeSpark—the award-winning learn-to-code app that makes programming fun, safe, and accessible for every kid ages 3–10!

About

MentalUP

This app offers a comprehensive learning adventure with teacher-made educational games designed to boost cognitive skills and physical fitness. It provides personalized workouts, skill-based activities, and certified IQ tests with detailed results, all within a safe and engaging environment for children and adults.

Highlights
  • Fun brain games
  • Educational learning games
  • Personal skill-based games
  • Multiple intelligences activities
  • Certified IQ tests
  • Fitness exercises
  • Progress reports
Features
Read full description

Ready for an adventure? Download and experience the magic of learning with teacher-made educational games. Discover a true miracle for curious minds! ONE APP FOR EVERYTHING YOU NEED Fun Brain Games Educational Learning Games Personal Skill-Based Games Multiple Intelligences Activites Certified IQ Tests and In-Depth Results Fun Competitions & Live Events Fitness Exercises at Home Without Equipment Personal Daily Workouts (Games & Fitness) Reports on Where You Excel and Where You Need to Improve Surprising Features in the Adventure Path and Much More… ALL KIDS OF AGE 4-13, AND EVEN ADULTS LIKED IT! With all kids of age 4-13, it is also used by Gifted and talented children Who is preparing for exams with a unique talent, such as Kangaroo Math Children who want to succeed in their classes Those who want to improve their ability to focus and concentrate Those who wish to develop their multiple intelligence in logic, maths, geometry, visual and verbal skills, and much more Those who want to improve their physical condition while also having fun and developing cognitive skills In other words, people and kids of all ages who want to improve use it with pleasure by having fun! It has many different, fun, and valuable features. You've never seen them before! SAFE CONTENT CERTIFIED BY WORLD LEADING COMMUNITIES The Best Family-Friendly Product Award Mom’s Choice Award EVIDENCE of IMPACT Award by UCL Certified Pedagogical Quality by EAF Educational App Store Certified Over 10 Million Happy Users Around the World No-Ads & ChildSafe Content # MentalUP PREMIUM PRICING & TERMS MentalUP offers the following subscriptions: • 3 month: $19.99 • 6 month: $29.99 • 1 year: $35.99 These prices are for United States customers. Pricing in other countries may vary and actual charges may be converted to your local currency depending on your country of residence. Your MentalUP Premium subscription will be charged through your iTunes account. At the end of the term, your subscription will automatically renew through your iTunes account. You will be charged for the regular price of your subscription within 24 hours prior to the end of the current term. Subscriptions may be managed by the user. Auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Privacy Policy: https://www.mentalup.co/privacy-policy Terms of Service: https://www.mentalup.co/terms-of-use Payment Policy: https://www.mentalup.co/payment-policy

Screenshots

codeSpark4 screens
MentalUP4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: codeSpark at free with in-app purchases against MentalUP's subscription. MentalUP's advantage is review sentiment (71% vs 52%). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. codeSpark sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and MentalUP sells 20 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for codeSpark against 4.7 for MentalUP. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 41K and 38K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 52% of codeSpark's written reviews are positive against 71% of MentalUP's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

codeSpark ships an update fortnightly, MentalUP every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
codeSpark versus MentalUP: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametercodeSparkMentalUP
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (41K ratings)4.7 (38K ratings) — better
Positive reviews51.7% of reviews70.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings41K — better38K
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size126 MB155 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHomerAyasis Yazilim ve Bilisim Teknolojileri Anonim Sirketi

Customer experience

codeSpark

All ratings40,564 ratings
Positive89.0%
Neutral2.8%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews1,438 reviews
Positive51.7%
Neutral6.3%
Negative42.1%

MentalUP

All ratings37,893 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral4.6%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews481 reviews
Positive70.7%
Neutral7.3%
Negative22.0%

User reviews

codeSpark

From 41K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and engaging
  • 🚀 Great for learning coding
  • 🎨 Lots of creative possibilities
  • 🤩 Awesome game/app
  • 💯 Best coding app ever

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
  • 🔍 Confusing UI/UX
  • 🔑 Forced to pay for access
  • 🤬 Unauthorized charges

MentalUP

From 38K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and educational for kids
  • 🚀 Engaging learning activities
  • 💡 Variety of games and exercises
  • 👍 Helps improve mental skills
  • 👍 Motivates kids to keep playing

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Locked content requires paid subscription
  • 🐛 Occasional technical issues and bugs
  • 🔒 Limited free access
  • 🤑 Expensive subscription fees

Bugs and requests

codeSpark

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Disappearing progress and lost stories
  • Inconsistent performance and crashes
  • Incorrect item purchases and coin deductions
  • Inability to access drafts and profiles
  • Incompatibility issues with newer devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more pet foos and customization options
  • Improve story sharing and collaboration features
  • Introduce more puzzles and challenges
  • Allow custom character and block creation
  • Implement better communication between coders

MentalUP

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes and freezes on some devices
  • Incorrect scoring and results
  • Compatibility issues with older iOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • More free content and features
  • Improved character customization options
  • Better voice acting and audio quality
  • Adaptive difficulty levels

In-app purchases

11 purchases

codeSpark

Subscriptions11
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment7 Days trial$9.991 Month
Show 8 more
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment7 Days trial2 variants$12.991 Month
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment7 Days trial$15.001 Month
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment7 Days trial$23.993 Months
  • codeSpark Holiday Annual Membership7 Days trial$63.001 Year
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment7 Days trial2 variants$79.991 Year
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment7 Days trial$90.001 Year
  • codeSpark Academy Enrollment7 Days trial$99.991 Year
20 purchases

MentalUP

Subscriptions19
  • MentalUP Premium Subscription$9.991 Month
  • MentalUP Premium2 variants$11.993 Months
  • MentalUP Premium$13.993 Months
Show 16 more
  • MentalUP Premium Subscription$14.991 Month
  • MentalUP Premium3 variants$17.996 Months
  • MentalUP Standard Subscription$19.991 Year
  • MentalUP Premium2 variants$23.991 Year
  • MentalUP Premium$24.991 Year
  • MentalUP Premium7 Days trial$24.991 Year
  • MentalUP Standard Subscription7 Days trial$28.991 Year
  • MentalUP Premium$29.996 Months
  • MentalUP Premium Subscription7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • MentalUP Premium$35.991 Year
  • MentalUP Premium$47.991 Year
  • MentalUP Premium Subscription7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • MentalUP Premium Subscription$49.991 Year
  • MentalUP Premium Subscription7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • MentalUP Premium Subscription7 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • MentalUP Premium Subscription7 Days trial$89.991 Year
One-time1
  • 100 GEMS$9.99

Questions

Is codeSpark free?
codeSpark is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MentalUP free?
MentalUP is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, codeSpark or MentalUP?
MentalUP is rated higher. codeSpark averages 4.6 out of 5 from 41K ratings, while MentalUP averages 4.7 from 38K ratings.
Do codeSpark or MentalUP have ads?
Neither codeSpark nor MentalUP shows ads.
Which is updated more often, codeSpark or MentalUP?
codeSpark ships an update fortnightly, and MentalUP every 3 weeks. Most recently, codeSpark was updated on October 28, 2026 and MentalUP on October 28, 2026.

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