What Scratch does

Scratch is a nonprofit creative learning platform operated by the Scratch Foundation, an organization affiliated with MIT Media Lab's Lifelong Kindergarten group. Founded in 2007 by Mitch Resnick, the platform provides a free visual block-based programming environment where young people (primarily ages 8-16) create interactive stories, games, and animations by snapping together code blocks without typing syntax. The core product suite includes the browser-based Scratch Editor (with integrated code, paint, and sound editors), a downloadable offline application for Windows/Mac/ChromeOS, and ScratchJr for younger children ages 5-7. Supporting resources include downloadable Coding Cards, a Tutorials Library, Starter Projects, and a Project Idea Generator.

The platform is described as the world's largest free creative learning community for young people, with millions of shared projects, peer remixing, and active community engagement through featured projects, studios, discussion forums, and events such as Scratch Camp and Scratch Day. Scratch also operates an educator-facing sub-brand (ScratchEd) and hosts an annual Scratch Conference. The platform supports physical computing integrations with micro:bit and MakeyMakey devices and is localized in 60+ languages for global distribution.

Scratch does not generate commercial revenue. Its business model is entirely donation-based: the website states that "Donations help keep the nonprofit Scratch free for every kid who needs a place to imagine, create, and share." No paid tiers, subscriptions, or premium features are offered. Growth is community-led and organic, relying on user-generated content, educational outreach to schools and families, and strategic partnerships (most notably with Noggin in March 2026) to expand reach. Customer segments are primarily children/young learners and secondarily educators and parents, with no enterprise B2B revenue concentration.

Name

Scratch

Legal name

Scratch Foundation

Website

https://scratch.mit.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Scratch is a free, nonprofit block-based visual programming platform operated by the Scratch Foundation at MIT, enabling young people (ages 8-16) to create and share interactive stories, games, and animations within the world's largest creative learning community for kids.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Coding Education Software

akta.pro primary industry

Standalone Creator Course Platforms (Branded Schools) (MPACALAB)

Keywords

• Visual programming language
• Block-based coding
• Creative coding platform
• Children's coding education
• Online learning community

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and charitable contributions: Scratch is a nonprofit organization operated by the MIT Scratch Foundation. The primary funding comes from donations to keep the platform free for all users. The website explicitly states 'Donations help keep the nonprofit Scratch free for every kid who needs a place to imagine, create, and share.'

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Scratch is a free visual programming language and online community where users create interactive stories, games, and animations by snapping together code blocks in a browser-based editor. The platform is operated by the Scratch Foundation and includes the main Scratch editor, the ScratchJr app for younger children, an offline desktop editor, and supporting educational resources such as coding cards and tutorials.

Product overview

Scratch is a free creative learning platform operated by the Scratch Foundation at MIT. The core offering is the Scratch visual programming language and its browser-based editor, where young people (primarily ages 8-16) create interactive stories, games, and animations by snapping together code blocks. The product portfolio includes the main Scratch platform (scratch.mit.edu), the Scratch Editor with integrated code/paint/sound tools, the companion ScratchJr app for younger children (ages 5-7), downloadable Coding Cards for offline learning, a Project Idea Generator, and a Tutorials Library. Related community offerings include Scratch Day events, the Scratch Conference, and ScratchEd for educators. The platform also supports physical computing integrations with micro:bit and MakeyMakey devices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ScratchJr: A creative coding platform designed for children ages 5-7 with simpler, age-appropriate features.
• ScratchEd
• Scratch Day
• Scratch Conference

Products and services

• Scratch A free visual programming language and online community where young people create their own interactive stories, games, and animations, and share them with others around the world. Users create projects by snapping together code blocks in the Scratch editor.
• ScratchJr An introductory programming environment designed for younger children (ages 5-7) that enables them to create their own interactive stories and games using drag-and-drop programming blocks. A simplified version of Scratch for early readers.
• Scratch App (Offline Editor) A downloadable desktop application allowing users to create Scratch projects without an internet connection. Available for Windows, Mac, and ChromeOS.

Quantifiable outcome

• Scratch is the world's largest free creative learning community for young people

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NoggincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2026Scratch and Noggin partnered in March 2026 to help kids become creators rather than just consumers. The collaboration introduces Noggin characters as sprites within the Scratch platform while integrating the Scratch Player directly into Noggin's game world Nogginville. The partnership is designed to grow over time with plans for deeper creative learning experiences connecting Scratch's tools with Noggin's interactive learning environment.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Alice (CMU): Alice is a 3D block-based programming environment from Carnegie Mellon that, like Scratch, targets introductory programming for younger users. Both are university-developed, free tools designed to teach computational thinking through creative storytelling.

Direct peers

• CodeCombat: CodeCombat is a direct competitor in the kids-coding space, using game-based learning to teach text-based programming (Python, JavaScript) to students. While Scratch focuses on block-based visual coding, CodeCombat occupies an adjacent step in the same learning journey for school-aged users.
• Code.org: Code.org is a direct peer in the kids-coding-education space, also a nonprofit providing free coding curricula and the Hour of Code initiative. Both Scratch and Code.org share a free, mission-driven model and target K-12 students and educators with creative/introductory programming content.
• Hopscotch: Hopscotch is a direct competitor offering block-based programming for kids on iOS, targeting a similar age group (8-16) for creative game and story creation. Both platforms emphasize creative expression and community sharing as the core learning experience.
• Tynker: Tynker is a direct competitor in the online coding-for-kids space, offering block-based and text-based programming courses for ages 5-18. Both Scratch and Tynker target the same age cohorts with creative coding curricula, but Tynker is commercial with paid subscriptions and school-licensed offerings while Scratch is free.
• MIT App Inventor: MIT App Inventor is another MIT-developed block-based programming platform, but targeted at older users building mobile apps rather than young children creating stories and games. Both share MIT origin, visual block-based programming paradigm, and free accessibility.
• WhiteHat Jr: WhiteHat Jr is a direct competitor in the online coding-for-kids market, offering live 1:1 coding classes for children. It is cited alongside Scratch and Tynker as a major player in the projected USD 3.2B (2025) online coding for kids market.

Broad incumbents

• Khan Academy: Khan Academy is a comparable free, nonprofit educational platform offering K-12 content including introductory computer programming. Both platforms operate on a donation-funded nonprofit model and serve as default free learning resources for students and teachers globally.
• Codecademy: Codecademy is a broader coding education platform serving learners beyond Scratch's K-12 focus. While Scratch targets young creative learners, Codecademy extends the learning pipeline into text-based coding for older students and adults, making it a downstream comparable.
• Blockly (Google): Google's Blockly is a foundational block-based visual programming library that powers many kid-coding tools. While Scratch uses its own proprietary block system, Blockly underpins similar visual coding interfaces across the EdTech ecosystem, making it a technology-level peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ScratchTeam
• Xx.com/scratch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/try-it-out-computert

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Scratch