- Ages
- 6–13
- New content
- Monthly
- Format
- New kit each month + companion video; three lines split by age
- From
- $27.45/mo
Advertising disclosure: If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. How we make money
CrunchLabs vs CrunchLabs Hack Pack
Same company, same videos, two different products
vs
- Ages
- 14–18
- New content
- Monthly
- Format
- Monthly servo build plus openly editable code; companion video each month
- From
- $66.65/mo
Both of these are CrunchLabs, both come with a Mark Rober video, and that is where the similarity stops. The Build Box is a mechanical toy for 6-13 at $27.45 a month. Hack Pack is a programmable machine for 14 and up at $66.65. The decision is almost never about which is better — it is about how old the child is and whether they are going to open the code.
What it really comes down to
A finished mechanism, or a machine you can reprogram
A Build Box resolves into one working toy. It is well made and it does something, but what it does is fixed: the mechanism is the lesson, and once it is built the project is over. Hack Pack adds servos, a controller and the code that drives them, and ships that code open and editable. The build is the halfway point — the second half is changing what the machine does, which is the only reason the price difference is defensible. If nobody is going to open the code, you are paying more than double for one build a month either way.
Scored side by side
| Dimension | CrunchLabs | Hack Pack |
|---|---|---|
| Replay value18% | 7 | 9 |
| STEM depth18% | 10 | 10 |
| Novelty cadence14% | 7 | 7 |
| Wow factor14% | 10 | 10 |
| Value for money14% | 9 | 6 |
| Builds independently12% | 9 | 10 |
| Clutter control10% | 7 | 7 |
| Overall | 8.5 | 8.5 |
Choose CrunchLabs if…
- Your child is between 6 and 13 — this is the whole answer most of the time
- You want the Mark Rober toy from the video without a coding project attached
- $27.45 a month is the budget, and Hack Pack is two and a half times that
- There is a younger sibling who will play with the finished thing
Choose Hack Pack if…
- Your child is 14 or older and the Build Box has started to feel like a toy
- They already write some code, or have said they want to learn
- You want something that does not look like it came from a children's brand
- They have outgrown Build Box specifically and you want to stay with CrunchLabs
Our verdict
Age decides this one, not quality. Under 13, the Build Box, and the price difference is not a close call. At 14 and up, Hack Pack — provided the code is going to get opened, because that is the entire thing you are paying the extra $39 a month for. A thirteen-year-old sitting between them is the only genuinely hard case: if they are already coding, stretch to Hack Pack a year early rather than buying a line they are about to grow out of.
Still torn between the two?
Five quick questions and two minutes, and you'll have an answer.
Start the quizFree · No email required · Your answers stay in your browser
Common questions
Is Hack Pack just the Build Box for older kids?
No. The Build Box is a mechanical build with a fixed outcome. Hack Pack is a servo-driven machine plus the code that runs it, and the code is editable — the build finishes and the project keeps going. That difference is what the extra money buys; the age difference is just who it is aimed at.
Why is Hack Pack more than twice the price?
Servos, a microcontroller and the electronics around them cost considerably more than gears and plastic, and the volumes are lower. Whether that is worth $66.65 a month to you depends entirely on whether the code gets opened — as a build-only kit it is poor value against the Build Box.
Can a 13-year-old do Hack Pack?
CrunchLabs states 14+, and that floor is about patience and reading level rather than safety. A thirteen-year-old who is already writing code will be fine. One who is not will find the coding half frustrating and you will have paid Hack Pack money for a Build Box experience.
Do they share a subscription?
No — they are separate subscriptions, billed separately, and moving between them means cancelling one and starting the other rather than switching a plan.
The whole field, for context
| 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 |