Quick answer: SPIKE Essential (45345) is for age 6 and up, and SPIKE Prime (45678) is for age 10 and up. A six-year-old and a ten-year-old do not start from the same SPIKE box. The difference is age, hardware, and coding.
Both sets use the same SPIKE App. Motors and sensors can work on either hub. They are for different stages, not two copies of one kit.
What is the difference between SPIKE Essential and SPIKE Prime?
Essential is SGD 594.90 and Prime is SGD 779.90. These are the toytag.com prices checked on 4 October 2026.
| Compare | SPIKE Essential | SPIKE Prime |
|---|---|---|
| Who it's for | Age 6+ | Age 10+ |
| Role | Story-led first coding | Mechanisms and Python |
| Elements | 449 | 528 |
| Figures | Four minifigures | Kate and Kyle |
| Hub | 2-port small hub, plus a separate 3×3 light matrix | 6-port large hub, with a 5×5 matrix on the hub |
| Motors | Two small motors | Two medium motors and one large motor |
| Sensors | Colour sensor | Colour, distance, and force sensors |
| Coding | Icon blocks and word blocks | Word blocks and Python |
| Classroom | One set for two students | One set for two students |
Which SPIKE set fits which age?
Under 10, or when the build should stay story-led, we start with Essential. From 10, when the job needs the six-port hub, the extra sensors, and Python, we start with Prime. A school can start with Essential and move to Prime later.
A child in Primary 1 is often six or seven. A child who is ten is often around Primary 4. Upper primary is not a reason to wait for secondary. LEGO Education’s grade labels are not MOE levels.
At home, one child can build alone. The pair on the box is how a classroom shares a set.
Can SPIKE Prime parts work with SPIKE Essential?
A Prime sensor can plug into an Essential hub. That hub has only two ports, so it cannot run a full Prime robot.
The Essential hub streams. The Prime hub downloads. The SPIKE App runs on Windows 10, Windows 11, Chrome OS, iOS, Android, and macOS, with one hub connected to a device at a time.
The two-port hub is our Small Hub (45609), with a 600 mAh battery in the Essential set. The six-port hub is our Large Hub (45601), with a 2,000 mAh battery and a micro-USB cable in the Prime set.
The expansion set is not a starter
LEGO Education 45681 SPIKE Prime Expansion Set
SPIKE Prime Expansion is not a first kit. It adds to a Prime set that is already in the room, with the SPIKE App, which is free. It is SGD 309.00.
Computer Science & AI is a different job
Computer Science & AI is for coding and AI literacy. It sits beside SPIKE. It is not a successor, and it is not a replacement for Essential or Prime.
We carry three kits. 45520 is for age 5 and up, grades K–2, at SGD 599.90. 45521 is for age 8 and up, grades 3–5, at SGD 699.90. 45522 is for age 11 and up, grades 6–8, at SGD 879.90. In a Singapore home we read the age on the title. The longer note for a classroom is our Computer Science & AI article for Singapore schools.
How a family orders, and how a school orders
Essential and Prime are in the SPIKE collection on toytag.com. Self-collection is at Woods Square. A family order and a school order are different paths, and the delivery rules are not the same.
A family order goes through the website. Free 2-day Singapore shipping applies once the basket reaches SGD 50. What to have ready is the set, and either a Singapore delivery address or a plan to collect. We do not name an arrival day.
Self-collection is at 10 Woodlands Square, #04-42, Woods Square SOLO 1, Singapore 737714. The store location page uses the same unit as “10 Woods Square #04-42, SOLO 1, Singapore 737714”, with hours Monday to Friday, 12:00 pm–5:30 pm (GMT+8). Saturday and Sunday are closed. Hours can change, so the store page is the check before a trip.
A school or other B2B order is the other path. We issue an E-Invoice, with 30-day terms, and free local delivery with no minimum. What to have ready is the school name, the sets and quantities, and a billing contact for the invoice.
WhatsApp +65 8448-2258 or email pokeus@toytag.com.
FAQ: SPIKE Essential vs Prime
Is LEGO Education SPIKE discontinued?
Yes. LEGO Education ended its own SPIKE sales on 30 June 2026, and it supports the SPIKE App until 30 June 2031. The sets keep working, and we still sell the SPIKE sets we have on toytag.com while stock lasts.
What age is SPIKE Essential for, and what age is SPIKE Prime for?
Essential is for age 6 and up, and Prime is for age 10 and up. A child in Primary 1 is often six or seven, and a ten-year-old is often around Primary 4. Under 10 we start with Essential; from 10, when the build needs the six-port hub, the extra sensors, and Python, we start with Prime.
Can SPIKE Essential be programmed with Python?
No. Essential codes with icon blocks and word blocks. Python comes with Prime, alongside word blocks.
Do SPIKE Prime motors and sensors work with SPIKE Essential?
Yes. Motors and sensors can work on either hub. The Essential hub has only two ports, so it cannot run a full Prime robot.
Do SPIKE Essential and SPIKE Prime need a tablet or computer?
Yes. Both sets are coded in the same SPIKE App, which runs on Windows 10, Windows 11, Chrome OS, iOS, Android, and macOS, with one hub connected to a device at a time. The Essential hub streams from the device, and the Prime hub downloads its program.
On the shelf
The LEGO Education collection is the wider shelf. For other ages, the age-by-age guide is the wider map.
