🧠 Learn how AI works · 💻 Coding · 🤖 AI robots, toys and kits
PictoBlox
By STEMpedia (Agilo Research Pvt. Ltd., India). Visit PictoBlox
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
A Scratch-based coding app that adds AI, machine learning and robotics. Kids can drag blocks or write Python to build games, train models such as image, pose, hand-pose, sound and text classifiers, run face-expression detection, and control hardware like Arduino, LEGO and STEMpedia's own Quarky robot kits. A Junior Blocks mode targets ages 4-7. It is popular in Indian schools, and the maker also sells kits and textbooks.
Our take: Worth a look for teens and clubs doing AI with robots; parents of younger kids should note the unclear under-13 privacy wording and supervise camera use.
| Ages it suits | about 4-7 (Junior Blocks) and 8-16 |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | The terms set no age. The privacy policy says it does not knowingly collect information from children under 13, yet also says it asks for a guardian's email when a user under 16 makes an account for in-app courses. (terms) |
| Price | Free. Software free for individuals and non-commercial use (Oct 2026). Robot kits sold separately (e.g. Quarky kits listed from about $159). Premium in-app courses listed as coming soon. |
| Works on | Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Android, iPhone and iPad |
| Account | The child's own account |
| Ads | Not stated |
| In-app purchases | Not stated |
| The AI in it | Lets kids train and use image, object, pose, sound, text and number models, and run face and expression detection, in blocks or Python. |
What's good
- Free and packs a lot of AI and ML features
- Moves from blocks to Python
- Works with many robot boards
- Offline desktop app
Watch for
- Privacy policy contradicts itself on under-13s
- Face detection uses the camera
- Built to sell the maker's hardware kits
- Mostly a general company privacy policy, not child-specific
Data and privacy
Collects account details, device information, approximate location and in-app usage through cookies and tracking; says it will not sell personal information. Usernames are visible to other users. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
The maker's own claims only (classroom case stories on its site). No independent study found.
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Where these facts come from
- https://thestempedia.com/product/pictoblox/
- https://thestempedia.com/privacy-policy/
- https://thestempedia.com/terms-and-conditions/
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.stempedia.pictoblox&hl=en_US
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.