Content related to an app for children. Aggregated from public sources for informational purposes only. Parents and guardians are responsible for verifying suitability. .

Report updated Apr 17, 2026

PROGRAMMING ZEMI is an established education app that is completely free. With a 2.6/5 rating from 5 reviews, it shows polarized user reception.

What is PROGRAMMING ZEMI?

PROGRAMMING ZEMI is a free, block-based coding app for elementary students developed by DeNA. It distinguishes itself through a unique 'Doodle Animation' feature and a major licensed collaboration with Sonic the Hedgehog. Despite its high-quality creative tools and classroom-vetted design, it suffers from low visibility and a poor 2.6-star rating on iOS.

Current Momentum

v1.14

- Fixed bugs

Active Nemesis

Tynker Junior: Coding for Kids

Tynker Junior: Coding for Kids

By Tynker

Other Rivals

Kodable Basics
ScratchJr
codeSpark - Coding for Kids
Hopscotch
Swift Playground
Code Land: Coding for Kids
OctoStudio: Create-Code-Learn

7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸

Education

No ranking data

EducationGrossing

Rating Pulse 🇺🇸

What makes this app unique?

What Does It Look Like?

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What Are The Key Features?

Doodle AnimationDifferentiator

Allows children to take photos of their own drawings and animate them within their programs.

Sonic the Hedgehog CollaborationDifferentiator

Limited-time integration of 54 characters, 16 backdrops, and 5 music tracks from SEGA.

Visual Block-Based CodingStandard

Standardized drag-and-drop programming interface for pre-readers and early learners.

Social Sharing & CollaborationDifferentiator

A gallery system for sharing work and remixing programs created by peers.

How much does it cost?

Free
  • Completely free to use

The app is likely a CSR or brand-building tool for DeNA, removing all financial friction for users but lacking a direct monetization path.

Who Built It?

DeNA Co., Ltd. app icon 1
DeNA Co., Ltd. app icon 2
DeNA Co., Ltd. app icon 3
DeNA Co., Ltd. app icon 4

DeNA Co.

(527.3K)

Bridging physical entertainment and digital engagement through high-profile IP collaborations and location-based AR companion tools.

Portfolio

8

Apps

Free 7
Entertainment29%
ソーシャルネットワーキング14%
Games14%

What other apps does DeNA Co. make?

Pococha Live

Pococha Live

ソーシャルネットワーキング
EDGE POKER (エッジポーカー)

EDGE POKER (エッジポーカー)

App
FINAL FANTASY Record Keeper

FINAL FANTASY Record Keeper

App
Pokémon Masters EX

Pokémon Masters EX

Games·4.2(527.3K)
View Intel →
Wonderia

Wonderia

Entertainment·5.0(1)
View Intel →
アルプラ

アルプラ

Entertainment
View Intel →

Explore the full DeNA Co. report

Portfolio breakdown, audience, momentum, and every app published by DeNA Co..

Go deeper

What is the competitive landscape for PROGRAMMING ZEMI?

How's The Education Market?

How does it evolve in the Education market?

Rank progression

1 active ranking tracked — 30-day window

The rivals identified

The outtake for PROGRAMMING ZEMI

Strengths to defend, gaps to attack

Core Strengths

  • Sonic the Hedgehog IP integration
  • Unique Doodle Animation feature
  • Completely free with no IAP
  • Classroom-tested pedagogical foundation

Critical Frictions

  • Low iOS rating (2.6 stars)
  • Very low review volume (5 ratings)
  • Limited marketing/social media presence
  • Time-limited nature of key IP content

Growth Levers

  • Develop a teacher dashboard to compete with Kodable
  • Add a 'Game Maker' mode to match codeSpark's engagement
  • Expand to more gaming IP collaborations via DeNA's network

Market Threats

  • ScratchJr's dominance in global school curricula
  • New mobile-first competition from MIT's OctoStudio
  • High-budget marketing from BYJU'S (Tynker)

What are the next best moves?

high

Conduct a technical audit of the iOS build to identify causes of the 2.6-star rating.

A 2.6 rating is a significant churn risk and prevents App Store featuring, regardless of feature quality.

medium

Launch a user acquisition campaign centered on the Sonic the Hedgehog content before the 2027 expiration.

The Sonic license is a high-value differentiator that is currently underutilized given the low rating count.

medium

Evaluate the addition of a 'Game Maker' mode.

Competitor codeSpark uses this feature to drive significantly higher retention and community content generation.

Feature Gaps vs Competitors

  • Game Maker mode (available in codeSpark)
  • Narrative-driven missions (available in Tynker Junior)
  • Teacher dashboard for classroom management (available in Kodable)
  • AR/3D integration (available in Swift Playgrounds)

Key Takeaways

PROGRAMMING ZEMI has a strong creative hook with its Doodle Animation and Sonic IP, but it is currently failing to achieve market scale. If I were the PM, I would prioritize fixing the technical issues causing the 2.6-star rating and then aggressively market the Sonic collaboration to schools as a free, high-quality alternative to ScratchJr.

Where Is It Heading?

Stable

v1.14.13 updated in March 2026 — indicates the app is in active development, not maintenance mode.

Sonic collaboration secured until March 2027 — provides a clear content runway for the next year.

Extremely low rating volume (5) despite being on the store since 2017 — suggests stagnant growth.

Disclosure: Independent intel to help mobile builders succeed.

AI-powered analysis with editorial review, built from publicly available sources. Marlvel.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by PROGRAMMING ZEMI, its developer, the app publisher, Apple, or Google Play. All trademarks, logos, and screenshots referenced remain the property of their respective owners.

Cite this report

Marlvel.ai. “PROGRAMMING ZEMI Intelligence Report.” Updated Apr 17, 2026. https://marlvel.ai/apps/programming-zemi

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