Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Secret Code

A customizable children's book that breaks stereotypes

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Secret Code launched in 2016; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1SC
   Spy Codes: free booklet for kids (2018)▲75

   2019 · secretgeek.net · its alternatives →

2. 2
   Curly Bracket: The Hidden Code▲61

   A comic that teaches children to think like coders

   2016 · its alternatives →

3. 3VW
   Variables War, a kid-friendly code playing-cards game▲78

   2018 · github.com · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Hello Ruby▲107

   An illustrated storybook teaching Ruby to kids

   2014 · its alternatives →

5. 5
   The Unsplash Book▲107

   The world's first 'fully' open source book

   2015 · its alternatives →

6. 6TM
   The Magic of Code – book about the wonders and weirdness of computation▲112

   I recently published a book called “The Magic of Code” which is about the delights of the computational world, examining computing as a kind of “humanistic liberal art” that connects to so many topics, from art and biology to philosophy and language. The link I’ve shared is to a page on my book’s website where you can download a pdf of the introduction, to give HN readers a taste of what is inside. Right now there is so much worry and concern around technology that I feel like some people—though not the folks here—have forgotten how much fun that code and computation can also be. So I wanted…

   2025 · themagicofcode.com · its alternatives →

7. 7CK
   Code Kingdoms – a game that teaches kids to code▲34

   2014 · codekingdoms.com · its alternatives →

8. 8CC
   Code Cards – Anki for code▲152

   2017 · codecards.me · its alternatives →

9. 9
   The Big Disconnect▲62

   Protecting Childhood and Relationships in the Digital Age

   2017 · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Blindspot▲86

    Hidden biases of good people

    2015 · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Fake it Make it▲168

    A free eBook about UX design and rapid app prototyping

    2015 · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Lostmy.name▲97

    The personal, magical, unique book for children

    2014 · its alternatives →

13. 13
    American Girls▲67

    Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers

    2016 · its alternatives →

14. 14
    A Day in Code▲126

    A picture book written in code (with English translations!)

    2020 · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Without Permission▲147

    Lessons learned from reddit, hipmunk & YC - in book form!

    2014 · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Storybooks.io▲153

    UI code reviewing done right

    2016 · its alternatives →

17. 17
    HTML Canvas Deep Dive▲96

    Free ebook for game and animation development

    2016 · its alternatives →

18. 18EI
    Easy intro book to Clojure and immutability▲148

    2019 · getprogrammingwithclojure.com · its alternatives →

19. 19
    The Imposter's Handbook▲80

    Essential Skills and Concepts For The Self-taught Programmer

    2016 · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Bitsbox▲161

    Monthly code projects for kids

    2014 · its alternatives →

21. 21
    The WALLOBOOKS Project▲119

    A magical storybook anybody can write, every kid can read

    2021 · its alternatives →

22. 22AD
    A different kind of coloring book for kids (Android). Simple and clean.▲94

    2012 · samocolors.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    EnchantedPages.Ai▲95

    Magical AI-generated picture books, personalized for kids

    2024 · its alternatives →

24. 24CA
    Cryptic – A sensible secret management toolkit and Go library▲93

    2016 · github.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →