Is Glitch actually free?

Yes, there is a very generous free tier that lets you build and host apps. However, free apps 'go to sleep' if they aren't visited for a while, and all your code is public. If you want private projects or 'always-on' apps, you'll need to pay for a Pro subscription.

Can my kid build a game on Glitch?

Absolutely. It's a popular place for building browser-based games using libraries like Phaser or A-Frame (for VR). Since it's full-stack, they can even build multiplayer games with persistent high scores.

How does it compare to Scratch?

Scratch is a 'walled garden' using blocks for kids 8-12. Glitch is the 'open field' using text-based code for 13+. Scratch is about learning logic; Glitch is about learning the actual tools of the modern internet.

What happens if my kid sees something inappropriate?

Glitch has a 'Report' feature on every project. Because it's a developer tool, 'inappropriate' usually means malware or spam, but you can report content that violates their terms of service. There is no automated filter for 'kid-safe' content, though.

Glitch – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Glitch

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

Website2017

75%

WISE Score

The 'Google Docs of coding' where teens can build real web apps, provided they're ready for the uncurated reality of the open internet.

Glitch

Website

2017

75%

WISE Score

The 'Google Docs of coding' where teens can build real web apps, provided they're ready for the uncurated reality of the open internet.

Jump to

Screenwise Verdict

Glitch is where the training wheels come off. It’s a brilliant, high-powered environment for teens who are serious about web development and want to move beyond the walled gardens of educational apps. It’s essentially a social network for code, which makes it incredibly inspiring but also inherently uncurated.

If your kid is under 13, look at Tynker or Scratch. But for a 14-year-old who wants to build a custom Discord bot or a personal portfolio, Glitch is the gold standard. Just be aware that it’s a professional environment, not a playground—treat it with the same level of supervision you'd give to any open social platform.

Age Fit

Strictly for 13 and up. It's a professional tool for people who have graduated from block-based coding and want to build 'real' things on the web. It's too open-ended and unmoderated for anyone younger.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

It's a neutral, professional-grade tool. It doesn't push an agenda or a specific tone, but it fosters a community of makers and 'remixers' that values collaboration and open-source learning.

Imaginative

This is a blank canvas for the internet. The ability to 'remix' any project means kids can see how things work and immediately change them. It's the ultimate 'what if' playground for digital creators.

Safe

Glitch explicitly bans users under 13 and hosts uncurated, user-generated web content. While they hunt for phishing and malware, they aren't scanning for 'kid-safe' imagery or language. It's the open web with the safety off.

Enriching

This isn't 'coding for kids' with blocks; it's real-world full-stack development. A teen who masters Glitch is building actual career skills in JavaScript, Node.js, and web architecture.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Instant deployment means kids see their code live on the web immediately, which is a massive hit of dopamine for a learner.
The Remix button is the best learning tool in tech—it lets you clone someone else's working app and start tinkering with the guts.
It moves kids past 'toy' languages like Scratch and into real-world JavaScript and Node.js, the stuff actual engineers use.
The collaborative editor allows two people to code in the same file at once, making it perfect for remote 'pair programming' with a mentor or friend.

⚠

What to Watch For

No 'Kids Mode' exists. If someone builds a site with mature language or graphic content, it's just a click away on the community feed.
The 13+ hard line in their TOS isn't just a suggestion; they will nukes accounts if they find out a kid is younger, so don't have them lie about their age.
Public by default. Unless you pay for a Pro account, every line of code your kid writes is visible to the world, which can be a privacy concern if they hard-code personal info.
Search results for 'Glitch' are often dominated by an Australian paranormal TV show, so make sure they're actually landing on the dev platform.

Conversation Starters

"What's one thing on the internet you wish you could change or improve?"
"If you remixed someone else's code, do you feel like you still 'own' the project you made?"
"Why do you think a site like this has a strict 13+ age limit compared to something like Scratch?"
"What are the pros and cons of having your code be public for anyone to see?"

Deep Dive

From Scratch to the Real World

Most 'coding for kids' platforms feel like toys. They use colorful blocks and stay confined to a specific app. Glitch is different because it’s a hosting provider as much as it is a code editor. When a kid builds something here, they aren't just making a 'project'—they are launching a live website with a URL they can send to their friends. That shift from 'playing' to 'publishing' is a huge developmental milestone for young creators.

The Power of the Remix

The genius of Glitch is the 'Remix' button. In the old days, if you wanted to learn how a website worked, you had to 'View Source' and try to copy-paste it into a local file. Glitch makes this a one-click process. A kid can find a cool music visualizer, remix it, change the colors and the logic, and suddenly they've learned more in ten minutes of tinkering than they would have in an hour of a dry tutorial.

The Safety Trade-off

Because Glitch is built for the developer community at large, it doesn't have the 'safety rails' parents might be used to. There are no profanity filters on the projects and no 'Safe Search' for the community gallery. It’s a reflection of the internet itself. For a mature teen, this is a feature—they get to join the real dev community. For a younger child, it's a liability.

If you're using this in a family setting, the move is to code together. Glitch’s collaborative features mean you can be in the same file from your own laptop, helping them debug or talking through the ethics of what they're building. It’s a great way to transition from 'parental control' to 'parental mentorship.'

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