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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Popsicle Sticks vs Pop Us!

Popsicle Sticks 4.6★ · Free + IAP 80
Winner Popsicle Sticks
Pop Us! 4.4★ · Free + IAP 40

Popsicle Sticks is the clear winner for its utility in educational settings, despite its paid features, while Pop Us! is plagued by an overwhelming number of ads.

Full reviews: Popsicle Sticks · Pop Us!

Popsicle Sticks offers valuable tools for teachers, including random student selection and grouping, though users frequently encounter paywalls for advanced features. Pop Us! is a simple, relaxing game, but its user experience is severely hampered by an excessive number of unskippable ads with no ad-free purchase option.

Head to head

Features edge: Popsicle SticksR2R5R17R20
Popsicle Sticks Popsicle Sticks is praised for its ability to randomly select students, create groups, and even manage class awards, with some users highlighting features like tournament mode and scored discussions R5R20. Teachers appreciate its utility for managing multiple classes and learning student names R2R17. However, some users report issues with specific features, such as the speaker option not working or students being left out of groups R21.
Pop Us! Pop Us! offers a simple, relaxing game experience centered around assembling and popping fidget toys . Users enjoy the core popping mechanic, but some find the game repetitive after a while and wish for more challenging puzzles or variety beyond just assembling and popping .
Ease of Use edge: Popsicle SticksR2R3R4R10
Popsicle Sticks Many users find Popsicle Sticks intuitive to set up and easy to learn . The import function for classes is generally easy, though some users report crashes with CSV imports R18R19. A significant recurring complaint is the difficulty in deleting or editing students and classes, with users finding the process unintuitive or impossible R2R3R4R10. There are also requests for better iPad interface, including landscape mode and split-screen support R18R47R49.
Pop Us! Pop Us! is generally considered easy to play, with its simple premise of assembling and popping fidgets . However, the user experience is severely degraded by constant ads, which interrupt gameplay every few seconds or after every action, making it difficult to enjoy or even play the game .
Reliability edge: Popsicle SticksR7R9R19R21
Popsicle Sticks Popsicle Sticks generally works well for its core functions like random selection and grouping . However, some users experience crashes during CSV import R19 or when trying to pick a random student . There are also reports of glitches, such as the app adding random people to groups R7 or leaving students out of groups R21. Multitasking functionality has also been noted to be inconsistent R9.
Pop Us! The primary reliability issue for Pop Us! is the constant interruption by ads, which makes the game feel unplayable for many R76. Beyond the ads, there are no significant reports of crashes or major bugs, though some users find the game slow .
Price/Value edge: Popsicle SticksR1R8R13R32
Popsicle Sticks Popsicle Sticks is a free app with in-app purchases, but many users feel it's a 'cash grab' or 'deceptive' because essential features like creating multiple classes, random groupings, or using scored discussions are quickly locked behind paywalls R1R8R13R32. Users report having to pay multiple times for different features, with costs adding up quickly . Some who paid for upgrades found them not working across devices or not including all features as expected .
Pop Us! Pop Us! is a free app, but its value is severely diminished by an overwhelming number of ads R63. Many users express frustration that there is no option to pay for an ad-free experience, even when they would be willing to do so R63R76R88R94. The ads are so frequent that they often last longer than gameplay R94.
Support tieR21R37R115
Popsicle Sticks One user reported an error when trying to get app support R21. However, another user praised the developer for being very responsive and helpful with a CSV file import question R37.
Pop Us! One user reached out to support regarding the ads and was told there was an option to buy an ad-free package, but they couldn't find it in the app R115. There are no other specific mentions of support interactions in the reviews.
Pick Popsicle Sticks if

You are a teacher looking for a robust tool to manage student selection, grouping, and classroom activities, and are willing to pay for its premium features to unlock full functionality R5R20.

Pick Pop Us! if

You are looking for a very simple, casual game to pop fidgets and are extremely tolerant of frequent, intrusive ads, or if you primarily want it for a young child who might not mind the interruptions as much .

Evidence note: Popsicle Sticks has a much smaller number of reviews compared to Pop Us!, which has over 135,000 ratings. The negative skew in recent reviews for Popsicle Sticks primarily concerns its aggressive in-app purchase model, while Pop Us!'s negativity is almost entirely due to excessive ads. The free-vs-paid asymmetry is very strong for Popsicle Sticks, where many negative reviews come from users hitting paywalls on the 'free' version, while positive reviews often come from users who have paid and found value. For Pop Us!, the 'free' experience is universally poor due to ads, with no paid ad-free option available.

Frequently asked

Is Popsicle Sticks truly free to use?
Popsicle Sticks is free to download, but many core features like creating more than one class, making more than a few random groupings, or using advanced discussion tools are locked behind in-app purchases, which some users find deceptive and costly R1R8R13R32.
Can I remove ads from Pop Us!?
No, despite users' willingness to pay for an ad-free experience, Pop Us! does not offer an option to remove ads, which appear constantly and significantly disrupt gameplay R63R76R88R94.
Does Popsicle Sticks support iPad features like split screen?
Popsicle Sticks currently lacks support for iPad features like landscape mode and split-screen or Slide Over, which users have requested to improve workflow, especially for those using it alongside other educational apps R18R47R49.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R2] Popsicle Sticks 4/5 · US Saves time: This is a great way to call random names and assign visibly random groups! I use it for multiple classes, and even selecting next class awards. I wish there was a way to delete names or class lists though.
  2. [R5] Popsicle Sticks 5/5 · US Love: I seriously love this app. It helps with picking students to call on, grouping and so much more! I never review apps, but I’ve had this one for a few years now and wanted people to know this one was worth every penny!
  3. [R17] Popsicle Sticks 5/5 · US Great for elementary music teachers: I teach elementary music on a cart, meaning I push in to 10 classes every day to teach them music. My time is split between two schools, meaning I teach music to around 700 kids every week. I put all their names in at the beginning of the school year. Not only am I able to randomly select kids to help me during each class, but it has also helped me to learn th
  4. [R20] Popsicle Sticks 5/5 · US Math Teacher: Love popsicle sticks to randomly select students for any activity. Also takes the stress away from placing students in groups, since popsicle sticks does it for you.
  5. [R3] Popsicle Sticks 3/5 · US Some drawbacks: The app is wonderful,however,it’s not user friendly when removing students and archiving classes. There’s no where to show to do that with the app.
  6. [R4] Popsicle Sticks 2/5 · US Problem deleting: Would be a great app if I could figure out how to delete the students that leave my class. If someone knows, please advise. Thanks
  7. [R10] Popsicle Sticks 2/5 · US Deleting Students from a Class: I like using this app, but every time a student leaves my class, I hate that it is more difficult to remove a student from a class than it is to add them. It is not an intuitive process. And today as I am trying to adjust classes at the beginning of the semester, I almost hate the app.
  8. [R7] Popsicle Sticks 1/5 · US Terrible App: Although it started off great I began using it too much and it ended up ruining my life because it would put people in groups that would ruin their grades and at my house we used it to separate chores. It also glitches and sometimes adds random people that you don't even know into groups. I hate this app and do not recommend using it for anything.
  9. [R9] Popsicle Sticks 3/5 · US Totally useful but hope a future update will enable it to work seamlessly in multitasking: The app is perfect for quickly pairing or grouping. It will make random groups and then you can slide around to make quick switches. Classic random selection is great,too! One last thing developer...I used to be able to use the app easily while multitasking. That is no longer so. It was so helpful to view bo
  10. [R19] Popsicle Sticks 2/5 · US Import glitches: I will update after I actually get to try the app. Right now I’m frustrated because the app keeps crashing during the import process. 2 classes worked fine, but the third list crashes the app as soon as I try to scroll and confirm the list. I’m annoyed so far & hope the experience improves. I’m off to type in 31 names….
  11. [R21] Popsicle Sticks 3/5 · US Please help: I tried to get app support but it said there was an error. I paid $5 for this app and I really like it, but every time I create group one or two students always get left out. I thought it might be because I had an odd number of kids, but today it left 3 students out of groups of 2. It could have made one more group of 2. Please fix.
  12. [R1] Popsicle Sticks 2/5 · US Good but: I like the app I like all the stuff but of course every app now have to have a premium or something to buy with and and you have to upgrade it to premium to get more than random groupings and to make more than one classes it’s really weird and I do not like it. That’s why I’m giving it two stars
  13. [R8] Popsicle Sticks 4/5 · US It’s great just I have one complaint: This is a great app just I was clicking on groups and it said I had reached my limit and I had to pay if I wanted to continue which was annoying but otherwise it is great!
  14. [R13] Popsicle Sticks 1/5 · US Cash Grab: I literally had gotten no actual use out of this app, but it has potential. So I put it to the test the first time, and bam, it refuses to create random groups until I pay it. I’ve got 11 girls learning soccer who need to be grouped and this app is extorting me in my minute of need. Cannot be trusted.
  15. [R32] Popsicle Sticks 1/5 · US Unusable: Every time I try to add one class it asks me if I want to upgrade to the paid version. Just a loop
  16. [R37] Popsicle Sticks 5/5 · US Great customer service.: Useful and fun app. Developer was very responsive in helping troubleshoot a .csv file import question. Thanks!
  17. [R115] Pop Us! 1/5 · US Ads: It is a good pop-it simulation I allow my kid to play, but there are SO MANY ADS. I reached out to support and they said there is an option to buy the package for no Ads, but where? There is nothing for me to get rid of them. Every time you complete the pop-it, there is an Ad. Not worth it. Better to find a different game at this rate.
  18. [R63] Pop Us! 3/5 · US Too many ads: Love the game but the ads are annoying. There needs to be an ad free option
  19. [R76] Pop Us! 1/5 · US Overbearing Ads: The game is cute and I like that but there are overbearing ads that you can’t get rid of. There is not an options to pay ad-free. There are adds that are in the middle of the screen and adds that pop up within 30 seconds of game play. I go through more ads than game time. Very disappointed when you try to play with your toddler
  20. [R88] Pop Us! 2/5 · US Too many ads: My son loves this game but is frustrated with the ads. If there was an ad free version I would buy it.
  21. [R94] Pop Us! 1/5 · US Too many ads and no ad free option: There is an ad every 10 seconds and no option to remove them. The ads last longer than gameplay
  22. [R18] Popsicle Sticks 3/5 · US Please include a better iPad interface: The import function is easy with multiple classes and it works well. The only issue I have is that I use this on a 12.9” iPad and it doesn’t support split screen or even landscape mode. I’d love to have this on 1/3 of the screen while I have another app open as well.
  23. [R47] Popsicle Sticks 4/5 · US Overall great app: Great app. I love using this in class. However, I wish I could rotate my iPad to use this app while laying horizontally.
  24. [R49] Popsicle Sticks 4/5 · US Feature Request: This app really needs to support Slide Over and/or Side-by-Side apps. I use goodnotes to teach with and I’m always in landscape mode. This would help my workflow tremendously.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store