Lego has built a name for themselves over the years, and is probably the most well-known manufacturer of toy blocks. However, with the name comes a big price tag that may or may not be worth it to you. We decided to look at Lego alternatives to see if another manufacturer might be a better option.
Table of Contents
Kre-O
Kre-O is a series of brick toys from Hasbro that are very similar to LEGO which are compatible with each other, which means you can use Kre-O pieces with LEGO and Vice Versa.
From the perspective of quality, LEGO is at the top in the brick toys area, Kre-O’s parts come apart more easily than LEGO, and it also falls apart sooner. It is also an advantage because sometimes, you need fancy tools to pry apart the parts with LEGO, but you will not need it with Kre-O.
Kre-O and Lego
- Kre-O is more affordable than LEGO.
- Quality is not the standard of LEGO.
- Minifigures are a little larger than LEGO.
- Compatible with LEGO.
- The fitness of LEGO parts is more rigid than Kre-O.
- Kre-O has more variety in Space Characters.
On the other hand, Kre-O is more affordable and good enough to let your kid play with them. You can expect many things from Kre-O, which you would want from a new competitor.
Kre-O provides more complicated sets for the same number of bricks and is cheaper than LEGO. Minifigures in Kre-O are 1¾ inch, whether the LEGO is 1 ½ inch. There are two types of mini-figures, the “humans” and “Kreons.”
The kreons are something related to space which has a more complicated structure than LEGO, and these Kreons come with elbow joints and arms that move in more directions.
Some of the most famous toys from Kre-O are mini transformers which include “Optimus Prime Transformer With Twin Cycles,” “Bumble Bee Construction Set,” “Sentinel Prime Construction Set,” “Autobot Jazz Construction Set,” and “Autobot Ratchet Construction Set.”
Kre-O also provides a very famous “Battleship USS Missouri Construction Set.” Kre-O mainly provides the construction sets, which are more boys-oriented; on the other hand, LEGO offers more variety.
Cobi
Cobi is the biggest producer of building blocks in central and eastern Europe, and they manufacture their blocks from a house in Mielec, Poland.
They sell their building blocks in more than 60 countries around the world. Cobi makes their products from good quality EU-originated materials. Because of rigid quality and security controls, Cobi has short production and delivery lead times.
Cobi and Lego
- Cobi is slightly more affordable than LEGO.
- The quality is not the standard of LEGO but the plastic used is good.
- Cobi provides printed bricks, while LEGO provides bricks with stickers.
- Cobi represents the real historical features while LEGO deals in both real and fictional.
- Cobi is partially compatible with LEGO.
- Cobi parts fitting is more rigid than LEGO.
LEGO sets come with stickers, while the bricks are printed in Cobi sets, so there are no stickers. The Cobi mostly features historically accurate sets, which are great for kids’ learnings, while LEGO also provides fictional sets.
Cobi does not provide famous sets like Mine Craft, but they have World of Ships and World of Tanks licensing. Cobi parts are shinier than LEGO, and they also have more slanted pieces. The Cobi parts fit more rigidly, which is good for stability but sometimes difficult for kids to take them apart.
Apart from a few unique pieces that Cobi makes, most of the parts are compatible with LEGO. The main similarity between the two brands is that their bricks look very similar. The quality might not be the same as LEGO because the Cobi feels tighter than LEGO.
Cobi is much better than many of its Chinese-made counterparts. The Cobi parts are so rigid in fitting that mostly none of their parts ends up in the LEGO bin. Both the brands have their share of licenses. If LEGO has Star Wars, the Cobi has Boeing, the Smithsonian, and Top Gun Maverick. Cobi and LEGO both have good packaging, and both are certified by the EU.
K’Nex
K’Nex is an exciting building blocks brand that offers models on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) basis similar to LEGO.
The kids of ages three and above can play with these brick sets. The STEAM subject helps children learn about science by using plastic bricks, motors, rods, and many other accessories.
K’Nex and Lego
- K’Nex is much cheaper than LEGO. Even the complex designs.
- K’Nex also uses high-quality plastic, but that is not the ABS.
- K’Nex is a little lighter than LEGO.
- K’Nex and LEGO are compatible with each other.
K’Nex is more affordable. It is made from high-quality material, but LEGO wins in the product’s durability, but that does not mean K’Nex has a bad quality; it is still better than many of its counterparts. K’Nex provides intricate and complex designs at such a reasonable price that it may be out of your budget if you buy them in LEGO.
Both K’Nex and LEGO can stand the stress of being played every day. Both K’Nex and LEGO exhibit connections to real life, which helps the children connect their toys with their own reality and have more fun. Children learn from these sets and apply the information elsewhere.
Both K’nex and LEGO use non-toxic materials which are child friendly. Both brands are lightweight, which makes them easy to take out and play elsewhere. The LEGO sets are a little heavier than K’Nex sets.
Mega Construx by Mega Bloks
The Mega Construx is made in china product from Mega Bloks. These brick sets are way cheaper than LEGO. Less price brings less quality, but they are pretty popular among children.
Mega Construx and LEGO are generally compatible with each other, but sometimes you may not find pieces that fit quite right with LEGOs because they have small differences like quality, size, and shape.
Mega Construx and Lego
- Mega Construx is way cheaper than LEGO.
- Quality is lower than LEGO.
- Apart from a few parts, they are compatible with each other.
- Mega Construx is a good substitute if you buy a second set and already have one from LEGO.
The main reason people prefer Mega Construx over LEGO is the price, every kid loves to play with brick sets, and super high LEGO brick sets are not affordable by every parent.
Mega Construx is one of the best choices for those parents. A fact is that your kid can not tell the difference between LEGO and Mega Construx because they look almost similar. Make sure you do not give these to a LEGO collector or enthusiast; they surely can tell the difference.
The Mega brand does not use ABS plastic for their bricks; that is why they can manage such low prices, but that doesn’t mean that the plastic used in these bricks is of very low quality.
China has built many types of good-quality plastic at lower prices. The Mega Construx has good compatibility with original LEGO that is what makes it loved by kids. If your kid already has a LEGO set and wants more, you can opt for Mega Construx instead.
There are some similarities between Mega Construx and LEGO; both the brands go after the licenses of making set for famous tv shows and movies.
They both have licenses of making the brick sets of many famous franchises at the same time, which include “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Roseart,” “Spiderman,” “Marvel Cinematic Universe,” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
Banbao
BanBao is a Chinese brand made from bioplastic with good quality bricks. Banbao has excellent choices in original sets; it provides fictional, real-life, and some licensed sets from the Peanuts franchise.
The quality of these sets might not be the same as LEGO but better than many other brands in the bricks toy area. The large quantity of sets is the main attraction point in BanBao. BanBao offers sets for younger and middle-aged kids with simpler and complex sets.
Banbao and Lego
- BanBao sets are made from bioplastic, while LEGO sets are made from ABS plastic.
- Both BanBao and LEGO have good quality.
- BanBao offers a Large Number of choices.
- More or less compatible with each other.
- BanBao bricks are thicker than LEGO
- LEGO Minifigures have more movement than Banbao Minifigures.
BanBao sets are also more or less compatible with LEGO, but there are some remarks when comparing these two brands. A LEGO plate with a BanBao brick will leave some gap between bricks because the studs are a little higher in BanBao.
The LEGO plates are 3.2 mm, while BanBao plates are a little thicker 3.6 mm, while the bricks in LEGO are 9.6 mm, and in BanBao, they are 11.4 mm. Sometimes the bricks between both brands can be loose. BanBao bricks are slightly higher than LEGO.
The Minifigures in BanBao have less movement sometimes. For example, one of them can only stand, and one can only sit, while in LEGO, all the mini-figures can both stand and sit. While both brands’ Minifigures have moveable hands, details and colors are very good in both brands. The price of BanBao compared to its quality is great. Compared to other Chinese products, the quality is much better.
Oxford
Oxford is a Lego clone company originating from South Korea. The company is a “clone-brand” of LEGO but with some more choices and less price. LEGO does not provide military-themed sets, but Oxford opens the doors for it. Oxford provides the military theme, firefighting theme, construction, and city-themed sets.
Oxford and Lego
- Oxford is Cheaper than LEGO.
- Quality is lower than LEGO.
- Oxford has copied LEGO but provided more options with each set.
- Oxford and LEGO are fully Compatible with each other.
- Oxford provides army sets while LEGO doesn’t.
The Oxford bricks are compatible with LEGO, but the quality is slightly poorer, and the finish is not done properly, but they do fit really well with LEGO. One of the biggest draws of Oxford for LEGO fans is the Minifigures accessories provided by Oxford, which include unique weapons, armor pieces, and other accessories.
Oxford Minifigures have a few unique features like a helmet and chest pieces. These helmets fit perfectly on LEGO Minifigures, so you can use them with any LEGO Minifigure and create new ideas with these sets. The Oxford sets are way cheaper than LEGO. Oxford toys provide many themes similar to LEGO, including fire-station, police, city, construction, trains, ships, airplanes, and many more.
Laser Pegs
The uniqueness of Laser Pegs lies in the light-up construction bricks provided by them. These light-up bricks are pretty compatible with leading brands like LEGO.
The lighting sets have colored LEDs inside them; the LED parts come in different shapes. These shapes take power from the base unit when connected. These sets come with different themes, which also have a variety of extension sets for the kids to help them learn.
Laser Pegs and Lego
- Prices for Laser Pegs and LEGO are somehow similar.
- Laser Pegs are unique lighted bricks, while LEGO does not provide anything like that.
- Laser Pegs provide parts with sound while LEGO doesn’t.
- Laser Pegs are only for kids of 5 years and above, while LEGO also provides sets for younger kids.
A kid loves LEGO compatibility with Laser Pegs because they can also light up their LEGO sets. Most of the parts in Laser Pegs are compatible with LEGO.
Laser Pegs have a general age guideline which says the Laser Pegs sets are for kids of 5+ ages because it involves lighting and might not be good for a younger kid, while a younger kid can play with LEGO. There is a lot in Laser Pegs that can also keep older kids occupied too.
Laser Pegs will be Cool addition to your kids’ construction block toolkit. The Laser pegs have a lot of instructions so the kids can build them easily. The Laser Pegs have so much variety that kids can design their models and light them up. Some of their new sets also provide a sound activation fun feature in them. The model will flash the lights when they listen to any sound.
