KiwiCo vs CrunchLabs vs MEL Science: Which STEM Subscription

For most families, the choice comes down to age and subject. KiwiCo is the one to pick for a child under 8 or for siblings of different ages, because it runs eight lines from a baby crate to an adult one and still sells a plain monthly plan. CrunchLabs Build Box fits an 8- to 13-year-old who likes to build things that move, especially a Mark Rober fan. MEL Science fits a 10+ child who wants real chemistry and a parent who is ready to supervise with goggles on the table.

How do KiwiCo, CrunchLabs, and MEL Science compare side by side?

We read each maker’s pricing pages, help centers, and terms on Oct 7, 2026, and compared them with owner reports. ToyNoble’s reviews are researched from those sources; we did not test these boxes ourselves.

Bottom line: KiwiCo is the most flexible, CrunchLabs is the most focused on one kind of kid, and MEL is the only one built around a home chemistry lab.

Which ages does each subscription cover?

Age is the first filter, because each brand splits its range into lines and a box made for a 6-year-old will bore a 12-year-old. Here is every line we found, with the ages each maker lists.

Two details trip people up. CrunchLabs lists the Build Box as 8–13 in its menu, while its FAQ says the boxes are “designed for kids ages 8-12+.” Several older comparisons still call the Hack Pack 12+, but the current page says 14+. MEL also lists a Medicine line for 14+, which its help center says is sold out.

Bottom line: For a preschooler, only KiwiCo has a line. From 8 to 13, all three overlap, and the subject decides it. For 14+, it’s Hack Pack robots or KiwiCo’s Eureka Crate.

What does each one cost per box and per year?

Prices below are the makers’ listed prices when we checked in October 2026. KiwiCo’s line prices come from the plan data on our Kiwi Crate review; KiwiCo’s own pricing help article says plans “start at just $24 per month for most subscription lines.”

MEL says its annual plan gives “12 months of science for the price of 8,” but it only shows per-plan prices after you enter an email, so we can’t confirm the annual total. The $358.80 figure is our own math at the advertised from-price.

For a 6- to 9-year-old, the monthly build crate for 6- to 9-year-olds is the cheapest way to try a box, at $30 with no term. The cheapest per box over a year is also KiwiCo, at $24, but only if you prepay $288 and accept that a prepaid plan can’t be canceled partway.

Bottom line: Over a year, Kiwi Crate and Build Box land within about $40 of each other. The Hack Pack costs more per box, but each box is a full robot with a microcontroller.

What arrives in the box, and how long does a project last?

Contents of a Kiwi Crate spin art project, from ToyNoble’s product photos.

A KiwiCo crate holds the parts for one larger project or two smaller ones, plus an illustrated booklet. KiwiCo’s Kiwi Crate page promises “Instructions, ways to play & bonus challenges,” with videos and activity ideas online. The finished builds are mostly wood, cardboard, and small motors, and they are meant to be played with after the build.

A CrunchLabs Build Box holds one toy and unlocks a Mark Rober video. The FAQ says each toy takes “an average 30-60 minutes for an 8-12 year old,” and that batteries are included. Past boxes on the page include a disc launcher, a coin spinner, a domino catapult, and a boomerang car, each built around one engineering idea such as a flywheel or a ratchet.

The Hack Pack is a step up: each box is a programmable robot with an Arduino microcontroller. CrunchLabs says the robots “will work right out of the box,” and a laptop is needed only if your teen wants to change the code. The maker estimates about 60 minutes per robot build.

MEL Chemistry sends a starter kit with the first order, which MEL says has “all the tools and safety equipment required.” After that, each set has 2–3 experiments, with “enough reagents to perform the experiments at least twice.” Some sets ask for household extras like fruit, milk, or AAA batteries.

Why pay for building at all, when a book or video covers the same ideas? A University of Chicago study led by psychologist Sian Beilock found that students who physically experience scientific concepts understand them more deeply. Beilock put it this way: “Reading about a concept in a textbook or even seeing a demonstration in class is not the same as physically experiencing what you are learning about.” The study used college students, so treat it as a reason to build, not a promise about grades.

Bottom line: KiwiCo and CrunchLabs send a toy to build and keep. MEL sends lab supplies, so the value sits in the experiments, not in a toy on the shelf afterward.

How much adult help and screen time does each need?

The MEL Chemistry starter kit, from ToyNoble’s product photos.

Chemistry needs the most adult time by a wide margin. MEL’s terms say the course is for children “NOT YOUNGER THAN TEN (10) years old,” and they add: “Use only under adult supervision.” They also say: “Always wear eye protection safety goggles while using the Product.” MEL states its kits comply with ASTM F963 and the CPSC requirements for educational sets.

Pediatricians set a higher bar. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ toy-buying guidance on HealthyChildren.org says: “Avoid hobby kits and chemistry sets for any child younger than 12 years.” That leaves a gap between MEL’s 10+ rating and the AAP’s under-12 caution. If your child is 10 or 11, plan to run every experiment together and read each container’s warning first.

KiwiCo’s younger lines also need a grown-up nearby. The Koala Crate review on ToyNoble notes that projects need some adult help at ages 3 to 6, and the Panda Crate covers babies under 3. The CPSC’s guidance on small parts explains why that matters: products for children under 3 that present a choking hazard because of small parts are banned. Keep an older sibling’s crate parts away from a toddler.

Screen time differs too. A Build Box video is optional; CrunchLabs says “you don’t need the video episode to complete the build.” MEL leans on its app, and the MEL Math boxes are paperless, with instructions “available in the MEL Science app only.” KiwiCo’s booklets work offline.

Bottom line: Plan on a supervised session for every MEL Chemistry set. A 10-year-old can run most Build Box and Tinker Crate projects alone after the first few.

How easy is it to cancel, pause, or return?

This is where the three differ most, and it’s what most parents in owner threads complain about. All three renew automatically.

KiwiCo’s cancellation help page adds that cancellations after the renewal date “will not be eligible for a refund for that billing period.” CrunchLabs’ refund policy says subscription Creative Kits, Build Boxes, and Hack Packs “are not eligible for returns or refunds (with the exception of EU customers*).”

MEL’s written terms and its help center disagree on defects. The terms say to report a defect the day the kit arrives, while the help center asks for requests “within 4 weeks of receiving your shipment.” Report any problem the day the box arrives to be covered either way.

Bottom line: Put the renewal date in your calendar the day you subscribe. If you want to try one box with no commitment, KiwiCo and MEL allow a monthly plan; CrunchLabs does not.

What do families say after a few months?

We read owner threads on Reddit and one media review. Reddit was rate-limiting on Oct 7, so for most threads we could read the original post but not the replies.

The most detailed owner report came from an r/Parenting thread comparing KiwiCo, CrunchLabs, and Science4you. The parent had used KiwiCo for a year and CrunchLabs for three months. They liked KiwiCo’s kits, but wrote that “the biggest problem was that they didn’t provide more than 1 hour of entertainment.” CrunchLabs kits seemed “more solid than Kiwico,” though one jammed: “There were 2 good kits and 1 that went wrong.”

Age floors decide a lot of these choices. In an r/SubscriptionBoxes thread about a lost KiwiCo crate, a parent explained they chose KiwiCo because their 5-year-old was too young for the Build Box. Two commenters pointed out that CrunchLabs now has a box for younger kids, which matches the Creative Kit for ages 6–10. Commenters blamed the carrier, not KiwiCo, for the lost box.

A US media review leaned positive on CrunchLabs. Writing for Reviewed, parent Sarah Bregel said her 9-year-old would often pick the Build Box over screens without being asked; that review is from 2024, so its prices are out of date. In an r/daddit thread on STEM kits, a UK father weighed CrunchLabs’ yearly cost against KiwiCo’s per-crate price, which is the same math our price table does.

We found no MEL Science owner threads we could read that day, so we can’t report owner views on MEL. Two r/homeschool and r/NewParents posts comparing KiwiCo and CrunchLabs were posted a day apart with near-identical wording, so we treat them only as a sign of what parents ask: how much parent help a box needs and whether a child stays interested.

Time spent building has value beyond the finished toy. Pediatrician Michael Yogman, lead author of the AAP’s report on play, writes on HealthyChildren.org that “play helps with language, math and social skills, and even helps children cope with stress.”

Bottom line: Expect an hour or two of focused building per box, not weeks of play. Owners rate CrunchLabs builds as sturdier, and KiwiCo wins on age range.

Which subscription fits your child?

Use these profiles as a shortcut. Each one names the line we would start with and the reason.

A 3- to 5-year-old who likes crafts and stories

Start with KiwiCo’s monthly box for ages 3 to 6, at $30 a crate on the monthly plan. It includes a storybook and simple builds. Neither CrunchLabs nor MEL has a line for this age.

A 6- to 8-year-old who wants a new thing to make each month

Kiwi Crate gives the most variety, mixing science and art. The CrunchLabs Creative Kit (6–10) is a newer option built around a toy and an animal friend, with builds that take 30 to 60 minutes. MEL STEM (5+) suits a child who likes reusable wooden models and an app lesson.

An 8- to 12-year-old who likes things that launch, spin, or crash

This is CrunchLabs’ core audience. The Mark Rober build box for ages 8 to 13 runs $27.45 to $32.95 a box. KiwiCo’s engineering crate for ages 9 to 12 is the closest match at $30 a single crate and is easier to stop after a month.

A 10- to 13-year-old who asks “what happens if we mix these?”

MEL Chemistry, with a parent at the table. Our notes on MEL’s chemistry subscription cover the starter kit and age rating. If the child is under 12, read the AAP’s caution above and keep sessions supervised.

A teen who wants to code

The Arduino robot subscription for teens is the only one of the three built around coding, at $66.65 to $79.95 per robot. It needs a Mac, Windows, or Chromebook computer to edit code.

Siblings of different ages

KiwiCo lets you switch lines or age ranges and runs a crate line for nearly every age, so one account can cover a preschooler and a 10-year-old. We keep more side-by-side toy comparisons like this one for other brand matchups.

STEM · 3–6

KiwiCo Koala Crate

Best for: Monthly hands-on projects for ages 3 to 6

Researched

$30

Subscription · 8–13

CrunchLabs Build Box

Best for: Young engineers aged 8 to 13 who like Mark Rober

Researched

$29.95

Subscription · 10+

MEL Science MEL Chemistry Subscription

Best for: Kids aged 10+ who want hands-on chemistry

Researched

$29.90

Bottom line: Match the line to the age first, then the subject. When in doubt between KiwiCo and CrunchLabs for an 8- to 12-year-old, pick the one whose sample builds made your child say “can we do that?”

What if you want one kit and no subscription?

A subscription suits a child who is still sampling. Once one interest is clear, a single kit can go deeper for less. Our guide on how to choose a STEM kit covers the cost-per-month math. These single kits on ToyNoble line up with each brand’s subjects.

The Chem C1000 is a one-time lab kit, so it suits a family that wants chemistry without a monthly charge; it carries the same need for adult supervision. See all of our STEM kit picks for more single kits by age.

STEM · 7+

KiwiCo Marble Roller Coaster

Best for: Builders aged 7+ who like marble runs

Researched

$49.95

STEM · 10+

Thames & Kosmos Chem C1000 V 2.1 640119

Best for: Kids aged 10+ ready for real lab chemistry

Researched

$59.95

STEM · 8+

Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100

Best for: Kids aged 8+ curious about how circuits work

Researched

$52.99

Bottom line: Use a subscription to find the interest, then switch to a single kit that goes deeper. One kit at $50 to $60 often outlasts two months of boxes.

FAQs

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