MIT Scratch

Version3(as of 7/5/2023)
PlatformWeb
LicenseFreeware
CategoryProgramming
Go to Website
Rating:3.9  |  232 Votes

Main Features

  • Use block-based coding to create stories, games, and animations
  • Choose from a wealth of sprites, sounds, backdrops, and commands
  • Expand Scratch's functionality with default and custom extensions
  • Share your projects with a large online community

Software Overview

Screenshot of Scratch
Screenshot of Scratch

MIT Scratch is an online tool that children and other aspiring developers use to learn how to code. With Scratch, developers can create simple or complex stories, games, and animations, using a block-based, drag-and-drop interface. (Non-online versions of Scratch are also available.)

Scratch provides developers with a large library of sprites, which are cartoon images of animals, people, vehicles, and other objects. Developers can insert these sprites into their programs and make them move in various ways, either automatically or based on users' input.

For example, a Scratch developer could create an animated story that progresses whenever a user presses the spacebar. Or, they could create a complete video game, which includes sound effects and backdrops, tracks a user's score, and congratulates them upon completion. While being quite easy to use, Scratch contains a lot of depth, allowing users to develop nearly any simple program they can imagine.

After a developer finishes their Scratch project, they can share it with others via Scratch's vibrant online community. In Scratch's moderated online forums, developers from around the world post projects, ask each other for assistance, and share ideas about how to create ever more impressive Scratch programs.

Summary

Scratch is a fun, easy-to-use app that teaches kids and other novice developers the basics of programming. It is one of the most popular block-based coding apps, and with good reason. Scratch's simplicity, depth, and engaged online community make it an ideal choice for those who want to take the first steps toward becoming a programmer.

Primary File Type

file  icon.SB3Scratch 3.0 Project

Supported File Types

ExtensionFile Type
.SB3Scratch 3.0 Project
.SBScratch Project File
.SB2Scratch 2.0 Project File
.SCRATCHScratch 0.x Project
.SPRITEScratch Sprite File
.SPRITE2Scratch 2.0 Sprite File
.SPRITE3Scratch 3.0 Sprite File

Additional Related File Types

ExtensionFile Type
.CC3.SB3ClipCC Project
.JSONJavaScript Object Notation File
.PNGPortable Network Graphic
Updated 7/5/2023