What Hopscotch does

Hopscotch Technologies, Inc. is a privately held, Brooklyn-based education technology company (with team presence also in Mexico) that operates a proprietary, block-based visual programming platform designed for children to create games, animations, simulations, art, and stories. The core product architecture centers on a single simplified coding paradigm — "An object DOES something WHEN something happens" — delivered through three surfaces: a native iOS and Mac application distributed via Apple's App Store, web platforms at hopscotch.fun and hopscotch.lol, and a community/editor web explorer at explore.gethopscotch.com. The technology stack uses hundreds of blocks covering variables, math operators, device sensor input (tilt, shake, tap, swipe, loud noise), drawing, cloning, and game mechanics, with a "See Code"/remix layer that makes every published project inspectable and reusable. The company also operates a beginner sub-product (Daisy the Dinosaur), a community forum, a Discord server, and a Seed Developer program in which "Seeds" function as an in-app currency unlocking advanced community content.

The company monetizes through a freemium model with three paid layers: (1) a recurring "Hopscotch Premium" subscription sold via Apple's in-app purchase system on iOS/Mac, (2) a one-time "Lifetime Family Pass" sold direct on gethopscotch.com, and (3) paid "Premium Educator Packs" for schools and teachers (with a free Standard Educator Pack as a land-and-expand entry), paid via FastSpring on the web. App Store payments are processed by Apple; classroom web payments flow through FastSpring; merchandise is resold via a Threadless storefront. The end-user base is children aged roughly 9–16 who create, play, and remix projects, with parents acting as paying buyers and educators/schools as a secondary B2B2C segment. Privacy and safety posture is a first-class feature: the platform is certified COPPA-compliant, claims GDPR-aligned practices, uses random usernames and UUIDs, collects no IP or location data, runs no behavioral advertising, and operates within a moderated kid-only community.

The company has reached material scale signals — over 24 million cumulative App Store downloads (reported in 2026), tens of thousands of community projects published weekly, coverage in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, a "Best Apps for Families" designation from Parent Magazine, and a 500% download lift following its 2021 Shark Tank Season 12 appearance (a $550K/11% deal that did not finalize). Total disclosed institutional funding to date is approximately $1.2 million from a 2014 seed round led by Collaborative Fund with Kapor Capital, Mesa Ventures, and Resolute Ventures; no subsequent funding rounds are disclosed in the source material, and the company is described as fully independent. Headcount is not publicly disclosed beyond the "Made with ♥ in NYC and Mexico" footer.

Name

Hopscotch

Legal name

Hopscotch Technologies, Inc.

Website

https://gethopscotch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hopscotch Technologies is a Brooklyn-based developer of a proprietary, block-based visual programming platform that lets children create, publish, and remix games, animations, and stories on iOS, Mac, and web, monetizing via freemium subscriptions, a Lifetime Family Pass, and paid classroom packs for educators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Coding Education Software

NAICS

Amusement Arcades (71312)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Game-Based CS & Computational Thinking Platforms (EDAFANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Game Development (Unity, Unreal, 2D/3D) (EDAMACAE), STEM & Coding Readiness for Early Learners (EDACANAF)

Keywords

• Block-based coding
• Kids coding education
• Visual programming software
• Educational technology apps
• Creator platform children

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Hopscotch Premium Subscription: Recurring subscription for premium features such as advanced editor capabilities, custom image uploads, and exclusive content; sold via Apple App Store in-app purchases (Apple handles payments) and via gethopscotch.com. Free trial and refund options are advertised.
2. Lifetime Family Pass: One-time purchase offering lifetime premium access for the family on the gethopscotch.com website — a perpetual license alternative to recurring subscriptions.
3. Educator / Classroom Packs: Schools and educators can purchase classroom subscriptions (Premium Educator Pack) for student accounts; payment for web-based classroom purchases is processed by FastSpring. A free Standard Educator Pack is also offered, indicating a freemium-to-paid land-and-expand motion.
4. Merchandise (Threadless shop): Branded merchandise sold through a third-party Threadless storefront (hopscotch.threadless.com). Marginal revenue stream, primarily community/fan engagement.
5. Freemium / Free tier (downloads and in-app play): Free download and use of the app (no account required) drives top-of-funnel acquisition and community growth; monetization is gated through Premium, Lifetime Pass, and Educator Pack upgrades.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Core offering

Hopscotch operates a proprietary visual, block-based programming environment that lets children create games, animations, simulations, art, music, and stories using a simplified object-plus-when-plus-action paradigm. The platform is delivered as native iOS and Mac apps via the Apple App Store plus web platforms (hopscotch.fun, hopscotch.lol, explore.gethopscotch.com), and is complemented by a moderated kid-only community where projects are published, remixed, and played.

Product overview

Hopscotch is a single visual programming platform offered through multiple delivery surfaces — the flagship iOS/Mac application, the web platforms at hopscotch.fun and hopscotch.lol, and the Hopscotch Web Explorer at explore.gethopscotch.com — all built around the same block-based coding paradigm ('An object DOES something WHEN something happens'). The product portfolio centers on the core Hopscotch iOS app (with Daisy the Dinosaur as a separate beginner sub-product), extended by Hopscotch Web and the Web Explorer for desktop/community use, supported by subscription tiers (Hopscotch Premium/Family Pass/Play Pass and Hopscotch Pro on web), the Hopscotch Educators program with classroom management tools, the Seeds in-app reward system, and the Hopscotch Forum for community discussion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Daisy the Dinosaur: A separate introductory iOS app by Hopscotch that teaches basic programming concepts, linked from the Hopscotch product menu.

Products and services

• Hopscotch (iOS/Mac App) Native iPad, iPhone, and Mac application that lets children create games, animations, and apps using a visual block-based coding interface built around objects, whens, variables, and math operators. Distributed via Apple App Store with in-app subscription purchases.
• Daisy the Dinosaur Standalone introductory iOS coding app for kids designed as a beginner-friendly entry point that introduces basic programming concepts aligned with the Hopscotch paradigm.
• Hopscotch Web Platforms (hopscotch.fun and hopscotch.lol) Web-based visual programming environments that extend the Hopscotch coding experience to desktop browsers, complementing the iOS mobile application and accessible via gethopscotch.com.
• Hopscotch Web Explorer (Hopscotch Pro) Web-based community explorer where users can browse, play, view code, and remix projects; includes an advanced mode requiring Hopscotch Pro subscription to save and publish projects.
• Hopscotch Premium / Family Pass / Play Pass Subscription and one-time license tiers unlocking premium editor capabilities, custom image uploads, and exclusive content; available as Family Pass (lifetime), Subscribe (recurring), and Play Pass tiers, sold via Apple App Store and gethopscotch.com.
• Hopscotch Educators (Classroom Pack) Education-focused program providing educator accounts, student account management tools (CSV provisioning, web admin dashboard), classroom packs (free Standard and paid Premium), and lesson plan resources for K-12 teachers and schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500% increase in downloads following the Season 12 Shark Tank appearance
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Apple (App Store)flagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerApple distributes and processes payments for Hopscotch on iOS and Mac via the App Store. Apple's terms govern iOS use, payment, refunds, and device/App Store availability. Hopscotch is described as a separate entity from Apple for payment/responsibility purposes.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationAWS provides server infrastructure and database/app analytics services used by Hopscotch to operate its service and store/analyze non-PII usage data.
• AmplitudecoreTechnology or IntegrationAmplitude is a product analytics provider for Hopscotch, processing aggregated, non-PII usage data to help the company improve the application.
• Help ScoutcoreTechnology or IntegrationHelp Scout powers Hopscotch's customer service/help-desk system; receives user email only when the user emails Hopscotch with a question.
• ThreadlessminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThreadless operates Hopscotch's merchandise storefront at hopscotch.threadless.com, selling branded apparel and goods to fans.
• DiscordcoreTechnology or IntegrationHopscotch hosts an official Discord server (discord.com/invite/ZFZsmXCQm9) as a primary community channel for users.
• TikTokminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHopscotch maintains an official TikTok account (@gethopscotch) for marketing and community engagement.
• YouTubeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHopscotch operates an official YouTube channel (@gethopscotch) and embeds YouTube videos for educational content and project sharing.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Scratch: MIT's free, browser-based block programming platform for kids — the dominant direct competitor to Hopscotch with a global community, school adoption, and similar visual block paradigm.
• Tynker: Subscription-based kids coding platform with block and text coding courses and a strong school/district sales motion — directly comparable to Hopscotch's consumer + educator monetization model.
• codeSpark: Game-based kids coding app with a similar 'no words / kid-first' design ethos and freemium subscription monetization, frequently compared to Hopscotch in kids coding app reviews.
• Kodable: K–5 coding curriculum with a teacher dashboard and student progress tracking — closely comparable to Hopscotch's Educator Pack and classroom onboarding motion.
• Lightbot: Puzzle-based coding app for kids that teaches programming concepts through game-like levels — a comparable consumer kids-coding app often listed alongside Hopscotch.
• CodeCombat: Game-based coding learning platform that teaches real text languages (Python, JavaScript) through gameplay — overlaps with Hopscotch on the game-as-learning hook, with an older target age.

Broad incumbents

• Swift Playgrounds: Apple's free iPad/Mac coding app — distributed and promoted through the same App Store channels as Hopscotch and targets the same iPad-using kid/parent segment, but backed by Apple.
• Code.org: Nonprofit provider of free K–12 coding curricula, Hour of Code, and block-based programming tools — competes for the same educator and parent mindshare as Hopscotch.
• Codecademy: Subscription coding education platform — overlaps with Hopscotch's 'learn to code' value proposition for older kids and parents, though focused on text-based languages.

Emerging players

• ScratchJr: Free, MIT/Tufts-built visual block programming app for ages 5–7; explicitly referenced in Hopscotch's 'ScratchJr to Hopscotch' transition guide, making it a direct feeder/competitor for the youngest cohort.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@gethopscotch
• Xx.com/hopscotch
• Facebookfacebook.com/getHopscotch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hopscotch-technologies

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hopscotch