Comparison

Zu3D Ed vs mBlock

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

Head to head
About

Zu3D Ed

Create stop-motion animations and videos with this intuitive app. Add pictures, videos, sounds, and special effects to produce your own films. Export your creations in various qualities to share online.

Highlights
  • Stop-motion animation studio
  • Video editing tools
  • Import music and sounds
  • Automatic green screening
  • Draw directly onto frames
  • Publish to Zu3D.com or YouTube
  • Export in HD quality
Features
Read full description

This is the school edition of Zu3D. You need a school Zu3D account to use it. -------------------------------------------------------- Zu3D is a powerful yet intuitive stop-motion and video creation app. Create your own films by taking pictures, importing videos, sprites and gifs. Then import & record sounds and music, add titles, credits and speech bubbles. When you're finished just export your animation to share with friends or upload directly to YouTube or Zu3D.com Check out the tutorial video on http://www.zu3d.com/ipad to see just how easy it is. Features: Stop-motion animation -Fully featured stop motion animation studio. Auto-capture - Turn on this feature (press and hold capture button) and Zu3D will detect when your hand leaves the scene and automatically take a picture. Video editing -Zoom out of your film to to use powerful editing tools. Import music and sounds -Zu3D comes with a library of sound effects and music. You can also import audio from your computer. Automatic green screening -Incredibly easy and powerful blue/green screening with multiple keys, and eraser tools. Draw directly onto frames -Add lasers and special effects. Create hand drawn animations. Import sprites and animated GIFs -Combine PNG and GIFs with your film. Record narration & dialogue -Or your own sound effects. Speech bubbles -Choose from a variety of different speech bubbles to overlay over your film. Titles & credits -Add exciting titles and scrolling credits using one of our many templates or build your own. Time-lapse -Create amazing time-lapse films. Publish on Zu3D.com or YouTube -Share your film with friends, family and the entire world on our moderated, child friendly animation gallery. Export your film in three different qualities including HD. -Turn your animation into a .mp4 file that you can share with friends. Retina Display -Get the full benefits of your retina display. Exposure, white balance and focus lock -Easy to use camera settings to create a professional finish. Use front or back camera -Switch between the front and back camera at any point Autosave -Your animation saves automatically so no need to worry about losing your work. Here’s what people have said about Zu3D for the PC "Zu3D is an intuitive and surprisingly powerful piece of software. It can be tailored to cover all age ranges and abilities. " Jason Stansfield PC Pro Magazine. "This is great software! If you want creative, intuitive and motivational stop-motion software then look no further. Everything about this software has been very well thought out. My class absolutely love using it." Chris WildAdvanced Skills Teacher (ICT) "Zu3D is really great software. Really powerful but the user interface is perfectly pitched; child friendly but not dumbed." Dom Breadmore Digital Media Artist

About

mBlock

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
Read full description

With mBlock, students can easily create games, animations, and program robots by dragging and dropping blocks, or through writing Python. Moreover, mBlock comes with AI, IoT, data science features for cutting-edge computer science learning, making it the perfect helper for coding educators and learners. Features: - Graphical programming: The app allows users to create projects with the most popular graphical programming language and program robots to do things as they can imagine. It makes programming as easy as blocks building. - Game-based learning: Children learn to code in completing tasks and know how it feels to accomplish something.      - Cloud storage: Users can store their projects in the cloud, syncing the projects across devices. It’s safe and convenient. - Compatible with Makeblock robots: mBot, mBot Ranger, Codey Rocky, Neuron - Support multiple languages: Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, Polish, and Korean. Contact us: - For more information, please visit the official website: https://www.mblock.cc - Contact us via email: support@makeblock.com - Join Facebook group: Makeblock Talk & Share

Screenshots

mBlock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Zu3D Ed at 3.7 against mBlock's 3.1. Zu3D Ed also leads on review sentiment (62% vs 34%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). mBlock's advantage is ratings volume (152 vs 22) and device support (3 vs 1). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Zu3D Ed holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: mBlock has 152 ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Zu3D Ed's written reviews are positive against 34% of mBlock's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Zu3D Ed ships an update fortnightly, mBlock every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Zu3D Ed versus mBlock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZu3D EdmBlock
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (22 ratings) — better3.1 (152 ratings)
Positive reviews61.9% of reviews — better33.9% of reviews
Number of ratings22152 — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size333 MB170 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZuLogic LtdMakeblock Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

Zu3D Ed

All ratings22 ratings
Positive63.6%
Neutral9.1%
Negative27.3%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive61.9%
Neutral19.0%
Negative19.0%

mBlock

All ratings152 ratings
Positive48.7%
Neutral9.2%
Negative42.1%
Written reviews186 reviews
Positive33.9%
Neutral14.0%
Negative52.2%

Bugs and requests

Zu3D Ed

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

mBlock

Reported bugs

26 issues
  • mBot2/mBot Neo not supported
  • Bluetooth connection fails or is unstable
  • App crashes or freezes
  • Upload mode not functional on iPad
  • Live mode unresponsive
Show 21 more
  • Sprites cannot be moved correctly
  • Key blocks not functioning as expected
  • Saving and syncing issues lead to data loss
  • Cannot upload programs
  • Firmware update required via PC, not Bluetooth
  • Translation errors in blocks and interface
  • Tutorials are glitchy or do not work
  • Fixed rotation issues
  • No zoom in/out for blocks
  • iPad development appears to be halted
  • Cannot grant Bluetooth permissions on iPad
  • Parts of the app interface disappear
  • Cannot create variables on specific devices
  • Incompatibility with older iOS versions
  • Some sensors are not controllable via the app
  • Quad RGB sensor library is not fully translated
  • Costume editor lacks copy-paste and image/sound import
  • Line follower functionality not working
  • Code execution results in no robot action
  • App requires re-login frequently
  • Web version updates break iPad version compatibility

Requested features

18 requests
  • Add mBot2/mBot Neo support
  • Improve Bluetooth connectivity
  • Add local storage for programs
  • Implement zoom functionality
  • Add more examples for Codey Rocky
Show 13 more
  • Enable Arduino coding in the app
  • Improve translation of blocks and interface
  • Add copy-paste functionality in costume editor
  • Allow adding photos and sounds in costume editor
  • Fix variable creation on iPhone X/iPad
  • Update Scratch 3 features
  • Add more sprites/photos
  • Improve tutorial functionality
  • Add dark mode
  • Enable firmware updates via Bluetooth
  • Improve compatibility with older Makeblock controllers
  • Add full French language support
  • Allow sharing projects

In-app purchases

None

Zu3D Ed

No in-app purchases

None

mBlock

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Zu3D Ed free?
Zu3D Ed 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, Zu3D Ed or mBlock?
Zu3D Ed is rated higher. Zu3D Ed averages 3.7 out of 5 from 22 ratings, while mBlock averages 3.1 from 152 ratings.
Do Zu3D Ed or mBlock have ads?
Neither Zu3D Ed nor mBlock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Zu3D Ed or mBlock?
Zu3D Ed ships an update fortnightly, and mBlock every 2 months. Most recently, Zu3D Ed was updated on October 7, 2026 and mBlock on October 10, 2026.

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