AppShed
AppShed Limited is a London-based educational technology company that operates a web-based platform enabling teachers and students to build mobile apps, HTML5 games, and IoT projects via a progressive no-code to JavaScript learning path, serving primarily UK and US K-12 schools via tiered subscriptions and a ComputerXplorers channel partnership.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What AppShed does
AppShed Limited is a privately held UK educational technology company founded in 2010 and headquartered at 74 Great Eastern Street, London. The company operates a web-based platform that enables teachers and students to build mobile apps, HTML5 games, and IoT/robotics projects through a progressive coding path that begins with no-code content apps, advances to Blockly visual programming, and culminates in text-based JavaScript and HTML/CSS editing. Core technology stacks include Google's Blockly, the Phaser.io HTML5 game engine, an ESP-8266-based proprietary IoT board with open-source firmware, and an MIT-licensed extensions API on GitHub. Supporting products include the AppShed Academy course platform, an EDU management dashboard with student moderation, the AppShed Launcher and Creator Android apps, and AppBuddy, an AI-powered text assistant launched in December 2024 for user guidance.
AppShed monetizes primarily through tiered annual subscriptions: a free Starter tier, a £25/year Home tier for up to three homeschool users, school EDU tiers priced £180–£380/year depending on level and seat capacity, a £2,000/year business/university tier, and a £999/year ComputerXplorers CXA App Academy bundle that bundles licenses with PPA cover, after-school clubs, and holiday camps. The go-to-motion blends product-led growth (freemium, 14-day trials, no credit card required) with community-led outreach (Masterclasses, teacher networks, forum) and a notable channel partnership with ComputerXplorers, whose 18 UK and 6 international franchise operations teach over 4,500 students per week.
The company serves K-12 schools (primary and secondary) as the primary vertical, with secondary segments in higher education, homeschool families, individual learners, and corporate training. Operating geographies are the United Kingdom and United States, with indirect reach to 24 countries via the ComputerXplorers channel. AppShed is GDPR-compliant, has no disclosed external funding beyond a 2011 Charlotte Street Capital seed round, and operates with 1–10 employees, indicating a bootstrapped, capital-efficient model.
AppShed firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AppShed
- Legal name
- AppShed Limited
- Website
- https://appshed.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- AppShed Limited is a London-based educational technology company that operates a web-based platform enabling teachers and students to build mobile apps, HTML5 games, and IoT projects via a progressive no-code to JavaScript learning path, serving primarily UK and US K-12 schools via tiered subscriptions and a ComputerXplorers channel partnership.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AppShed industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Coding Education Software
- NAICS
- Computer Training (61142), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Special Needs Skill-Building & Therapy Learning Apps (Autism, OT/PT, Life Skills) (EDAFAKAJ)
Keywords
Where AppShed is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
AppShed business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription Licenses: Annual subscription-based licensing for schools and individuals with tiered pricing based on school type and user count.
- Training Sessions: ComputerXplorers partnership includes AppShed training sessions delivered as PPA cover, after-school clubs, and holiday camps.
- IoT Hardware Kits: Partners sell pre-made IoT kits for AppShed IoT board projects for makers and educators.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Starter - Free individual account for learners |
| Subscription | Annual | Home - For homeschool families |
| Subscription | Annual | Primary Schools EDU |
| Subscription | Annual | Secondary Schools EDU |
| Subscription | Annual | Higher Education EDU |
| Subscription | Annual | Business/University Account |
| Subscription | Annual | ComputerXplorers CXA App Academy |
| Subscription | Monthly | Individual Monthly |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
AppShed product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AppShed is a web-based educational platform that lets teachers and students build mobile apps, HTML5 games, and IoT/robotics projects through a progressive pathway from no-code drag-and-drop content apps to Blockly visual coding and JavaScript text coding. It includes a teacher management dashboard, curriculum-aligned courses, an AI assistant (AppBuddy), and a channel partnership (ComputerXplorers) for in-school delivery of computing lessons in UK schools.
Product overview
AppShed is an educational platform for teaching coding, app building, game making, and IoT/robotics. The core product is AppBuilder, a no-code/moderate-code app development platform. Users progress from drag-and-drop content apps to visual Blockly coding to JavaScript text coding. Game Maker (powered by Phaser.io) adds HTML5 game creation capabilities. IoT Builder enables control of electronics and robotics via an ESP-8266-based board. The AppShed EDU account tier adds school management tools including dashboards, courses, lesson plans, and Master Class training. AppBuddy is an AI-powered assistant for guidance. The platform offers mobile apps (AppShed Launcher and AppShed Creator for Android), open-source libraries, and integration with external content sources (Google Docs, YouTube, Facebook).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- App Builder A no-code drag-and-drop app builder that allows students and teachers to create mobile apps and supports progression from content apps to Blockly visual coding to JavaScript text coding. Designed for use in classrooms by non-specialist teachers and self-directed learners.
- Game Maker An HTML5 game creation platform built on the Phaser.io JavaScript game engine, allowing students to build mobile-friendly games with objects, events, actions, and collisions. Targeted at educators teaching computational thinking.
- IoT Builder A tool for building apps that control electronics and robotics projects via the AppShed IoT board (ESP-8266 microcontroller with open-source firmware). Supports inputs (buttons, sensors) and outputs (motors, servos).
- AppShed EDU A school account product providing a management dashboard, EDU-only lesson plans, pre-built templates, asset library, courses, and one-on-one teacher training and support. Designed for teachers managing multiple student accounts in school settings.
- AppShed Academy A purpose-built course platform covering App Builder, Game Maker, IoT/Robotics, Coding, HTML & CSS, and Data Representation topics through step-by-step lessons.
- AppShed Launcher A native Android app used to launch web apps inside a native app shell, enabling access to restricted native libraries and features.
- AppShed Creator An Android app that allows users to create apps on mobile devices, working offline and built with open source code.
- Master Class A dedicated, subject-specific training session delivered via video conference to EDU account schools, covering AppShed features and classroom integration.
- AppBuddy An AI-powered virtual assistant trained specifically on AppShed content, providing app-building guidance, quick FAQs, and account help. Optional for EDU students with teacher/admin disable controls.
- AppShed Open Source Libraries MIT-licensed open source code libraries including the extensions API, the app.js JavaScript library, and the PHP library for building Remote screens.
Quantifiable outcome
- Students can publish a working app within a single lesson
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use AppShed
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
AppShed technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability2 records
Feature6 records
AppShed partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ComputerXplorersnotablePartnership with award-winning technology education provider since 2006. Launched CXA App Academy programme teaching students app creation from graphic design to coding. Delivered as PPA cover, after-school clubs, and summer holiday camps aligned to national curricula. ComputerXplorers network of 18 UK and 6 international franchise operations teaches over 4,500 students per week. Includes 3 training sessions, termly plans, support, and AppShed license at £999.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
AppShed competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Scratch (MIT Media Lab): Block-based visual coding platform widely used in K-12 classrooms. Direct competitor to AppShed's Blockly-based programming environment, with a much larger global community and free price point.
- Tynker: Subscription-based K-12 coding platform with block coding, JavaScript and Python tracks. Competes head-to-head with AppShed in school licensing and self-paced learning tiers.
- Thunkable: No-code mobile app building platform with drag-and-drop UI and publishing to iOS/Android. Comparable product to AppShed's App Builder, though more SMB/creator focused and less K-12 oriented.
- MIT App Inventor: MIT's no-code/low-code mobile app builder for students. Closest direct peer to AppShed's App Builder, sharing a block-based coding paradigm and app-publishing workflow.
Emerging players
- micro:bit Educational Foundation: Provider of microcontroller hardware and classroom CS curriculum. Comparable to AppShed's IoT Builder on combining a programmable board with school-friendly lesson content.
- Kodable: K-5 coding curriculum with teacher dashboard and lesson plans. Competes with AppShed Primary tier on age-appropriate block coding, lesson plans and classroom management.
- Hopscotch: iPad-first block-coding app for kids that publishes to app stores. Comparable to AppShed's tablet/Blockly path and AppShed Launcher model.
Broad incumbents
- Code.org: Large non-profit CS education provider offering free K-12 curricula, Hour of Code and teacher resources. A well-funded incumbent that competes for the same UK and US school CS curriculum dollars.
- Codecademy: Subscription-based online coding school covering web development, JavaScript, Python and more. A broader incumbent competing for AppShed's Higher Ed, Business and individual learner tiers.
- GameMaker (YoYo Games): Established 2D game engine and IDE used in education and indie development. Overlaps with AppShed's Game Maker (Phaser.io) product on game creation curricula for schools.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
AppShed social profiles
Digital presenceAppShed compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
AppShed financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AppShed leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
AppShed funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AppShed M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AppShed
What does AppShed do?
AppShed is a web-based educational platform that lets teachers and students build mobile apps, HTML5 games, and IoT/robotics projects through a progressive pathway from no-code drag-and-drop content apps to Blockly visual coding and JavaScript text coding. It includes a teacher management dashboard, curriculum-aligned courses, an AI assistant (AppBuddy), and a channel partnership (ComputerXplorers) for in-school delivery of computing lessons in UK schools.
Is AppShed a public or private company?
AppShed is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was AppShed founded?
AppShed was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is AppShed based?
AppShed is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does AppShed make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription Licenses are the primary driver. The others are training Sessions and ioT Hardware Kits.
Who are AppShed's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Scratch (MIT Media Lab), Tynker, Thunkable and MIT App Inventor. Emerging players are micro:bit Educational Foundation, Kodable and Hopscotch. Broad incumbents are Code.org, Codecademy and GameMaker (YoYo Games).
Does AppShed have an API?
No public API is recorded for AppShed.
What industry is AppShed in?
AppShed's product category is Coding Education Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAKAJ, Special Needs Skill-Building & Therapy Learning Apps (Autism, OT/PT, Life Skills). Its NAICS code is 61142 and its SIC code is 7372.