Coding
Scratch vs Code.org
Both sit in Coding on the Edibok index. Here is what each one is, side by side, so you can tell which fits the job you actually have.
| Scratch | Code.org | |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | MIT's drag and drop language where kids build games, stories, and lifelong obsessions. | Full CS pathways from unplugged kindergarten lessons to AP, with the Hour of Code you already know. |
| Grade bands | 3-5 · 6-8 | K-2 · 3-5 · 6-8 · 9-12 |
| Price model | Free | Free |
| Platforms | Web · Windows · Mac | Web |
| Notable features | Blocks to logic; Massive community; Teacher studios | K-12 pathways; Teacher scripts; AP CSP course |
| Privacy and accounts | MIT nonprofit; teacher accounts can manage student studios. | Nonprofit with strong student privacy commitments and district agreements. |
Scratch
The most important piece of educational software of its generation. Scratch's snap together blocks remove syntax as a barrier while leaving real computational thinking fully intact: loops, conditionals, variables, events, and the joy of shipping something your friends can play.
Teach remixing explicitly: find a project, change one thing, understand why it changed. That is real code reading.
Code.org
The nonprofit that made computer science a school subject. Complete courses run from unplugged early years activities through AP Computer Science Principles, with lesson plans, slide decks, and assessments written for teachers who never studied CS themselves.
The self paced express courses cover you on days when you are learning exactly one lesson ahead of the class.
This is a description of two listings side by side, not a test or a ranking. Neither app was trialled for this page, neither paid to appear, and no link here earns a commission. Check your district's privacy and procurement rules before classroom use.