Bitsbox in 2026: plan prices, what is in the box and how to pay less

Can you still buy Bitsbox in October 2026?

Not clearly. On Oct 18, 2026, the front page of the Bitsbox store showed a Sold Out heading and the line that Bitsbox products are currently not available for purchase, with a pointer to the support page. The same store still lists subscription plans and one-time products with prices, so some checkout pages remain online.

Bitsbox has not posted an explanation that PickedBox could find, and there was no news coverage of a closure. The main site, bitsbox.com, is still up and says the coding website is free to use. If you want a box, contact Bitsbox through its support page or by phone at (720) 476-4030, the number in its terms, before paying, and confirm the order will ship.

What Bitsbox is

Bitsbox teaches kids to write real code by building small apps and games. It was started in 2014 in Boulder, Colorado, by two former Google employees, Scott Lininger and Aidan Chopra, after a Kickstarter campaign. The company says it is designed for ages 6 to 12 and that over a million kids have built apps on its site.

Kids type code on the Bitsbox website, which shows a virtual tablet on one side and the code on the other. Each monthly level adds a new computer science idea, and the language is a simplified form of JavaScript that moves toward standard JavaScript at higher levels. Finished apps can be opened on a phone or tablet by scanning a QR code. A parent does not need to know any code to help, according to the company.

Bitsbox plan prices: Digital, Basic and Premium

These are the prices on the Bitsbox store plan pages on Oct 18, 2026. Longer prepaid terms cost less per month. Basic and Premium add $6 a month for US shipping. Digital is sent by email with no shipping charge.

With shipping, a year of Basic costs $371.40 and a year of Premium $647.40. Shipping to Canada is $5 a month for Basic and $10 for Premium, and $8 or $18 to other countries, plus any import duties.

For homeschool families, Bitsbox lists level bundles delivered at once: Levels 1 to 12 for $299.95, Levels 1 to 24 for $499.95 and Levels 1 to 36 for $699.95. Levels 1 to 24 are cards, and Levels 25 to 36 are books.

What is in each Bitsbox

• Digital: 10 to 12 printable coding cards and a printable grownup guide.
• Basic: a Bitsbox binder, 10 to 12 coding cards, a grownup guide, stickers and a progress chart.
• Premium: everything in Basic plus premium coding support, extra sticker sheets, trading cards and temporary tattoos.

Each card is one app project. Early projects are only a few lines long, and later ones run to several dozen lines. Earlier boxes, such as the Welcome to the Future kit, came with a full-color activity book of about 22 projects and a small toy, such as a wooden CubeBot, tied to one of the apps. The current plan pages list cards in a binder instead of a book and do not mention a toy.

The store also sells extras on their own, such as an Expansion Pack for $14.99, Trading Cards for $4.99 and a Super Fan Pack for $19.99.

Bitsbox free trial, cancellation and refunds

Bitsbox does not offer a free trial of the boxes. The FAQ suggests a month-to-month plan as the way to try one box and cancel if your child does not like it. What is free is the website itself, where kids can code without a subscription.

The rules in the Bitsbox terms and FAQ:

• All plans renew automatically, including gift plans.
• To cancel renewal, update your account on bitsbox.com or call support at (720) 476-4030.
• Shipped boxes cannot be returned.
• If you cancel during a prepaid term, you still get the boxes already paid for, but there is no prorated refund for the rest of the term.

Because of that last rule, a 12-month prepay is only cheaper if your child keeps using it for most of the year. With the store showing a sold out notice, a long prepay carries more risk than usual.

How to pay less for Bitsbox

1. Start with the free website before paying for any plan.
2. Pick Digital if you have a printer. It costs $10 less than Basic each month and has no shipping fee, so a year saves $168 against Basic with shipping.
3. Prepay only after a month or two on the monthly plan. The 12-month Basic price saves $5 a month, but nothing is refunded if you stop early.
4. Join the Bitsbox email list on its home page, which says it sends deals and news.
5. Ask support about the sold out notice before you order, so you do not pay for boxes that may not ship.

Bitsbox alternatives: codeSpark, Scratch, Code.org and Tynker

• codeSpark: an app for ages 3 to 10, now sold through Begin Learning. Its plan page in October 2026 showed $15 a month with a 7-day free trial, or $90 a year (about $7.50 a month) with a 14-day free trial. It suits younger children who do not read well yet. Codes are on the codeSpark coupon page.
• Scratch: a free block-based coding tool run by the nonprofit Scratch Foundation. It needs only a browser.
• Code.org: free courses and Hour of Code activities used in many US schools, at code.org.
• Tynker: paid courses from blocks up to Python. The Tynker pricing page showed a family yearly plan at $180 ($15 a month) and a quarterly plan at $54 in October 2026, both marked as 40% off.

Scratch and Code.org cost nothing. codeSpark costs less per year than any Bitsbox plan, and Tynker's yearly plan costs less than Bitsbox Digital.

Who Bitsbox is for

Bitsbox fits a child of about 7 to 12 who reads well, likes typing, and enjoys getting something in the mail each month. Children who are 5 or 6, or who have not typed much, may do better with block coding in Scratch or codeSpark first. Because the store now shows a sold out notice, most families can start on the free Bitsbox website and add a paid alternative if the child wants more structure.

How we checked this

On Oct 18, 2026, PickedBox loaded bitsbox.com, the Bitsbox store with its plan and shop pages, the FAQ, terms of service and the homeschool page. The Tynker pricing page was loaded the same day. The codeSpark site blocked automated access, so its prices come from a search result snapshot of the Begin Learning plan page in October 2026. No subscription was bought and no product was used for this guide.

• Bitsbox home page
• Bitsbox store and plan prices
• Bitsbox FAQ
• Bitsbox terms of service
• Bitsbox for homeschool
• Begin Learning: codeSpark plan selection
• Tynker pricing for parents
• Scratch Foundation

How we test codes and what the labels mean: How we verify coupons.