Comparison

Simple Machines by Tinybop vs BANDIMAL

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

Head to head
About

Simple Machines by Tinybop

Explore the playful side of physics and learn about simple machines through interactive experiments. Kids can discover how levers, pulleys, and other mechanisms work by building and testing them in a digital sandbox environment. This app is designed to spark curiosity and understanding of scientific principles.

Highlights
  • Explore 6 simple machines
  • Experiment with real-world physics
  • Investigate physics at work
  • Learn about force and motion
  • Kid-friendly design
  • Interactive labels in 40+ languages
Features
Read full description

Explore the playful side of physics! “I just love how apps like these get kids genuinely excited about science." — COOL MOM TECH Experiment with levers, pulleys, inclined planes, inclined planes, wedges, wheel and axles, and screws. Discover how they work and investigate the invisible forces behind them in this sandbox app. Destroy a castle, make music, send satellites into orbit & more! *** App Store Editor's Choice *** *** Parents’ Choice Gold Award winner *** Simple Machines integrates with STEM curriculum: kids can alter and test each machine to learn about force and motion, actions and reactions, inputs and outputs, conservation of energy, mechanical advantages, and tradeoffs. Get free activity sheets at tinybop.com. Simple Machines is No. 4 in Tinybop’s Explorer’s Library series, designed for curious kids ages 4+ to dive deep into big ideas. The apps in this series have won Best of the App Store, App Store Editors’ Choice, Parents’ Choice, and Children's Technology Review Editor’s Choice awards. Features: * Explore 6 simple machines: levers, pulleys, inclined planes, wedges, wheel and axles, and screws. * Experiment with real world physics, actions and reactions, inputs and outputs. Learn about force and motion. * Investigate the physics at work behind each machine. * Sophisticated sound design rewards experimentation. * Original artwork by James Gilleard. * Smart features use your device’s camera to bring your kids’ world into the app. * Learn new vocabulary in 40+ languages with interactive labels. * Intuitive, safe, and kid-friendly design. * Entertaining for kids and adults alike. FREE handbook Our expert-reviewed handbook is full of facts, interaction hints, and discussion questions to support learning in this app, in the classroom or at home. Download in your app or at: http://tinybop.com/handbooks. Privacy Policy We take your and your child’s privacy very seriously. We do not collect or share personal information about your child, nor do we allow any third-party advertising. When the camera, microphone, and other services are used within an app, your information is neither collected nor distributed outside of the app. Read our complete privacy policy at tinybop.com. Tinybop, Inc. is a Brooklyn-based studio of designers, engineers, and artists. We make toys for tomorrow. We’re all over the internet. Visit us: www.tinybop.com Follow us: twitter.com/tinybop Like us: facebook.com/tinybop Peek behind the scenes: instagram.com/tinybop We love hearing your stories! If you have ideas, or something isn’t working as you expect it to, please contact us: hi@tinybop.com. Compatible with iPhone 5, 5s, 5c, 6, 6 Plus, iPod touch (5th generation), iPad 2, 3, mini, and Air. **This app is optimized for iPad 2 and iPhone 5 or higher. Requires iOS 7.0 or later. psst! It's not Tiny Bop, or Tiny Bob, or Tiny Pop. It's Tinybop.

About

BANDIMAL

This app introduces children to music creation through an intuitive interface. Kids can experiment with different animal instruments, create drum loops, and add effects, all while enjoying amusing animations. It's designed to be a fun and pressure-free way to explore musical creativity.

Highlights
  • Nine animal instruments
  • Create drum loops
  • Change loop speeds and add effects
  • Save compositions
  • Lively animations and audio
  • No ads
Features
Read full description

Introduce your kid to the joy of making music! BANDIMAL is a fun and intuitive music composer that lets kids discover the creative world of making music. Set up a drum loop, swipe through animals to change instruments, compose melodies, change loop speeds and add a quirky effect on top. Amusing animals animate in hilarious ways as you perfect your song. Everything will sound great - we designed it that way! Features: + Play with 9 animals as instruments + Create catchy drum loops in the beat section + Switch between loop speeds and apply effects + Save compositions to your collection + Lively animations and impressive audio + No failing, no goal, no wrong or right + Supports all iPads and iPhones with iOS 14 or later + No internet access needed! + No advertisements! We recommend headphones to enjoy the full experience! Learn more about YATATOY: yatatoy.com Contact us for assistance or to give feedback: https://yatatoy.com/info/ MADE BY YATATOY

Screenshots

Simple Machines by Tinybop4 screens
BANDIMAL4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: BANDIMAL at 4.7 against Simple Machines by Tinybop's 3.7. BANDIMAL also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 37%) and ratings volume (2.3K vs 62). Simple Machines by Tinybop's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $4.99) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On update cadence, 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

Simple Machines by Tinybop costs $2.99 and BANDIMAL $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BANDIMAL holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BANDIMAL has 2.3K ratings behind it against 62, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 37% of Simple Machines by Tinybop's written reviews are positive against 78% of BANDIMAL's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple Machines by Tinybop ships an update every 4 months, BANDIMAL every 6 months. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Simple Machines by Tinybop versus BANDIMAL: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple Machines by TinybopBANDIMAL
Price$2.99 — better$4.99
Rating3.7 (62 ratings)4.7 (2.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews37.4% of reviews78.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings622.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB137 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTinybop Inc.YATATOY

Customer experience

Simple Machines by Tinybop

All ratings62 ratings
Positive62.9%
Neutral14.5%
Negative22.6%
Written reviews131 reviews
Positive37.4%
Neutral8.4%
Negative54.2%

BANDIMAL

All ratings2,274 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral4.9%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews185 reviews
Positive78.4%
Neutral5.9%
Negative15.7%

User reviews

Simple Machines by Tinybop

From 62 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics and design
  • 🧠 Educational and informative
  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Good for kids and learning
  • 💡 Sparks curiosity and imagination
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use

Room to improve

  • 😴 Boring and repetitive
  • 💸 Expensive for limited content
  • 🤷‍♂️ Lacks clear goals or objectives
  • 🤏 Limited interaction and content
  • 🚫 Not a game, more of a toy

BANDIMAL

From 2.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Cute and fun animations
  • 🎨 Creative music making
  • 🎶 Catchy and harmonious sounds
  • 🧠 Encourages creativity and imagination
  • 🤩 Engaging for kids and adults

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 🔇 Sound not working on some devices
  • 🔢 Limited number of animals/sounds
  • 💾 Cannot save or export compositions
  • 💰 Perceived as overpriced for the features

Bugs and requests

Simple Machines by Tinybop

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Crashes immediately on launch
  • Cannot install after purchase
  • App crashes after loading screen
  • No sound
  • Does not work
Show 3 more
  • Download issues
  • Does not open
  • Chinese language not displayed

Requested features

8 requests
  • Add a creative building mode
  • More levels and modules
  • Sandbox mode
  • Ability to build own machines
  • More interactive elements
Show 3 more
  • Add more complex mechanisms
  • Improve wheel and axle interaction
  • Allow bringing up planets in pulley game

BANDIMAL

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes after adding multiple animals
  • Glitches and visual bugs with animations
  • Compatibility issues with certain devices
  • Sound not working in some cases

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more animals and sound options
  • Ability to save and export compositions
  • More customization options for music creation
  • Tutorials or instructions for first-time users
  • Support for older/less powerful devices

In-app purchases

None

Simple Machines by Tinybop

No in-app purchases

None

BANDIMAL

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Simple Machines by Tinybop free?
Simple Machines by Tinybop costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is BANDIMAL free?
BANDIMAL costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Simple Machines by Tinybop or BANDIMAL?
BANDIMAL is rated higher. Simple Machines by Tinybop averages 3.7 out of 5 from 62 ratings, while BANDIMAL averages 4.7 from 2.3K ratings.
Do Simple Machines by Tinybop or BANDIMAL have ads?
Neither Simple Machines by Tinybop nor BANDIMAL shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Simple Machines by Tinybop or BANDIMAL?
Simple Machines by Tinybop ships an update every 4 months, and BANDIMAL every 6 months. Most recently, Simple Machines by Tinybop was updated on September 23, 2026 and BANDIMAL on September 23, 2026.

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