The reference box
What CrunchLabs costs and includes
CrunchLabs is Mark Rober’s toy company, and its Build Box is the subscription compared here. Each month brings one build-it-yourself toy designed around a single engineering idea, like the flywheel in the Disc Launcher or the ratchet in the Coin Spinner. Every part comes in the box, batteries included, and kids build from a booklet and a Mark Rober video episode. CrunchLabs puts a typical build at 30 to 60 minutes.
- Ages
- 8–13 on the CrunchLabs site (its help center says 8–12+). Creative Kit covers ages 6–10, and Hack Pack, a programmable Arduino robot every other month, is for 14 and up.
- Price and billing
- $32.95 a box on the 3-month plan, billed $98.85 every three months. An annual plan costs $29.95 a month, or $27.45 a box if you prepay the year ($329.40). There’s no month-to-month plan, and annual plans can’t be canceled early.
- Delivery
- Monthly. US shipping is $2.95 a box, free on the annual prepay. Build Box also ships to Canada, the UK, Australia, and about 40 other countries, with shipping shown at checkout.
- Buying one box
- Not an option. CrunchLabs sells Build Boxes by subscription only.
- On Cratejoy
- No. CrunchLabs sells direct at crunchlabs.com, and none of the boxes below are CrunchLabs products.
Compare the boxes
| Box | Best fit | Cost and commitment | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|
| CrunchLabs Build Box Reference box |
Ages 8–13, one engineered toy and a Mark Rober video | About $33 a box on the 3-month plan. No month-to-month option. | Monthly. $2.95 US shipping, and it ships to Canada. |
| STEM Discovery Boxes | Three projects a month, ages 7 and up | $35 a box month to month. | Monthly. First box ships in 1–3 business days. |
| GIGIL STEM Kits | A teacher’s video lesson, grades 2–5 | About $45 a box month to month. | Ships on the 10th each month. |
| Kitsville | Lowest price, ages 9–12 or 6–8 | $20 a box month to month. | Around the 1st each month. US only. |
| “Build It” Craft & Activity Box | A single gift box, ages 8 and up | About $34, one time. No subscription. | Ships once, from Canada. |
| Curiosity Box | Teens and adults, ages 12 and up | About $350 prepaid for four boxes a year. | Every three months, from the US. |
| KiwiCo Tinker Crate | Month-to-month engineering builds, ages 9–12 | $30 a crate month to month, cancel anytime. | Monthly. Sold direct, not on Cratejoy. |
STEM Discovery Boxes, GIGIL, and Kitsville also offer 3-, 6-, and 12-month prepay plans that lower the price per box.
The alternatives
More projects, no annual plan
STEM Discovery Boxes vs CrunchLabs
Best for: A 7- to 12-year-old who would happily build three things a month, in a family that would rather not sign up for a year.
Three projects arrive each month instead of one, drawn from electronics, chemistry, physics, coding, and hydraulics, with every supply in the box. The seller lists ages 7 through the teen years, or grades 2–8.
What feels familiar
Everything needed for the month’s projects is inside, so a kid can open the box and start. Engineering and physics come up often in the mix.
What changes
Three smaller projects replace one bigger toy, and chemistry experiments sit beside the builds. No video comes with the box. The monthly plan renews until you cancel, so there’s no year to sign up for.
A video lesson with every box
GIGIL STEM Kits vs CrunchLabs
Best for: A second- to fifth-grader who follows a project better when someone on screen explains the idea first.
Each GIGIL box holds up to five hands-on experiments and activities on one theme, such as outer space or human anatomy, and unlocks one pre-recorded lesson taught by a California-credentialed teacher. Choose the PreK–1st grade or 2nd–5th grade box.
What feels familiar
A video made for the month’s box, the job Mark Rober’s episode does in a Build Box.
What changes
A classroom teacher gives the lesson, and the box leans toward experiments and activities over one mechanical toy. It suits the younger end of the CrunchLabs range best. Boxes ship on the 10th.
The lowest price
Kitsville vs CrunchLabs
Best for: A family that wants a monthly build on a tighter budget, with a box for ages 9–12 or 6–8.
Alicorn, a small business in Maryland, sends one to three mystery DIY and maker projects a month, with the materials, tools, and step-by-step instructions to finish each one.
What feels familiar
A surprise build every month that arrives complete, tools included, for the same 9–12 range CrunchLabs aims at.
What changes
At $20 a month, or $14 a box on a 12-month prepay, it costs less than any CrunchLabs plan. Expect smaller maker projects in place of one engineered toy. Kitsville ships within the US only.
One box to give
“Build It” Craft & Activity Box vs CrunchLabs
Best for: A birthday or holiday gift for a kid 8 or older, with no subscription to manage afterward.
The Curated Hive’s Build It box holds three wooden projects, including a birdhouse and an airplane. It’s a single purchase, and the seller pitches it as a parent-and-kid project.
What feels familiar
Parts, instructions, and something an 8-year-old can build and keep, for about the price of one CrunchLabs box.
What changes
CrunchLabs doesn’t sell single boxes, and this one fills that gap. The projects are simple woodworking with no single engineering idea behind them, no video is listed, and the box ships from Canada.
Teens who watch science YouTube
Curiosity Box vs CrunchLabs
Best for: A 12-and-up kid, or an adult, who likes the science explainer as much as the build.
Curiosity Box by Vsauce arrives every three months with science gadgets, hands-on experiments, and books, and each item is paired with an original Vsauce lesson. Every edition is made once and never repeated.
What feels familiar
A YouTube science creator stands behind the box, with a lesson tied to what’s inside. CrunchLabs makes the same pairing with Mark Rober’s episodes.
What changes
It’s sold as a 12-month prepay, about $350 for four boxes, which is less per year than Hack Pack’s $399.95 annual prepay. You get gadgets and objects to explore instead of a toy to assemble, and you pick a t-shirt size at checkout.
Engineering builds, month to month
KiwiCo Tinker Crate vs CrunchLabs
See Tinker Crate on kiwico.com →
Best for: A 9- to 12-year-old who loves the monthly build, in a family that wants to be able to stop any month.
KiwiCo’s Tinker Crate sends one engineering build a month, with instructions, bonus challenges, and videos and activity ideas online. Example crates on kiwico.com include a radio-controlled delivery robot and a giant jointed hand.
What feels familiar
This is the closest format on the list: one real build a month, a video to take it further, and a 9–12 age band that sits inside CrunchLabs’ 8–13.
What changes
Tinker Crate is sold direct by KiwiCo, not on Cratejoy. The monthly plan is $30 a crate, and KiwiCo says you can pause, switch, or cancel anytime. Its Eureka Crate carries on for ages 12 and up. For more boxes in this vein, see our KiwiCo alternatives.
The honest part
When CrunchLabs is still the better fit
Keep CrunchLabs if Mark Rober is the draw. No other box here comes with his videos, or with a Platinum Ticket entry for a trip to build with him at CrunchLabs. Keep it if a year’s commitment doesn’t bother you, since the annual prepay brings a Build Box to $27.45 with free US shipping. And for a teen ready to code, Hack Pack’s programmable Arduino robots have no close match on this list.
How we chose these boxes
We started with what a Build Box gives a kid: one engineered toy a month, a Mark Rober video, and an 8–13 age range. Then we went through the STEM and maker boxes on Cratejoy that can be ordered today and kept five that each answer one reason to look past CrunchLabs, plus KiwiCo’s Tinker Crate, which sells direct. The photo at the top is CrunchLabs’ own image of its Build Boxes.
Questions before switching
Does CrunchLabs have a month-to-month plan?
No. The shortest CrunchLabs plan runs three months, billed $98.85 at a time, and can be canceled at the end of that period. Annual plans, paid monthly or up front, can’t be canceled early. STEM Discovery Boxes, GIGIL STEM Kits, Kitsville, and KiwiCo’s Tinker Crate all have month-to-month plans.
Can I buy just one CrunchLabs box?
No. CrunchLabs sells Build Boxes by subscription only. For a single box, the “Build It” Craft & Activity Box is a one-time purchase with three wooden projects for ages 8 and up. Every Cratejoy box on this list can also be sent as a gift that doesn’t renew.
Does CrunchLabs ship to Canada?
Yes. Build Box and Creative Kit ship to Canada and about 40 other countries, and Hack Pack ships to Canada, the US, and the EU. International shipping, duties, and taxes are shown at checkout.
What should a teen who has outgrown Build Box try next?
CrunchLabs’ own next step is Hack Pack, a programmable Arduino robot every other month for ages 14 and up, from $66.65 a box on the annual plan. For less, Curiosity Box by Vsauce sends science gadgets and experiments every three months for ages 12 and up, at about $350 a year. KiwiCo’s Eureka Crate is also built for 12 and up.
How does CrunchLabs compare with KiwiCo?
Both send one engineering build a month with videos. CrunchLabs builds each box around a Mark Rober episode for ages 8–13, with a 3-month minimum. KiwiCo’s Tinker Crate covers ages 9–12 at $30 a crate month to month.
