The Best Magnetic Tiles: 4 Compared (and One to Skip)

RBE top pick

Magna-Tiles Classic 32-Piece

Check price on Amazon See why it wins Compare all

Magna-Tiles are the original for a reason: food-grade MABS plastic, riveted magnets and a lattice that resists cracking. PicassoTiles gives you 100 pieces for less than the 32-piece original costs.

Magnetic tiles are the rare toy that survives the toddler years into grade school, which makes them one of the safest gifts on this list. The market splits into the original brand, the big-box value sets, a wooden heirloom take, and a crowd of clones that look identical in listings. We compared one of each on the things that matter: how the magnets are secured, what the plastic is made of, and how many pieces the box actually holds.

RBE top pick

Magna-Tiles

Magna-Tiles Classic 32-Piece

Buy it

The original magnetic tile: food-grade plastic, riveted magnets and compatibility with the Classic, microMAGS and themed sets.

Best for: First-time buyers who want the tile that invented the category and plan to build a collection that lasts through multiple kids.

$$ · mid-range

Why we like it

• Food-grade, non-toxic MABS plastic that is free of BPA, phthalates and latex, with a signature internal lattice that the maker says prevents cracking under drops and footsteps.
• Magnets are held by rivets rather than glue, and the maker states it has never had a product recall in its 25-plus year history. The rivet is the construction detail Magna-Tiles publishes that the clones here do not.
• The 32-piece set covers the core shapes: 14 squares, 2 large squares, 8 equilateral triangles, 4 right triangles and 4 isosceles triangles, and the maker says you can expand with any Classic, microMAGS or themed set.

Know before buying

• Costs several times as much per tile as the value brand below, so a big build collection gets expensive fast.
• 32 pieces is a starter quantity; most kids exhaust it quickly and you will end up buying a second set.
• No storage container in the Classic box; the maker sells its storage bin separately.

Check price on Amazon Read our detailed assessment ↓

PicassoTiles

PicassoTiles Classic 100-Piece (PT100)

Buy it

The value standard: 100 tiles for less than the 32-piece original costs.

Best for: Gift buyers and grandparents who want maximum play value per dollar without rolling the dice on an unknown clone.

$ · budget

Why we like it

• 100 pieces at the lowest cost per tile of the named brands here.
• Sensible shape mix for building: 8 large squares, 46 small squares, 20 small triangles, 12 medium triangles and 14 tall triangles (3 by 5.5 inches), so kids can make real walls and roofs early on.
• PicassoTiles says the set is compatible with all of its full-sized sets, and its small squares use a 3-inch base.

Know before buying

• PicassoTiles publishes less about plastic type and magnet construction than Magna-Tiles does, so the quality gap is unproven either way.
• The maker describes the magnet connection as strong but does not say how the magnets are secured.
• The catalog is a tangle of similar listings; buy the PT100 or a clearly labeled set and ignore the themed bundles.

Check price on Amazon Read our detailed assessment ↓

Tegu

Tegu 24-Piece Magnetic Wooden Block Set

It depends

Magnetic blocks milled from sustainably sourced hardwood: beautiful, heirloom grade, and a different kind of toy.

Best for: Buyers giving a keepsake gift, or households that want a calmer, tactile building toy for younger kids.

$$$ · premium

Why we like it

• Sustainably sourced hardwood finished in water-based lacquer, with magnetic hardwood blocks that feel and look like a premium object, not a plastic toy.
• Designed in the USA and made in Tegu's own factory outside Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and safety tested for ages 1 and up per Tegu. Some packaging may still show an older 3-99 age label.
• Six block shapes across 24 pieces (4 medium columns, 4 mega planks, 6 long planks, 4 short planks, 4 cubes and 2 parallelograms) invite different building than flat tiles: towers, vehicles and figures instead of houses.

Know before buying

• Blocks are a different building style from flat tiles, with chunkier geometry and fewer big flat walls.
• Costs several times as much per piece as the plastic tiles, and 24 blocks goes fast for an ambitious builder.
• Not a tile system: Tegu describes its own blocks as designed to work together, not with tile brands, and the 24-piece set was listed as sold out on tegu.com at last check.

Find it on Amazon Read our detailed assessment ↓

We'd skip it

Coodoo

Coodoo Magnetic Tiles Starter Set

Skip it

The budget clone tier: a 36-piece starter box that is priced close to what PicassoTiles charges for 100.

Best for: Only a buyer who wants the smallest possible trial box. The PicassoTiles PT100 costs a little more for nearly three times the pieces.

$ · budget

Why we like it

• Cheap enough to test whether your kid likes magnetic tiles before spending on a bigger set, and a carry bag is included.
• Food-grade ABS plastic per the maker, in standard sizing that the maker says connects with other leading brands.

Know before buying

• The maker publishes no detail on plastic thickness or magnet strength, so quality versus the named brands is unproven.
• The maker says only that the magnets are "sealed" and does not describe how; it makes no rivet claim, and a cracked tile that frees a magnet is the real hazard around young kids.
• The box holds 36 tiles and is priced close to a 100-piece PicassoTiles set.

See our pick instead See it at Amazon anyway Read our detailed assessment ↓

How we judged the field

Magnetic tiles live or die on three things: how the magnets are secured (whether a dropped tile can free one), what the plastic is made of, and how many pieces you get for the money. Because the major brands use the same 3-inch square footprint, sets mix, which means the decision is really about how much construction quality you want per dollar.

We picked the original tile that invented the category, the value set with the lowest cost per piece, a wooden magnetic take that plays completely differently, and the budget clone tier you will meet first in search results. Everything below comes from the makers’ own pages; we do not test products ourselves.

Magna-Tiles is the original, and the engineering still justifies the premium. The tiles are food-grade MABS plastic (BPA-, phthalate- and latex-free, the same material the company says it has used since 1997) with a signature internal lattice that it says prevents cracking. The magnets are ceramic ferrite pieces held in place by rivets rather than glue. That rivet is the load-bearing detail in the whole category, and it is why the maker can say it has never had a product recall in more than 25 years.

The 32-piece Classic set is the standard starter: 14 squares, 2 large squares, 8 equilateral triangles, 4 right triangles and 4 isosceles triangles in bright translucent colors, sized for little hands and expandable with any Classic, microMAGS or themed set. The knock is the price per tile, several times the value competition, and the fact that 32 pieces vanishes fast once a kid wants to build a castle. Buy it when the child might get more sets later and you want the foundation to be the good one.

PicassoTiles built its name on being the value answer, and the PT100 is the flagship: 100 pieces for less than Magna-Tiles charges for 32, which works out to the lowest cost per tile of any named brand here. The mix is practical, heavy on squares (8 large, 46 small) with three triangle sizes (20 small, 12 medium, 14 tall), so kids can assemble walls and roofs without running out of the pieces that matter. The maker rates it 3 and up and its listing graphics call it BPA free.

PicassoTiles publishes less than Magna-Tiles about the plastic type and how the magnets are secured, so the quality gap is unproven either way. It only promises compatibility with its own full-sized sets, though the 3-inch small squares match the Magna-Tiles footprint. For a gift, this is the set that delivers the most play per dollar.

Tegu is not a tile: it is a magnetic wooden block, milled from sustainably sourced hardwood and finished in water-based lacquer, with magnets in the blocks. The 24-piece set comes in six shapes (4 medium columns, 4 mega planks, 6 long planks, 4 short planks, 4 cubes and 2 parallelograms) and plays differently: vehicles, figures, towers, the kind of building that favors chunky geometry over big flat walls. As an object it is the nicest thing here by a wide margin. The company designs in the USA and runs its own factory outside Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and the set is safety tested for ages 1 and up.

Whether it is right for your kid is the question. The blocks suit chunky stacking more than big flat walls, and the price per piece is several times that of the plastic tiles. It makes sense as a keepsake gift or for younger kids in the one-to-four range who want something tactile; a six-year-old who wants to build a city wants tiles. One practical caveat: tegu.com listed the 24-piece set as sold out at last check.

Coodoo is the clone tier that floods the search results: a 36-piece starter box with a carry bag, sold under a listing title that runs to Montessori and classroom keywords. It is the same class of product as the two plastic sets above, which is exactly why it loses. The maker says the tiles are food-grade ABS in standard sizing that connects with other leading brands, and that the magnets are “sealed”, without saying how. There is no rivet claim. The maker publishes nothing on plastic thickness or magnet strength, and a cracked tile that frees a magnet is the hazard the rivet is there to prevent.

The decisive problem is arithmetic. The PicassoTiles PT100 costs a little more and gives you 100 pieces instead of 36. The clone tier only wins if you count nothing but the sticker price and want the smallest possible box.

Magna-Tiles vs PicassoTiles: which should you buy?

Both are buys; the difference is intent. Magna-Tiles is the better-made object: rivets, MABS, a safety lattice, and a recall-free history the maker states. PicassoTiles is the better value: a matching 3-inch footprint and more than triple the pieces for less money.

For a first set you intend to grow into a collection, start with Magna-Tiles and add PicassoTiles volume later. For a gift where the goal is maximum wow-per-dollar on open-ended play, the PT100 delivers more pieces to play with on day one.

What to look for

• Rivets over glued or sealed magnets: the magnet retention method is the safety-critical spec in this category, and only one maker here describes it.
• Price per piece, not box price: count the pieces before comparing listings; a 36-tile box and a 100-tile box can be priced close together.
• Square-heavy mixes: squares build walls and floors; sets that are triangle-heavy frustrate beginners.
• Standard 3-inch footprint: keeps your options open for mixing and expanding later.
• Ages 3+ rating: the small-magnet risk lives in cracked tiles, which is why the construction method matters.
• Real play life: durable tiles last through years of play; the cheapest set may not be the cheapest per year of play.

Our final take

Buy Magna-Tiles Classic 32 if you want the original and plan to build a collection that outlasts a childhood. Buy PicassoTiles PT100 if the goal is a big box of tiles for the least money from an established brand. Choose Tegu when the gift should feel like an heirloom rather than a toy bin staple, if it is in stock. Skip the Coodoo tier: at this price, PicassoTiles already answered the question better.

Deciding between the top two? See our head-to-head: Magna-Tiles Classic 32-Piece vs PicassoTiles Classic 100-Piece (PT100).

More in Baby & Family

Magna-Tiles Classic 32-Piece vs PicassoTiles Classic 100-Piece (PT100) Head-to-head → The Best Nursery Blackout Curtains and Blinds: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) The Best Nursery Gliders and Rocking Chairs: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) The Best Nursery Humidifiers: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) The Best Nursing Pillows: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) The Best Pack 'n Plays: 4 Compared (and One to Skip)