Comparison

MEL Science vs Night Zookeeper

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

Head to head
About

MEL Science

Explore the world of science through interactive experiments and engaging games. This app guides you through real science activities, making learning fun and hands-on. Discover molecular structures and conduct your own science projects.

Highlights
  • Conduct real science experiments
  • Interactive experiment guidance
  • Learn molecular structures
  • Science games and activities
  • Experiment assistant
  • Knowledge check tests
Read full description

MEL Science is the key to limitless adventures! Experiment, play, learn, conduct real science experiments! Play science games and conduct amazing experiments using guidance from the app. This app can be used for educational science activities or as a supplement to the MEL Science experiment kits. Find out how molecules and reactions look from the inside. Suitable for homeschool activities and science lab experiment games. MEL Chemistry will show the structures of molecules, including Sulfuric acid, Citric acid, Hydrochloric acid, Lactose, and Tin Chloride. Go through amazing experiments and make your own science projects using the experiment assistant. Pass the test at the end of each experiment to check your knowledge. Bring this science lab app to your classroom to demonstrate educational science to your students. Forget memorizing formulas — learn through firsthand experience!

About

Night Zookeeper

This app makes reading and writing engaging for children aged 6-12 through interactive games, video lessons, and personalized feedback from tutors. It covers a full English language arts curriculum, boosting spelling, grammar, and confidence. Parents can track progress via a dashboard.

Highlights
  • Interactive mini-games
  • Video lessons
  • Skill challenges
  • Tutor feedback on writing
  • Parent progress dashboard
  • Weekly writing competitions
  • Collaborative writing opportunities
Features
Read full description

The multi-award winning Night Zookeeper makes reading & writing fantastically fun and easy for 6-12 year olds. It’s trusted by thousands of parents around the world to improve their children’s spelling, grammar, reading & writing skills and really boost their confidence. The app has exciting mini games, video lessons, and skill challenges, created by educational experts and covering an entire english language arts curriculum. Children can play independently, and at their own pace, earning exciting and motivating rewards along the way. Tips from characters and inspiring prompts then help your child to write pieces of writing which our qualified tutors then read and give encouraging feedback on. This feedback can be viewed in your parent dashboard, where you can also track your child’s progress and achievements, and receive monthly printable resources. Alongside the thousands of learning activities and tutor feedback, a Night Zookeeper subscription provides your child with monthly awards, weekly writing competitions, and opportunities for collaborative writing in a safe, moderated environment. Night Zookeeper is: FUN: There are thousands of exciting and engaging activities for Grades 1 to 6. TRUSTED: An award winning program, used by thousands of families. Rated 4.7 on Trustpilot from 500+ reviews. COMPREHENSIVE: The program covers a full language arts curriculum of reading, writing, spelling, grammar & punctuation, that rewards children as they progress. SELF-PACED: Children can play independently and work through the program at their own pace. PERSONALIZED: Children get written feedback from our team of tutors on their pieces of writing- so you don't need to be the bad guy! SAFE: No in-app ads or purchases. TRACKABLE: A parent dashboard helps you to easily track your child's progress. OFFLINE & ONLINE: Free monthly printable resources are sent straight to your inbox. Users must log in with their account details to access Night Zookeeper. "There is nothing quite like Night Zookeeper, and I wish I had started them on it sooner!" Tim & Jennifer, parents "My kids were always frustrated with writing and reading, now they are excited each day and have started writing full stories." Justin, parent “My kids are loving this program and writing more than they ever have before. The game format and reward system holds their attention, and their creative juices keep flowing" Paul, parent Technical details: * Internet connection required Recommended: Latest iPad, Latest iPad Pro, Latest iPad Air, Latest iPad mini, Latest iOS Subscription options: The first 7 days of a subscription are free. Subscriptions renew automatically; your App Store account will be charged unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.nightzookeeper.com/privacy-policy Terms & Conditions: https://www.nightzookeeper.com/terms-and-conditions Start a FREE trial of Night Zookeeper today!

Screenshots

MEL Science4 screens
Night Zookeeper4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Night Zookeeper at 4.6 against MEL Science's 3.7. Night Zookeeper also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 39%) and ratings volume (621 vs 88). MEL Science's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. Night Zookeeper sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. MEL Science asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Night Zookeeper holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Night Zookeeper has 621 ratings behind it against 88, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of MEL Science's written reviews are positive against 78% of Night Zookeeper's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MEL Science ships an update every 6 weeks, Night Zookeeper every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
MEL Science versus Night Zookeeper: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMEL ScienceNight Zookeeper
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (88 ratings)4.6 (621 ratings) — better
Positive reviews39.1% of reviews78.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings88621 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size130 MB393 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMEL Science LimitedWonky Star

Customer experience

MEL Science

All ratings84 ratings
Positive63.1%
Neutral6.0%
Negative31.0%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive39.1%
Neutral2.2%
Negative58.7%

Night Zookeeper

All ratings621 ratings
Positive90.7%
Neutral2.4%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews105 reviews
Positive78.1%
Neutral3.8%
Negative18.1%

User reviews

MEL Science

From 88 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Amazing app for learning science
  • 👍 Great for interactive scientific weekends
  • 🤩 Cool experiments and explanations
  • 🚀 User-friendly application
  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Fun for families

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes frequently
  • 🤔 Confusing app interface
  • ❌ Instructions are incorrect or missing
  • 📦 Kits are missing items or broken
  • 👎 Experiments don't match app instructions

Night Zookeeper

From 621 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and engaging
  • 🚀 Helps improve writing skills
  • 💡 Gamifies learning
  • 👍 Motivates reluctant writers
  • 👍 Constructive feedback from tutors

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitchy and laggy performance
  • 🐛 Inconsistent difficulty levels
  • 🔋 Drains device battery
  • 🔒 Questionable subscription practices

Bugs and requests

MEL Science

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App crashes immediately on iPhone 7
  • App crashed my phone
  • Code scanner broken, doesn't scan QR codes
  • Instructions don't match kit contents
  • System is not intuitive
Show 5 more
  • QR code scanning feature missing
  • App doesn't work for more than sixty seconds, freezes
  • App doesn't download
  • Camera is constantly on, app is always listening/seeing
  • Customer support lacks comprehension

Requested features

10 requests
  • Allow viewing others' photos and replying to comments
  • Consolidate features from other apps into one
  • Allow earning extra boxes and real prizes with coins
  • More experiments in Kitchen Science
  • More detail on formulae behind experiments
Show 5 more
  • Search function for atoms and experiments
  • Add scanning feature and photo option
  • Improve organization and add more interesting experiments
  • Add VR functionality for experiments
  • Make presenter's voice clearer

Night Zookeeper

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Freezing and crashing issues
  • Upside-down screen when creating new characters
  • Audio not working consistently

Requested features

3 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Compatibility improvements for older devices
  • More content for older age groups

In-app purchases

None

MEL Science

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Night Zookeeper

Subscriptions10
  • NZK 1 Month - 1 License7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • 1 Month - 2 Licenses7 Days trial$17.991 Month
  • NZK 1 Month - 3 Licenses7 Days trial$17.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • 1 Month - 4 Licenses7 Days trial$21.991 Month
  • 3 Months - 1 License7 Days trial$36.993 Months
  • 3 Months - 2 Licenses7 Days trial$49.993 Months
  • 3 Months - 3 Licenses7 Days trial$49.993 Months
  • Yearly - 1 License7 Days trial$118.991 Year
  • Yearly - 2 Licenses7 Days trial$154.991 Year
  • Yearly - 3 Licenses7 Days trial$154.991 Year

Questions

Is MEL Science free?
MEL Science is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Night Zookeeper free?
Night Zookeeper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MEL Science or Night Zookeeper?
Night Zookeeper is rated higher. MEL Science averages 3.7 out of 5 from 88 ratings, while Night Zookeeper averages 4.6 from 621 ratings.
Do MEL Science or Night Zookeeper have ads?
Neither MEL Science nor Night Zookeeper shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MEL Science or Night Zookeeper?
MEL Science ships an update every 6 weeks, and Night Zookeeper every 2 months. Most recently, MEL Science was updated on November 1, 2026 and Night Zookeeper on November 5, 2026.

Other comparisons