Comparison

Optics vs Light Lab

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Optics

This app allows users to simulate various optical phenomena, including light sources, reflection, and refraction. It supports ideal lenses and mirrors, and includes tools for angular measurement. It's designed for educational purposes, helping users visualize and understand optics concepts.

Highlights
  • Simulate beam and point light sources
  • Simulate reflection in plane or arc mirrors
  • Simulate refraction in plane or arc interfaces
  • Simulate ideal lens/mirror equations
  • Angular measurement tool
Features
Read full description

Optics simulation ▶Simulate various light sources:beam, and point source ▶Simulate reflection in plane or arc mirror ▶Simulate refraction in plane or arc interfaces, including both refracted and reflected rays ▶Simulate ideal lens/mirror, which obeys lens/mirror equation ▶Angular measurement

About

Light Lab

Features
Read full description

Move light. Refract it. Reflect it. Light Lab is an interactive science app where you learn by playing with light. 【Discover the Magic of Light】 Touch the screen and move the light source. Rotate lenses and change refractive indices. Watch light rays change in real-time! Create rainbows, bounce light off mirrors. "Why does this happen?" As you play, you'll naturally understand how light works. 【Perfect For】 ・Students learning about light in elementary or middle school ・Anyone studying light propagation, reflection, and refraction ・Teachers who want to make science class more engaging ・Anyone curious about optics 【What You Can Do】 ◆ Real-Time Light Manipulation Move light sources and lenses to see light rays change instantly. Rotation, translation, refractive index changes—all operations reflect in real-time. ◆ Place Various Lenses Triangular prisms, convex lenses, concave lenses, diamonds, spheres, mirrors, and more. Place up to 10 lenses simultaneously to recreate complex light behaviors. ※2 lens types are free (triangle prism, biconvex lens) ◆ 3 Types of Light Sources ・Parallel: Like sunlight ・Spotlight: Like a light bulb ・Dispersion: Rainbow-colored light ◆ Create Animations Save lens and light arrangements as "scenes." Connect multiple scenes to create animations showing how light transforms. ◆ Save and Share Save your creations in the app. Generate QR codes to share with friends and classmates. 【For Teachers】 Designed as an educational tool for classroom use. ・Visually understand light propagation, reflection, and refraction ・Simulate phenomena that are difficult to explain, like total internal reflection and dispersion ・Students can experiment independently—perfect for inquiry-based learning ・Save and share scenes as teaching materials Try it for free first! 【Features in Detail】 <Light Source Adjustments> ・Position and rotation ・Adjust number of rays and width <Lens Adjustments> ・Position and rotation ・Refractive index settings ・Size adjustment ・Curvature adjustment for convex and concave lenses <Scene Features> ・Create up to 5 scenes ・Smooth animations between scenes <File Features> ・Local saving ・QR code sharing 【Pricing】 Basic features are free. ◆ Lens Unlock ($5.99/ One-time purchase) Unlock premium lenses (plano-convex lens, biconcave lens, diamond, sphere, mirror, reflector). ◆ Lens Ticket Issuing Feature ($11.99/ One-time purchase) ※Requires "Lens Unlock" purchase first Generate QR codes to unlock all lenses on other devices for 1 year. Tickets can be issued repeatedly—perfect for teachers adopting the app school-wide or classroom-wide. 【Privacy】 ・No personal information is collected ・Works offline by default ・Internet connection required only for accurate time retrieval when using Lens Ticket feature 【Requirements】 ・iPhone / iPad ・iOS 16.0 or later 【Support】 Detailed instructions are available in the in-app "How to Use" menu. For questions, contact us via the support page. Bring the world of light closer. Let's play with light!

Screenshots

Optics4 screens
Light Lab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Optics at 7.0 against Light Lab's 16.6. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Optics sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Light Lab sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Optics versus Light Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpticsLight Lab
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews25.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS7.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size86 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer继岭 陈THSS

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Optics

One-time1
  • Professional$0.99
2 purchases

Light Lab

One-time2
  • Purchase all lenses$4.99
  • Lens Ticket Issuance Function$9.99

Questions

Is Optics free?
Optics is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Light Lab free?
Light Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Optics or Light Lab have ads?
Neither Optics nor Light Lab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Optics or Light Lab?
Optics ships an update every 3 months, and Light Lab every 3 months. Most recently, Optics was updated on October 4, 2026 and Light Lab on October 2, 2026.

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