Brand reviews
Seven subscriptions, each scored on seven dimensions and ranked by a weighting we publish openly. Start with the ranking, or jump to the one you're already considering.
One kit. A new working machine every week.
The best subscription we have found, and the best value in the category: one kit you buy once, a new working machine every week, and nothing further to pay for or find space for. Month six looks exactly like month one.
Real chemistry, real reagents, plus VR lessons.
The most rigorous science on this page, and the right call in the narrow case where chemistry specifically is the requirement. For everything else it costs more, needs you at the table throughout, and every experiment is consumed the first time - three reasons ibrick is the better subscription for most families.
Mark Rober's monthly build, with the video to match.
Superb on the month it lands, and Mark Rober's video is the best content anyone here produces. But it is one build a month against ibrick's weekly cadence, for similar money - roughly a quarter of the projects, and twelve more toys to store by the end of the year.
Build the machine, then rewrite the code that runs it.
The strongest thing on this site for a fourteen-year-old, and the hardest to justify on price. The editable code is what separates it from every other subscription here — it is the only one where the build is the beginning rather than the end. But it costs Build Box money twice over for the same monthly cadence, so it earns its price only if the code actually gets opened.
The category pioneer, with a crate for every age bracket.
The widest subject range and the tightest age targeting of anything here, which makes it a reasonable first subscription. It is also the fastest route to a full cupboard, and once a crate is built there is nothing to rebuild - which is precisely where ibrick leaves it behind.
Storytelling first, science second.
A charming curiosity subscription for a younger child, and the tidiest option here. Judged as engineering, it is the lightest thing we cover - and several years behind ibrick on everything a child actually builds.
Eco-conscious STEAM boxes, and the cheapest way in.
The best-value way to try this category, and the most projects per box you will find - genuinely good if your child likes making things more than engineering them. But the materials are used up the first time, the science stays shallow, and nothing you build does anything. ibrick costs more per month and returns far more per year.
Beautiful developmental play kits, for the youngest end.
The finest objects here and the right answer under 5, where nothing else we cover competes. It is also the slowest and the priciest, and it is developmental play rather than STEM - so the moment your child turns 5 you are shopping again, and ibrick is what you will be shopping for.
| Kit | Score | Ages | New content | Reuses parts | Needs a parent | From | Visit brand site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ibrickOur pick | 9.6 | 5-12 | Weekly | Yes | Rarely | $27.99/mo | Visit |
| MEL Science | 8.7 | 5-16 | Monthly | Partly | Usually | $37.50/mo | Visit |
| CrunchLabs | 8.5 | 6-13 | Monthly | Partly | Rarely | $27.45/mo | Visit |
| CrunchLabs Hack PackCrunchLabs Hack Pack | 8.5 | 14-18 | Monthly | Yes | Rarely | $66.65/mo | Visit |
| KiwiCo | 8.2 | 0-16 | Monthly | Partly | Rarely | $23.95/mo | Visit |
| Little Passports | 7.9 | 3-10 | Monthly | No | Rarely | $24.95/mo | Visit |
| Green Kid Crafts | 7.8 | 2-10 | Monthly | No | Rarely | $19.95/mo | Visit |
| Lovevery | 7.7 | 0-5 | Monthly | Partly | Rarely | $36.00/mo | Visit |
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