This fully illustrated guide covers all you need to know about all kinds of linking cubes.
In this guide, we cover:
- What they look like – with pictures that give you a proper sense of scale, not just generic stock images where you have no idea whether you’re looking at 2cm3 or 2m3 cubes
- What they feel like – including how much it’ll hurt if you stepped on one on your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night
- Which cubes suit different ages better
- Pros, cons, differences between the three major brands: MathLink, Unifix and Snap cubes
- Why MathLink cubes come out tops for me
Introduction: Tried and tested
When my son was three, I bought him a set of these interlocking “linking” cubes. They’ve been one of best toys we’ve purchased. Both my son and daughter can play with them for long stretches of time, and we’ve use them to teach all sorts of things, ranging from arithmetic and logic to Chinese and physics.
Here’s a video of my daughter learning her colours in Chinese using Mathlink cubes:
Years have passed, and my kids still learning and having fun with them. That’s more than I can say for many other toys we own.
They’re brilliant, vibrant, versatile, and I think every household with kids should own a set, or two, or three.
Picking the right cubes for you
Like sneakers, there are many different brands and types of cubes in the market. Information about them is scattered and bitty, so I’ve spent some time nerding out on these cubes, playing and testing them from all angles so you can pick the right set of cubes for you.
Section 1: What are linking cubes?
Very simply, they are plastic cubes with ‘studs’ and ‘indents’ that can be linked or snapped together, and pulled apart:
They’re used in classrooms all over the world for teaching maths to young kids. To use the fancy teaching term, they’re known as a type of ‘math manipulative’. They’re also used as building blocks during playtime. However, there are lots of things you can do with these cubes, beyond just teaching simple maths or counting them.
Size of cubes
Standard cubes are around 2cm on each side (or ¾”). Some brands also sell variations in smaller or larger sizes.
To give you a sense of scale:
Colours, number of cubes per set
- Usually come in a variety of 10 colours or more. Some brands may sell single colours directly on their websites (see later details for Unifix cubes).
- Most commonly sold as sets of 100 cubes – 10 cubes in 10 different colours.
- Most brands also offer sets of 500 and 1,000 cubes
Different cube structures
Cubes almost always have just one stud, but different models have a different number of indents which determines how many sides of the cube can connect with other cubes:
- 1 stud, 1 indent: only link in straight lines
- 1 stud, 5 indents: can connect on all six sides
- 1 stud, 2 or 3 indents: connect on three or four sides. This asymmetrical structure is more common in smaller 1cm3 cubes.
Section 2: Most common types of cubes in the market
The leading players in the cube market are as follows (click to jump to each section):
You’ll hear these terms used interchangeably, but really they refer to specific designs of cubes.
Other generic terms for referring to cubes are:
- Multilink cubes
- Linking cubes
- Interlocking cubes
- Connecting cubes
The term ‘Counting Cubes’ is sometimes used though these tend to refer to flat-sided cubes that don’t link – i.e. they don’t have any studs or indents:
Comprehensive comparison guide: Mathlink Cubes vs Unifix Cubes vs Snap Cubes
1. MathLink Cubes
5-second summary: High quality cubes with rounded edges and a matte finish, vibrant colours and different geometrical shapes carved into each indent. May be slightly challenging for very young children to snap together but they’ll grow into them.
Amazon.com rating for 100 cube set: 4.5 out of 5 stars (based on 1,212 customer reviews)
Pros
- Softer rubbery texture, corners and edges.
- Geometric cut-outs are unique to MathLink Cubes. Adds an extra dimension for kids to learn / play with.
- Has best consistency for cubes fitting well, and cubes ‘pop’ together. Much fewer Amazon complaints about cubes fitting too loosely compared to Unifix and Snap Cubes.
- Wider variety of boxed sets / packaging, e.g. 'Big Builders' set, 'STEM Explorers' set.
Cons
- Requires more force to snap and pull apart compared to other brands. Some younger kids / those with weaker motor skills may find them harder to use.
- Geometric cut-outs in indents are not always cleanly cut, though these bits are not sharp and don’t affect their ability to connect with other blocks.
- Most expensive of the three brands, though difference is marginal (only around ~US$1-3 for 100 cubes).
MathLink Cubes: Quick facts
Brand / seller: Learning Resources
Size of standard cubes: 2cm3 without stud.
Stud shape / size: wide, round short stud. Diameter: 1.5cm, height: 0.2cm
Stud/indent structure: 1 stud, 5 indents. Can link in all six directions
Cubes available in other sizes? No
Colour of cubes: White, yellow, orange, red, blue, green, pink, purple, brown, black
Texture/material/feel: Made of plastic with a matte, rubbery finish. Maintains shape when compressed by hand. Rounded corners and edges. Indents have geometric shapes cut out on four of the six sides: triangle, square, pentagon, hexagon.
Easily scratches and scuffs? Marks slightly if I scratch my nail across. Scratches will appear with use over time. See image below. Pain factor if you stepped on one bare foot in the night (10 being most painful): 5 out of 10 Snapping sound / action? Snap and detach with a satisfying ‘pop’. Distinguishing marks / features of the original cubes: Top of stud: “MathlinkR” engraved. Underneath stud, inside cube: “PAT: US D464682”. See images below.
Country of manufacture: Taiwan
Recommended age: 5+, though some boxed activity sets say 4+
How easy to link / detach (10 – piece of cake; 1 – need a sledgehammer):
| Tested by: | ||
| 3 year old daughter: | 5 year old son: | |
| How easy to link cubes | 6/10 | 9/10 |
| How easy to pull apart | 8/10 | 9/10 |
MathLink Cubes: Where to buy
| Site | Description / link | Approximate price * |
| Amazon.com: | Basic set of 100 cubes | US$12.73 – $12.99 |
| Amazon.com: | Basic set of 1,000 cubes | US$83.99 – $109.19 |
| Amazon.com: | Activity boxed set (100 cubes) | US$19.99 |
| Amazon.com: | STEM explorer’s set (100 cubes) | US$14.99 |
| Amazon.com: | Big Builders set (200 cubes) | US$24.99 |
| Learning Resources (direct): | Click here for full selection available | |
* Based on prices from 1 Feb 2019 – 1 Mar 2019 (excluding shipping) as quoted by keepa.com. Amazon constantly changes the price of items, also known as ‘dynamic pricing’. Click on the links to get the latest prices.
-
- Basic 100 cube set
- Activity boxed set (100 cubes) – 15 double-sided activity cards
- STEM Explorers set (100 cubes) – 10 STEM activities
- Big Builders set (200 cubes) – 20 ideas to build
MathLink Cubes: Other boxed sets on Amazon.com
5-second summary: Great for younger kids and those with weaker motor skills, easy to link and pull apart. Not as versatile for building / creative play as only connects in one direction.
Amazon.com rating for 100 cube set: 4.5 out of 5 stars (based on 231 reviews)
Pros
- Easiest to use for younger kids (e.g. under 4), or those with weaker motor skills. Please use with full adult supervision.
- Basic 100-cube set it comes with the best full-colour illustrated activity book among the three brands.
- As a brand, Didax offers the widest range of products and accessories, e.g. cubes for literacy, jumbo cubes etc.
Cons
- Only connect in straight lines, so not as versatile for play/building. Corner cubes can be separately purchased but still only connects at right angles.
- Cubes scratch easily, and ridges collect grime and dirt more easily than other cubes.
- Some Amazon customers have complained that the blocks fit too loosely together.
Unifix Cubes: Quick facts
Brand / seller: Didax
Size of standard cubes: 1.8cm3 without stud
Stud / indent structure: 1 stud, 1 indent on opposite end, so only links up and down….
…unless you buy special red Unifix Corner Cubes with 1 stud and 1 adjacent indent can be purchased to connect cubes at right angles. See Other relevant Unifix products section below.
Stud shape / size: wide square-shaped stud, 1.5mm x 1.5mm wide and 0.4mm high
Cubes available in other sizes? Yes: Jumbo size, 3.5cm3 (or 1.5in3). Other relevant Unifix products section below.
Colour of cubes: Standard cubes: white, brown, maroon, red, orange, yellow, green, dark blue, light blue, black.
Didax’s website also sells pink and purple cubes (minimum purchase: 100 cubes)
Texture/material/feel: Soft plastic. No sharp corners, edges slightly rounded. Cubes bend if force applied. Slight glossy finish when new.
Easily scratches and scuffs? Yes – plastic is soft, marks easily. Marks if I scratch my nail across the cube. See image below.
Pain factor if you stepped on one bare foot in the night (10 being most painful): 4 out of 10
Snapping sound / action? None. Cubes slide in and out with no noise or pop.
Distinguishing marks / features of the original cubes: On stud: the words ‘UNIFIX’ embossed on the top, with a small tiny bump on the other end. Underside of the stud: a number e.g. ‘32’ on one side, and the imprint from the tiny bump on the other end.
Older versions may look
different on the underside of the stud, e.g. it may have the words ‘P P P’ and a
number e.g. ‘53’ on the opposite side instead.
Country of manufacture: China
Advertised recommended age: 4+
How easy to link / detach (10 – piece of cake; 1 – even adults would struggle):
| Tested by: | ||
| 3 year old daughter: | 5 year old son: | |
| How easy to link cubes | 9/10 | 10/10 |
| How easy to pull apart | 9/10 | 10/10 |
Unifix Cubes: Where to buy
| Site | Description / link | Approximate price * |
| Amazon.com: | Set of 100 cubes | US$9.98 – $13.95 |
| Amazon.com: | Set of 300 cubes | US$24.99 – $38.99 |
| Amazon.com: | Set of 500 cubes | US$34.79 |
| Amazon.com: | Set of 1,000 cubes | US$81.00 – $96.01 |
| Didax (direct from brand) | Click here for full selection available | |
| hand2mind: | Click here for full selection available | |
* Based on prices from 1 Feb 2019 – 1 Mar 2019 (excluding shipping) as quoted by keepa.com. Amazon constantly changes the price of items, also known as ‘dynamic pricing’. Click on the links to get the latest prices.
Packaging / resources included for basic 100 cube set: Packed in cardboard box. Includes 16-page activity booklet
Two other Unifix products worth knowing about
Special corner cubes that enable Unifix Cubes to be connected at right angles:
- Sold separately to regular cubes
- Come in red colour only
- Sold as a set of 40 corner cubes. Set of 120 also available on Didax’s website
Where to buy:
| Site: | Description / link |
| Amazon: | Set of 40 corner cubes |
| Didax: | Set of 40 or 120 corner cubes |
| hand2mind: | Set of 40 corner cubes |
Same cubes in a larger 3.5cm3 size.
- Come in 4 colours: red, green, yellow, blue
- Sold as set of 20. Set of 100 also available on Didax’s website
Where to buy:
| Site | Description / link |
| Amazon: | Set of 20 jumbo cubes |
| Didax: | Set of 20 or 100 jumbo cubes |
| hand2mind: | Set of 20 jumbo cubes |
5-second summary: Used to be a worthy alternative to MathLink cubes, but having recently ordered another set, they seem to have changed the cubes and are now smaller, cheaper quality with very sharp edges and aren’t what they used to be.
Avoid.
Amazon.com rating for 100 cube set: 4.1 out of 5 stars based on 304 reviews (28/2/2019)
Pros
- Can connect in six directions.
- Slightly cheaper than MathLink cubes on Amazon, though we’re talking about a difference of around US$1 for the 100-cube set.
Cons
- Cheaply made. Thin, low-quality plastic with poor finish. Splintered plastic along edges, very sharp corners.
- Many Amazon customers have complained they seem to have changed the cubes – see below
- Some inconsistency in how snugly the cubes snap together. Some cubes are difficult to snap together; others hold too loosely together so come apart when building.
- Some colours are a bit ‘off’ from the standard colours you’d expect for kids. E.g. the ‘red’ cubes are maroon, and the ‘orange’ cubes are a dark, blood orange/grapefruit type of colour.
Examples of complaints from Amazon users saying that the cubes have changed in quality:
- “I’ve purchased cubes made by Learning Resources in the past… however when my order arrived, the colours and quality were completely different…seems a little like ‘bait and switch’. Not very happy…”
- “Not happy with these at all… these appeared to be the same thing but they are cheaply made…’ – user also commented that Learning Resources sent them another set, the “soft, almost rubbery” MathLink cubes which were “fantastic”
- “I ordered these cubes from this company last year and they were a nice thick material, held together well… but these two packages are such a thin material and every time the students link them together they come right apart…”
Snap Cubes: Quick facts
The comments below are based on the most recent set I purchased from Amazon in 2019. For a comparison of the older vs newer set, click here.
Brand / seller: Learning Resources
Size of standard cubes: 1.9cm3 without stud.
Stud shape / size: Round stud. Diameter: 0.8cm, height: 0.4cm
Stud/indent structure: 1 stud, 5 indents. Can link in all six directions
Cubes available in other sizes? No
Colour of cubes: White, yellow, blood-orange, maroon, blue, light green, dark green, purple, brown, black
Texture/material/feel: Hard plastic with glossy finish. Maintains shape when compressed by hand, no ‘give’ when pressed. Corners are sharp, and each cube has one edge that has a sharp bump in the middle.. See below.
Easily scratches and scuffs? Does not mark if I scratch my nail across. Small scratches appear with use over time, likely from cubes being bashed together during play.
Pain factor if you stepped on one bare foot in the night (10 being most painful): 9 out of 10. Wouldn’t wish it upon anyone.
Snapping sound / action? None. No pop or snap when linking or pulling the cubes apart.
Distinguishing marks / features of the original cubes: Have some small letters and numbers embossed on
opposite side of stud, e.g. ‘G-5’, ‘D01’. Different cubes of the same colour can have different numbers and letters.
Country of manufacture: China
Advertised recommended age: 5+. Some older sites / listings may show as 3+ or 4+.
How easy to link / detach (10 – piece of cake; 1 – need a sledgehammer):
| Tested by: | ||
| 3 year old daughter: | 5 year old son: | |
| How easy to link cubes | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| How easy to pull apart | 7/10 | 9/10 |
Snap cubes: Where to buy
| Site | Description / link | Approximate price* |
| Amazon.com: | Set of 100 cubes | US$11.28 – $12.19 |
| Amazon.com: | Set of 500 cubes | US$45.37 – $57.85 |
| Amazon.com: | Set of 1,000 cubes | US$79.71 – $91.78 |
| Learning Resources (direct from brand): | Click here for full selection available | |
| hand2mind: | Click here for full selection available | |
* Based on prices from 1 Feb 2019 – 1 Mar 2019 (excluding shipping) as quoted by keepa.com. Amazon constantly changes the price of items, also known as ‘dynamic pricing’. Click on the links to get the latest prices.
Packaging / resources included for basic 100 cube set: Packed in a plastic bag. Includes single-page, double-sided user guide with some simple ideas. Text only, no pictures.
Snap Cube user guides available for download: Learning Resources. (This guide is for the 100 cube set. The 500 and 1,000 sets come with very similar guides but contains fewer activities.)
As mentioned earlier, there seems to have been a change in the supplier. Old Snap Cubes are…
- More durable, higher quality, hard-wearing plastic that had no rough finishes
- A full 2cm3rather than 1.9cm3
- Came in more normal, vibrant colours
So... which ones are the best cubes?
The trophy goes to…
…the MathLink Cubes.
Reasons for my choice:
- The rubbery matte finish with rounded corners and edges feel good in the hand
- As cubes genuinely ‘pop’ together, they don’t fall apart when building.
- They’re more versatile and durable than Unifix cubes (which kids will grow out of quickly), and are much more child-friendly than Snap Cubes
- The geometric cut-outs provide even more ways to make patterns and teach kids about shapes
- Amazon users also seem to agree with me, giving it the highest overall rating of 4.7 stars out of 5.
Extra: Other types of cubes in the market
While researching the cubes market, I came across several other brands / designs of cubes. They’re not usually ranked, bought or reviewed as frequently as the three brands discussed above. I’ve included some pictures of them below.
Is there anything else you’d like to know about linking cubes?
Drop us an email at [email protected]