Hopscotch

Overview

Learners can follow video tutorials to make projects or start from scratch, then publish their work for others to play and remix. That makes experimentation and sharing central to the experience, which can be more motivating for children than lesson-only instruction. The trade-off is that free users get essential coding blocks and basic characters, while some creative tools and project capacity sit behind a subscription.

Hopscotch is designed for ages 10 and up, and is also described as primarily serving ages 9–15. Educators can use free educator accounts, classroom accounts, and lesson plans, although some tutorials require a subscription.

Key features

• Project-based creation: Users can make games, animations, art, and stories without prior coding knowledge. Tutorials give new learners a guided start; starting from scratch suits those ready to explore independently.
• Community sharing: Published projects can be played and remixed by other community members, giving learners examples to explore and an audience for their work. The educator page describes the community as fully moderated and COPPA-compliant.
• Creative tools: Unlimited adds drawing tools, custom art uploads, additional coding blocks, exclusive characters, and unlimited drafts and published projects. These are meaningful upgrades for children who want to make more distinctive projects or publish frequently; the free account remains more limited.
• Project links: An Open Project block can link to other Hopscotch community projects, which can help connect related creations.
• Privacy and safety: Hopscotch says it does not sell or rent personal information, does not display ads, and follows COPPA-certified privacy and safety practices. It also says it investigates breaches involving personal information and trains staff to address app security concerns.

Pricing

Hopscotch is freemium. The free account costs 0.00 USD per free and includes community games, game creation, basic characters, and essential coding blocks. It has 0 monthly seeds, so it is suited to a first look at creation and play, not a household seeking the paid plans' monthly seed allowance or expanded tools.

Play Pass costs 1.99 USD per month, billed $1.99/month. It includes 30 seeds per month, uninterrupted play, and prioritized support. It is the lower-cost choice for users who want ongoing play and support, but it does not include the custom art and drawing features provided by Unlimited.

Unlimited costs 9.99 USD per month, billed $9.99/month. It includes 30 seeds per month plus 10 bonus seeds, custom art uploads, drawing tools, and unlimited drafts and published projects. This is the better fit for regular creators who need more room and control over what they make; it costs more than four times the monthly Play Pass price. A 7 day trial is advertised, with cancellation at any time. Educators can also use free educator accounts and classroom accounts.

Platforms

Hopscotch is available on Android, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows. Mobile apps are available, while web and desktop platform support also makes it an option beyond phones and tablets.

Who it's for

Hopscotch is a good fit for children around ages 9–15 who want to learn by making and sharing projects, and for educators seeking creative coding activities with lesson plans. The free account can introduce the core approach; a family should consider Unlimited when custom artwork, drawing tools, or unlimited project drafts and publishing matter. It is less suited to someone seeking a conventional programming course rather than a project-making environment.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Tutorials and scratch creation offer both guided and independent routes into building games and other projects, without requiring prior coding knowledge.
• Pro: Community play and remixing give published work a social and exploratory role; Hopscotch also describes its community as moderated and COPPA-compliant.
• Pro: Free educator and classroom accounts, plus lesson plans, make it relevant to teaching as well as home use.
• Con: The free account has no monthly seeds and only basic characters and essential coding blocks, limiting its appeal for sustained creation.
• Con: Custom art, drawing tools, and unlimited drafts and published projects require Unlimited at $9.99 per month.
• Con: Some tutorials require a subscription, so educators and families may not be able to use every guided activity on a free account.

Alternatives

Explore coding learning platforms if you want to compare options across the category. Choose Mimo instead for access to courses and career paths, with limited access on Basic and all courses and career paths on Pro. Progate may suit learners seeking introductory lessons: its free plan includes some introductory lessons, while its Plus Plan — 12 Month is $9.92 USD per once, billed as a $119.00 total paid at registration. Scratch is a free alternative for creating and sharing projects; an Annual Membership is also offered for $35.00 USD per year.

Educative is another freemium alternative with a free trial. CodeHS may be a better fit for teacher-led coding: its permanent free teacher plan includes 100+ courses, a browser-based code editor, and automatic code submission and section management. Kodable offers child profiles, with plans capped at up to four profiles: $24.99 per month or $119.99 per year. MIT App Inventor is a free educational platform for building Android and iOS apps. Scrimba is another freemium option, with free introductory courses, challenges, and explainers.

Verdict

Choose Hopscotch for a young learner who is most likely to engage by making and sharing games, art, and stories, especially when an educator wants project-based activities and a moderated community. Its approachable project focus is the main reason to choose it; the main reason to look elsewhere is that regular creators need the $9.99-per-month Unlimited plan for the expanded art tools and unlimited project capacity.