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12 Quality Cheap LEGO Alternatives for Adults in 2024

12 Quality Cheap LEGO Alternatives for Adults in 2024

    • Lego blocks are a toy that is popular with both kids and adults. But if you have every gone shopping for Lego sets or Lego kits you may find that they can be a bit expensive. So there are many people want to search out cheaper alternatives to Lego. While many are just cheap imitations of the real thing, there are still a few that do things differently from LEGO worth looking at. Is there a cheaper version of Lego?What is the best fake Lego? Where can I find cheap LEGO Alternatives?

Cover Photo:knex's facebook

What is Lego? 

The Lego Group based in Denmark began manufacturing interlocking plastic building bricks called Lego in 1949.Lego are small plastic building blocks loved by adults and children. Legos come in every size, color and shape imaginable with amazingly creative kits to enhance STEM and allow hours of building creativity. 

Lego building sets are creative building works of art that resemble realistic things.  You can find train set Lego, Star Wars Lego, Lego buildings, Lego airplanes and so much more.  Checkout the best selling consumer choice Lego sets.

Why is Lego So Expensive?

The short answer you are paying for a brand, licencing and retail mark up. You are also paying for hours of set creation when it comes to Lego kits.  Supply and demand also come into play with pricing toys that include Lego.

Why Choose Lego alternatives?

  1. For many, one of the main reasons to look at LEGO alternatives or knockoffs is the price. LEGO sets can be expensive, so your options are quite limited if you’re on a tight budget. Other brands can offer you more pieces and bigger builds for less than LEGO.

  2. The other main reason to go with a knockoff is simply for more options. A knockoff may produce sets LEGO never would (or hasn’t gotten around to).

Where is The Cheapest Place to Buy Lego?

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Top 12 Cheap and Good LEGO Alternatives 

When it comes to quality and selection of sets, Kre-O definitely comes the closest to matching LEGO. Kre-O does both licensed and original builds, with a focus more so on the former. You’ll find sets from popular franchises such as Transformers and Star Trek , finally giving fans of those IPs builds comparable to the LEGO sets IPs like Star Wars and Marvel have been getting for years.

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Source:walmart's facebook

The original offerings are far more limited, with the only currently running original theme being Cityville Invasion , which does offer some nice city-based sets that younger builders, in particular, are sure to love. Hopefully, we can expect more original builds from Kre-O in the future.

K’nex are the perfect building tool for those interested in moving pieces and varying creativity.  K’nex aren’t like Lego in the brick sense but K’nex are still used to build machines, towers and bridges.  The bricks you are use to with Lego are now plastic rods, wheels and gears in K’nex.

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Source:knex's facebook

KNEX Architecture is a new line of Building Sets based on the world’s greatest architectural designs. Think outside the blocks with K'NEX, a building system featuring rods and connectors that snap together with a satisfying "click" and can be configured into amazing, moving designs of all shapes and sizes.

If you’re looking for the bigger type of lego blocks, I recommend the Mega Bloks brand. Both their big and small pieces are of good quality and have no issue locking together.From the same company that produces MEGA CONSTRUX, MEGA BLOKS is much more of a DUPLO alternative. The bricks are larger and thus safer and easier for young kids to use. They do sell multiple sets, including some licensed ones, but the best part of MEGA BLOKS is that they sell multiple large tubs of blocks. Not only is a gift like that fun for young kids to build with, but it also allows them to explore creative thinking in a safe and simple way.

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Source:megabloks.com

Due to the larger size of MEGA BLOKS, they cannot be used with regular-sized bricks. They can work with Duplo, but it is limited. MEGA BLOKS can be attached to the top of Duplo, but not the other way around.

Up next is MEGA CONSTRUX, which also focuses mainly on licensed sets. The bricks, while not comparable to LEGO, are still better than most knockoffs. The licensed sets cover some big names like Call of DutyHalo, and even Pokémon . The builds all look great and are faithful to the source material. Great for fans of those franchises, but it’s a shame that MEGA CONSTRUX doesn’t have more to appeal to a general audience.

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Source:megaconstrux.com

Fortunately, they do sell bulk cases of bricks at considerably cheaper prices than LEGO, so that is something worth noting for people just after more bricks.

When it comes to military-themed sets, LEGO has always kept its distance. But that does open the door open for smaller brands, like Sluban, to fill that niche. While Sluban’s military theme is its broadest, it does do other themes based on real-life vehicles and occupations such as the constructioncity, and firefighting themes.

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Source:sluban's facebook

Much like most LEGO knockoffs, you might have some problems with loose bricks, but if you want sets based squarely in the real-world while still giving off that brick-built charm, Sluban is the best choice.Sluban is quite a bit cheaper than LEGO and they offer a wide variety of kits. However, for some kits, customers mentioned that the completed toy didn’t stay together well.

Out of the brands mentioned so far, BanBao definitely has the best selection of original sets. It does both real-life and fictional sets , along with some licensed sets centered around the Peanuts franchise.

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Source:amazon.com

The quality across sets can be a bit hit or miss, but the large selection of original sets does make them worth looking at. There are also some sets aimed at younger builders, with simpler builds and more cartoony figures.

If you’re looking for brick builds that do things completely differently from LEGO, Laser Pegs should give you what you’re looking for in a novel way. All of Laser Peg’s sets use transparent bricks and light-up power bricks to create this unique glowing style.

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Source:laserpegs's facebook

This certainly isn’t for everyone, but for younger builders, the fun of creating light up cars and helicopters might make it worth choosing Laser Pegs over other brands. And for those looking to repurpose sets, the transparent bricks can give a neon look to normal builds if used sparingly.

Cobi’s builds certainly stand apart from LEGO and other knockoffs. Its builds have a much smoother appearance as they use larger pieces of plastic for the exteriors of builds. This gives them a unique style, but it does limit how much you can repurpose the bricks from each set.Cobi construction blocks are extremely popular among people aged 5 to 105 years old. It makes everyone happy to build and assemble various constructions for hours, inspiring imagination and fantasy. 

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Source:cobi.pl

But with Cobi mostly focusing on real-life cars and planes , it can actually make the sets more appealing to those looking for display pieces. It makes them closer to normal model planes and cars, although this hikes up the price per piece considerably.

If you are looking for a great beginner Lego type building set Nano Blocks is a great cheap alternative to Lego. The sets are creative and simple perfect for the beginner builder. 

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Source:nanoblockus.com

While Nanoblocks appear to be compatible with LEGO, they do NOT work with LEGO. The bricks are smaller and won’t snap to LEGO. The smaller bricks offer more detailed builds. Some of the architectural-inspired kits look amazing

While I certainly wouldn't call Magformers cheap, I think they are a great alternative to LEGO and allow you to build in a different way.As they have magnets don’t expect these pieces to be cheaper than LEGO. In fact, these pieces are quite expensive at around a dollar apiece. That being said, if you wait for a sale you should be able to find them for less than that.

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Source:magformers's facebook

These certainly don't replace a LEGO-type set but they are certainly more convenient to take with you on a road trip.  Many people like the size of the pieces and it's even nice that they stick together so easily.

Girls love to play with building blocks just as much as boys do. Despite that, most of today’s building sets are geared towards boys. This leaves some girls disinterested in the same sets that can give them a headstart in their creative and problem-solving skills.

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Source:amazon.com

It’s Roominate’s theory that some of this bias in building sets has lead to boys being 6 times more interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. They’re trying to close that gap with a product that appeals to girls.With lights, motors, and modular pieces that allow girls to build and design just about anything they want to, Roominate is a great option for girls that love to build.

Want to get a lot of LEGO-type building bricks for cheap? Fun Little Toys has an 1100 piece set for just $25!No, they're not as good of quality as LEGO and that's not what you're really buying here.I'd recommend a set like this for someone who just wants a very basic building block collection for their kids who maybe use it just once in a while.

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Source:amazon.com

The parts do fit with Lego; however, I find they get stuck or are sometimes too loose.Overall, get this for the kid that just wants a bunch of bricks to tinker around with. Don't get this for the kid who already has a substantial LEGO collection.

Read More:

The 16 Most Expensive and Valuable LEGO Sets in the World 2024 (Sale+8% Cashback)

Top 10 of the Most Complicated LEGO Technic Sets to Build for Adults 2024

Top 9 Affordable Alternatives to Lego Mindstorms in 2024

LEGO vs. Mega Bloks vs. Playmobil vs. K'Nex: Which is Right for You?

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2021-02-06 22:4739933