Chrome Music Lab
Focus: music, experiments and kids. Shares education with Scratch. A website, not a web app. Rated 4.7 (Scratch: 4.8).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.7Visit
Web App
Scratch
MIT's free block-based coding platform for making games and stories.
Rating
4.8 / 5
Pricing
Free
Difficulty
Beginner
Works on
Web, Windows, macOS
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is Scratch?
Scratch lets learners snap together code blocks to make interactive stories, games and animations, then share them with a huge online community. It is built by the MIT Media Lab and the Scratch Foundation, is free to use online or offline and comes with tutorials and resources for teachers.
Pros: what Scratch does well
- Huge community of shared projects
- Free with offline editor
- Great teacher resources
Cons: where it falls short
- Aimed at younger learners
- Block coding has limits for bigger projects
Who Scratch is for
Kids, parents and teachers getting started with creative coding.
Who can skip it
Developers who need a text-based language for real projects.
Scratch alternatives
Not sold on Scratch? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
60fps.design
Focus: motion, interaction and ios. Shares animation with Scratch. A website, not a web app. Freemium (Scratch: Free). Rated 4.6 (Scratch: 4.8).
WebsiteFree planWeb
4.6Visit
Blockly Games
Focus: programming and puzzles. Shares coding for kids and education with Scratch. Rated 4.6 (Scratch: 4.8).
Web AppFreeWeb
4.6Visit
Codrops
Focus: web design, tutorials and css. Shares animation with Scratch. A blog, not a web app. Rated 4.6 (Scratch: 4.8).
BlogFreeWeb
4.6Visit
Teachable Machine
Focus: machine learning, ai and no code. Shares education with Scratch. An AI tool, not a web app. Rated 4.6 (Scratch: 4.8).
AI ToolFreeWeb
4.6Visit
BeepBox
Focus: music, chiptune and composition. Also in Brainstorming and Learning, like Scratch. Adds Offline. Rated 4.6 (Scratch: 4.8).
Web AppFreeWeb, Offline
4.6Visit
Free alternatives to Scratch
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
Markmap
Focus: mind map, markdown and visual notes. Also in Brainstorming and Learning, like Scratch. Rated 4.5 (Scratch: 4.8).
Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.5Visit
Desmos
Focus: graphing calculator, maths and geometry. Shares education with Scratch. Adds iOS. Same 4.8 rating.
Web AppFreeWeb, iOS
4.8Visit
Algorithmic Art Skill
Focus: claude, claude skills and generative art. Also in Brainstorming and Learning, like Scratch. An AI tool, not a web app. Rated 4.7 (Scratch: 4.8).
AI ToolFreeWeb
4.7Visit
GeoGebra
Focus: maths, geometry and graphing. Shares education with Scratch. Adds iOS. Rated 4.7 (Scratch: 4.8).
Web AppFreeWeb, iOS
4.7Visit
Awwwards
Focus: web design, inspiration and showcase. Also in Brainstorming and Learning, like Scratch. A website, not a web app. Rated 4.6 (Scratch: 4.8).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.6Visit
Rnote
Focus: handwritten notes, pdf annotation and infinite canvas. Also in Brainstorming and Learning, like Scratch. A desktop app, not a web app. Adds Linux. Rated 4.6 (Scratch: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreeLinux, Windows
4.6Visit
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