Top 6 compared
The best magnetic tiles
Towers, garages and rockets that click together in seconds, and a toy that still gets played with years later.
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The top 6 at a glance
Magnetic tiles are flat plastic shapes, mostly squares and triangles, with magnets built into the edges, so they snap together into walls, towers and rockets and pull apart again in a second. Plain sets are all tiles; others add windows, rectangles or car bases that roll under a build. They’re made for children from about three, and older ones often keep coming back to them.
Most brands use a square of about 7.6 cm (3 in), so tiles from different sets usually build together and a collection can grow one box at a time. Check the tiles now and then: Health Canada advises throwing out any toy with a magnet that has come loose, as swallowed magnets can pull together inside the body.
What matters
- Enough pieces for everyone who’ll be building at once.
- Extras such as car bases or windows, for play after the build.
- A storage bag, so every piece goes home again.
#1FNJO Magnetic Tiles, 110 Pieces (FN-110)
$30–$50
Magnets sealed into the frames hold a tall castle together, and with 110 tiles in all the basic shapes and colours there are plenty for a family building at once. A book of build ideas comes in the box, and the tiles join most other brands’ sets, at well under the big names’ price.
What owners say: Owners rate the quality highly, some above their children’s building bricks, and find the magnets strong enough for ambitious builds; small hands manage them easily, and children of every age get pulled in.
A closer look: There’s no storage bag in the box, so a lidded bin or a fabric tote keeps all 110 pieces together between builds. When the ideas run dry, the book has builds to copy, and working through one together makes a good first project for a three-year-old.
- Magnets sealed into the frames
- Fits most other tile brands
- Rainbow shadows in sunlight
- BPA-free, safety-tested plastic
- Round edges
Best for: Families building together
- Pieces
- 110
- Extras
- Idea book
- Storage bag
- No
- Ages
- 3+
#2MAGNA-TILES Classic 100-Piece Set (Clear Colours)
$150–$200
The original magnetic tiles. MAGNA-TILES date from 1997, when Rudy Valenta’s Valtech began selling them, and this is still the set a collection grows from: 100 translucent tiles, 54 squares and 46 triangles, each braced inside against cracking with rivets holding the magnets in.
What owners say: Owners describe a toy that stays loved for years, with magnets strong enough for tall builds and riveted firmly in place, and they rate the build quality and the feel of the tiles. Price alone divides them.
A closer look: A hundred pieces is enough for two children to build side by side without running short of squares. Build on a window ledge and the colours throw stained-glass light across the floor; a shallow bin keeps the pieces easy to find and quick to put away.
- Braced inside against cracking
- Joins every MAGNA-TILES set
- 6 translucent colours
- Throws stained-glass light
- The original, since 1997
Best for: Building big, for years
- Pieces
- 100
- Extras
- None (tiles only)
- Storage bag
- No
- Ages
- 3+
#3MAGNA-TILES Classic 32-Piece Set (Clear Colours)
$50–$75
The same tiles as the big set, 32 of them: 16 squares and 16 triangles in six colours, enough for a house, a garage or a rocket at a time. It’s the way into the brand without the big set’s outlay, and every piece joins the 100-piece set later.
What owners say: Children reach for them again and again, owners say, and the tiles last for years with magnets that hold firm. Some feel 32 pieces is a lot to pay for.
A closer look: Thirty-two tiles builds one thing at a time, so it suits a single child or a travel bag more than a playroom shared by three. Keep the box: it’s the simplest way to count the pieces back in, and a second set doubles what can be built.
- Adds to any MAGNA-TILES set
- Braced inside against cracking
- 6 translucent colours
- Suits a travel bag
Best for: A small set from the original
- Pieces
- 32
- Extras
- None (tiles only)
- Storage bag
- No
- Ages
- 3+
#4Coodoo Magnetic Tiles Starter Set, 40 Pieces
$20–$30
A starter set of 40 rainbow-coloured tiles with a bag to keep them in, made to the usual 7.6 cm (3 in) size so they join a bigger set from another main brand later. Each tile is sealed, with a cross-shaped brace inside that the maker says keeps it from cracking easily.
What owners say: Grandparents mention happy afternoons building alongside the grandchildren, and owners find the magnets strong, the tiles sturdy and the set good value. Children are kept busy and creative with it, they say.
A closer look: Forty tiles makes a house or a rocket at a time rather than a whole town, so it suits one child, a first go or adding to a bigger collection. Sort the tiles back into the bag by shape at clean-up time, and the next build starts quicker.
- 7.6 cm (3 in) tiles
- Fits other main brands
- Braced to resist cracking
- Food-grade plastic
- Rainbow colours
Best for: One child’s first tiles
- Pieces
- 40
- Extras
- None (tiles only)
- Storage bag
- Yes
- Ages
- 3–14
#5cossy 120-Piece Magnetic Tiles with 2 Cars
$30–$50
The most pieces here: 120, with windows, rectangles and tall triangles as well as the usual squares, and two car bases that click under a tile and roll. The edges are rounded for small hands, and the tiles match the big brands’ size, so they build onto a set from elsewhere.
What owners say: Toddlers stay busy with them for hours and older children still join in, owners find, and the magnets hold well; plenty say they’d happily buy another set.
A closer look: Start the cars on a ramp made from a big tile propped on a book and the garage will follow by itself. The tall triangles make pointed roofs and the rectangles bridge gaps between towers; sort the shapes into a tray before the first build so the new ones get used.
- Windows, rectangles and tall triangles
- Rounded edges for small hands
- Same size as big brands
Best for: Lots of pieces, with cars
- Pieces
- 120
- Extras
- 2 car bases
- Storage bag
- No
- Ages
- 3+
#6PicassoTiles 100-Piece Magnetic Tile Set (PT100)
$50–$75
A hundred clear, jewel-coloured tiles with magnets in every edge, including eight large squares for walls and floors, so castles and garages stand up. They join any other full-size PicassoTiles set as the collection grows.
What owners say: Owners say children never tire of the shapes and colours and find all sorts of things to build; opinion is divided on how strong the magnets are and how well the tiles stand up to knocks.
A closer look: Eight large squares go a long way: use them as floors and roofs and the small squares as walls, and a castle stands up in minutes. The tall triangles make spires and rocket noses, and because the set is scalable with the other full-size PicassoTiles sets, a second box later doubles what can be built.
- Magnets in every edge
- Clear, jewel-coloured tiles
- Tall triangles for spires
- Joins full-size PicassoTiles sets
Best for: A set that grows
- Pieces
- 100
- Extras
- None (tiles only)
- Storage bag
- No
- Ages
- 3+
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 6.
| Feature | #1FNJO 110 | #2MAGNA-TILES 100 | #3MAGNA-TILES 32 | #4Coodoo 40 | #5cossy 120 | #6PicassoTiles 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best premium | Best budget | Most pieces | |||
| Picked Rating | 9.6 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.4 |
| Price | $30–$50 | $150–$200 | $50–$75 | $20–$30 | $30–$50 | $50–$75 |
| Pieces | 110 | 100 | 32 | 40 | 120 | 100 |
| Extras | Idea book | None (tiles only) | None (tiles only) | None (tiles only) | 2 car bases | None (tiles only) |
| Storage bag | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Ages | 3+ | 3+ | 3+ | 3–14 | 3+ | 3+ |
| Best for | Families building together | Building big, for years | A small set from the original | One child’s first tiles | Lots of pieces, with cars | A set that grows |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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