Lovevery vs Kiwico: How Do These STEM Toy Subscriptions Compare?

As a parent of two young kids and professional product tester with over 10 years of experience, I‘ve evaluated my fair share of "educational" toys. Recently, STEM-focused subscription boxes from Lovevery and Kiwico have exploded in popularity for keeping children engaged while developing skills.

Over the past 6 months, my family has used both Lovevery Play Kits and Kiwico Crates. Through first-hand experience combined with expert perspective, I‘ll give you an inside look at differences between the two leading brands.

A Brief Overview

Lovevery delivers monthly or bimonthly Play Kits tailored to developmental stages from birth through age 3. Play Gyms, card sets and accessories complement the kits. Materials aim to nurture core cognitive, motor, social and emotional skills during the crucial early learning years.

Kiwico, alternatively, focuses more on sparking specific interests like science, technology, engineering and math. Their wider age range of 0-14 years offers STEM projects building in complexity over time. Think hands-on activities like robotics, coding, puzzles and arts & crafts.

Both brands ship beautiful, high-quality material designed to entice young minds. Now let‘s dive deeper into what exactly arrives at your doorstep each month…

What‘s Inside The Boxes?

As an app tester, evaluating the user experience and product delivery is second nature to me. Here‘s what I discovered after personally unboxing Lovevery and Kiwico kits for half a year.

Lovevery‘s Play Kits

Each Lovevery Play Kit focuses on new skills babies and toddlers actively develop across distinct age ranges:

My 6 month old absolutely loved chewing on the black and white Sensory Links catering to his fledgling vision. When my daughter turned 18 months, she adored pretend play with the Play Kitchen including wooden food, pots and pans galore.

Materials clearly target emerging capabilities without overwhelming little ones. Here were some of our favorites:

Baby Play Box (Birth to 12 weeks)

• Black & white Mittens
• Crinkle Ball
• Safari Play Gym

The Explorer Play Kit (13-16 weeks)

• Rattle Socks
• High Contrast Links
• Play Gym Arch

The Cook Play Kit (16-19 months)

• Mixing Bowls
• Pretend Food Items
• Opening Kitchen Play Set

Durability and quality shine through thanks to FSC-certified wood, organic fabrics and rigorous safety testing meeting – and exceeding – national standards.

As an avid online shopper, I appreciate the 30-day return window for any reason – with free shipping labels included. My second shipment arrived late so I contacted their customer experience team. Within 12 hours, they resolved the issue and credited back shipping fees.

Their dedication to thoughtful design shows. I love that play guides for parents accompany each kit, filled with open-ended activity ideas cultivating curiosity.

Kiwico Project Crates

Kiwico organizes their STEM projects a bit differently across interest areas and complexity tiers:

My son (age 7) tests as gifted so I wanted to fuel his inquisitiveness and flexible thinking. We signed him up for the Kiwico Eureka Crate – focusing on scientific inquiry and engineering feats through tools like circuit boards.

I‘ll admit, seeing his room temporarily flooded from the Ship, Sail and Float project was not my favorite moment! But his pride showing how hull design impacts buoyancy made the magic marker stains worth it.

Some favorite Kiwico projects over the past few months included:

Tinker Crate (Ages 9-16)

• Mouse Organ Recital
• Electric Motor Fan Boat

Eureka Crate (Ages 14+)

• Robot Art Bot
• Wind-Powered Car

Atlas Crate (Ages 6-11)

• Cryptography Wheel
• Newspaper Tower Structures

The hands-on nature keeps restless rambunctious energy constructively channeled. Like Lovevery, all materials meet strict safety standards – even paint and clay remain non-toxic.

I‘d rate durability slightly behind Lovevery‘s as occasional pieces felt flimsier in comparison…but still held up fine through regular use. For example, my son repaired the snapped rubber band pulley system on his mini bike with tape and got it working again!

Skill Building Focus

Lovevery intentionally nurtures holistic early development across cognitive, fine motor, sensory and social/emotional domains:

Cognitive – Cause and effect, object permanence, spatial awareness, basic numeracy & literacy

Fine Motor – Eye-hand coordination, dexterity, manipulation of objects

Sensory – Visual contrast and acuity via colors/shapes, tactile exploration, auditory perception

Social/Emotional – Facial processing, self-awareness, joint attention, empathy

Kiwico, on the other hand, dives deeper into specific interests and STEM disciplines. While still young kid friendly, projects work best for those able to:

Read – Following written instructions independently

Write – Recording measurements and observations

Reason – Troubleshooting through multi-step procedures

Create – Tinkering, revising and testing prototype designs

Both approaches remain well-intended and educational, just dependent on your child‘s learning stage.

Evaluating The Toy Subscription Models

When buying an open-ended, ongoing toy subscription, logistics like cost, modifications and delivery speed matter. Here‘s how Lovevery and Kiwico break down.

Pricing & Plans

First, how much do these subscriptions cost?

Lovevery

• $80 per bi-monthly Play Kit
• Approximately $320/year as recurring payments

Prepaid options offer roughly 10% discount:

• 3 Play Kit plan = $342 total ($114 each)
• 4 Play Kit plan = $432 total ($108 each)

The most expensive toy, the Block Set, runs about $50. Others stay under $25.

Kiwico

• Monthly plans = $23-$18/month for 1 crate
• Yearly plan = ~$200+ for 12 project crates

Individual kits cost $30-$60 depending on complexity, like the Robotics kit at a steeper $50.

At roughly $30 per shipment, Lovevery costs more per box. But you often get 5-10 toys spanning several activities. Kiwico‘s singular projects dive deeper into a specific concept.

Over time, Lovevery ends earlier by age 3 while Kiwico continues for far longer through early teens. Both bring developmental value at reasonable price points compared to shoddy plastic toys.

Subscription Management

Managing inevitable life changes with kids can‘t hassle you. Thankfully, flexibility abounds:

Lovevery

• Pause/skip months as needed
• Reactivate whenever
• Add on purchases without subscription

Kiwico

• Cancel, skip, or pause month-to-month
• Reactivate subscription easily
• Buy gifts or individual kits anytime

I paused my Lovevery subscription for 2 months when visiting family to avoid toy overload and seamlessly resumed later. With Kiwico, we switched kit themes going from science to art as my son‘s interests evolved.

Customer service stays consistently responsive over email for both. Kiwico offers live chat and phone if you need urgent support.

Shipping & Delivery

For receiving Play Boxes and Project Crates in a timely fashion, here‘s how reliability stacks up:

Lovevery

• Free and fast shipping in 5-7 days
• Canada/USA only
• 30 day returns with free shipping

My average delivery time: 3-5 business days

Kiwico

• Free U.S. shipping, global costs vary
• 7-15 day delivery estimate
• 60 day returns, some fees apply

My average delivery time: 7-12 business days

Living on the West Coast certainly speeds up shipping. Only one Lovevery package came late after they upgraded systems. Kiwico‘s international routes understandably take longer.

Both brands nail durable, secure packaging preventing damage. Bonus points for minimal waste sent straight to recycling. If speed trumps, Lovevery wins for Prime-like consistency.

Final Call: Lovevery or Kiwico?

When choosing a STEM toy subscription, first consider your child‘s age and interests before comparing brands.

For younger kids, I‘d recommend Lovevery to lay that critical developmental foundation early on. Their research-backed Play Kits target emerging skills so beautifully.

For older children, Kiwico keeps projects fresh and challenged. Tinkering and troubleshooting build persistence failing forward. Budget-wise, longer term subscriptions provide bang for buck.

At the end of the day, consistency and engagement matter most. Rotating flashy toys that fall flat won‘t inspire young minds like Lovevery and Kiwico toys do.

As a professional product reviewer and parent, I confidently vouch for both STEM subscription brands delivering joyful learning and quality time between kids and caregivers.

Now if you‘ll excuse me, we‘re onto designing "Volcano Lairs" for my son‘s homemade action figures next month!