MIT App Inventor vs Tinkercad
MIT App Inventor
appinventor.mit.edu
Tinkercad
tinkercad.comSide by side
| Figure | MIT App Inventor | Tinkercad |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 2 |
| Spec score · Diy Makers | 8.6 (#4) | 7.5 (#8) |
| Audience | The project’s stated vision is to enable anyone, including people who do not consider themselves coders, to create mobile apps. | Tinkercad describes itself as an ideal introduction to Autodesk and presents teacher and classroom resources alongside its design tools. |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Privacy | MIT says it tracks site usage and information about projects and their development, and may log IP address operating system and browser software. | The site links to Tinkercad and Children's Privacy information and a Privacy & Security page. |
| Support | MIT directs users to a community forum where community experts answer questions, rather than promising commercial support contracts. | The site links to a Help Center, learning center, and server status page. |
| What it does | MIT App Inventor is a browser-based, block-programming environment for creating, testing and sharing mobile apps. | Tinkercad is a free web app for 3D design, electronics, and coding. |
Plans
In their own words
MIT App Inventor
MIT App Inventor is a free, browser-based platform for creating, testing, and sharing mobile apps with block-based programming. Its Designer is used to choose components, and its Blocks Editor is where users program app behavior. Projects can include games and media, AI for images, sounds, and text, surveys and charts, maps, sensors, and internet-connected devices. The MIT AI2 Companion app supports testing as an app is built on iOS and Android devices over Wi-Fi. Users can share projects for others to load and remix, then package completed apps for installation on Android. Although apps can be built for Android and iOS, the getting-started information says packaged app building and installation are Android-only for now. The browser tool supports Chrome, Firefox, and Safari on most laptops and desktops, plus Chromebooks, iPads, and Android tablets. A Google account is required. Creators own their apps and can download or delete them from the server. MIT says it tracks site usage and project-development information and may log device and browser details.