Scratch vs MakeCode

Scratch9.1Visit MakeCode8.9Visit

Higher score Scratch #4 in Coding Education Platforms 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Scratch

vs

MakeCode #5 in Coding Education Platforms 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit MakeCode

• Scratch fits best

  Young learners exploring creative block-based coding

• MakeCode fits best

  Learners building code for supported hardware

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Side by side

Feature	Scratch 9.1/10 Visit ↗	MakeCode 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.1	8.9
Ranking	#4 in Coding Education Platforms	#5 in Coding Education Platforms
Best for	Young learners exploring creative block-based coding	Learners building code for supported hardware
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile	Cloud
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, Android	Web
Support	Community, Docs	Email
Built for	Solo, Small business	Solo, Small business
Features Scratch 0/3 · MakeCode 0/3
Guided lessons	Not published	Not published
Interactive projects	Not published	Not published
Classroom tools	Not published	Not published
Specs
Teaching approach	Not published	Not published
Languages taught	Not published	Not published
Learner age range	Not published	Not published
Our review
Pros	Build stories, games, and animations with visual programming blocks Starter projects cover creative formats and can be modified Offline desktop creation and extensions for hardware or web services	Offers both drag-and-drop blocks and text editors. Simulators let learners test and debug programs. Downloads code in native formats for compatible hardware.
Cons	Block-based Scratch is a focused starting point, not a text-based language course Sharing projects and receiving community feedback depends on the online community Extensions add connections, but projects center on Scratch's visual environment	Experiences and features vary by target and editor. It is built around target-specific projects, not general-purpose coding. Its verified curriculum and platform coverage are narrower.
Our verdict	Scratch gives young people ages 8 to 16 a block-based programming environment for creating interactive stories, games, animations, and other projects. It pairs project creation with an online community where learners can share work and… Read the review →	MakeCode gives learners and educators a free way to create coding projects through target-specific experiences. Its editors pair drag-and-drop blocks with text-based coding, including JavaScript and Python in supported experiences.… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Scratch — where it wins

  • Build stories, games, and animations with visual programming blocks
  • Starter projects cover creative formats and can be modified
  • Offline desktop creation and extensions for hardware or web services

  Where it doesn't

  • Block-based Scratch is a focused starting point, not a text-based language course
  • Sharing projects and receiving community feedback depends on the online community
  • Extensions add connections, but projects center on Scratch's visual environment

• MakeCode — where it wins

  • Offers both drag-and-drop blocks and text editors.
  • Simulators let learners test and debug programs.
  • Downloads code in native formats for compatible hardware.

  Where it doesn't

  • Experiences and features vary by target and editor.
  • It is built around target-specific projects, not general-purpose coding.
  • Its verified curriculum and platform coverage are narrower.

• Scratch9.1/10 · Free plan

  A free block-based coding environment for learning by making and sharing projects.

  Visit ScratchFull verdict →
• MakeCode8.9/10 · Free plan

  A free learning platform that moves from visual blocks to text-based coding.

  Visit MakeCodeFull verdict →