Comparison

MEL VR Science Simulations vs BioDive

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

Head to head
About

MEL VR Science Simulations

Explore chemistry and physics through immersive virtual reality simulations and interactive labs. This app transforms learning complex scientific concepts into an engaging and entertaining experience, perfect for students and educators.

Highlights
  • Virtual reality science simulations
  • Interactive labs and lessons
  • Chemistry and physics curriculum alignment
  • Molecular and atomic level exploration
  • Interactive periodic table
  • Over 70 VR lessons, labs, and simulations
Features
Read full description

MEL VR Science Simulations is a growing series of science simulations, lessons, and labs covering chemistry and physics. Made to fit right into the school curriculum, virtual reality turns studying into an interactive and immersive experience, making learning entertaining. Become a researcher in a scientific laboratory You will enter the MEL Virtual Laboratory, where you will zoom in on such seemingly simple objects like a pencil or a balloon, fly between molecules and atoms, and understand the differences between solids and gaseous substances at a molecular level! Immerse yourself in the world of chemistry and physics and see how it looks from the inside. With the virtual reality glasses you will see chemical compounds and physical reactions inside everyday objects. Don’t memorize, understand! It’s not enough to memorize formulas from a textbook. To understand the concepts of science, shrink down to the molecular and atomic level, immerse yourself in different types of matter and see how atoms and molecules interact from a whole new perspective. Online school in virtual reality It is difficult to retain the attention of children with formulas and boring textbooks. Immersed in virtual reality, nothing distracts from study. Short 5-minute VR lessons, interactive labs, and simulations are an excellent way to understand complex chemical and physical concepts through engaging visualizations. With MEL VR Science Simulations, science becomes a favorite subject at home and at school. To cover all the main topics, at present the application contains a growing library of over 70 VR lessons, labs, and simulations: Discover that an atom consists of a tiny nucleus, surrounded by an electron cloud. Learn about the three main subatomic particles: electrons, protons and neutrons. You will see how atoms are arranged in ordinary items like pencils and balloons. Find out that atoms in solids do not remain motionless, but are in motion all the time! Dive into gaseous helium and see how these atoms behave. What happens with atoms when the temperature increases? In the interactive laboratory you can assemble any atoms, and study the structure of their electron orbitals. Assemble any molecule and see how they take shape. Learn the difference between the structural and skeletal formula. Look at the real position of atoms in a molecule and the bonds between them. Use our interactive periodic table to find out how the periodic table is arranged. Why the elements are placed in this order, and what information you can learn from the position of an element in the periodic table. You can select any element, and see the structure of its atoms and electron configuration. MEL VR Science simulations also has lessons, labs, and simulations covering isotopes, electrons, ions,the periodic table, molecular formulas, isomers, electrostatics and much more. The future of education is already here, download the MEL VR Science simulations application right now! All content is also available to view in 2D. Language options available. For educational licensing or bulk purchasing, contact vr@melscience.com

About

BioDive

Immerse yourself in virtual reality marine biology expeditions. Students act as scientists, exploring diverse ocean ecosystems, collecting data, and documenting their findings in a digital journal to understand environmental impacts.

Highlights
  • Virtual reality ocean exploration
  • Scientific inquiry and data collection
  • Digital science journal
  • Collaboration with peers
  • Hypothesis formation
  • Diverse marine ecosystems
Features
Read full description

In BioDive, students are marine biologists who travel to international dive locations in VR. They will study the impact of abiotic factors on biotic factors across diverse marine ecosystems and then document their learning in their digital science journals in the companion website. As students move through the experience, they go between their own personal digital science journal (https://biodive.killersnails.com/) and expeditions in the field, including the Eastern Atlantic, Eastern Pacific, and Indo-Pacific Oceans. They make observations, collect data, collaborate with fellow scientists, and synthesize their knowledge to write formal hypotheses about the impact of variables on changes to different ocean ecosystems. Players must have access to the digital science journal to view more than the first scene. BioDive was developed by a team of science teachers and scientists to model the process of scientific inquiry and discovery. Students use their devices to make observations and use their laptops to manipulate data and synthesize observations to demonstrate learning. This game was created by an award-winning team co-founded by a practicing marine biochemist. BioDive was developed with support from the National Science Foundation!

Screenshots

MEL VR Science Simulations4 screens
BioDive3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BioDive at none against MEL VR Science Simulations's 8. MEL VR Science Simulations's advantage is rating (3.8 vs 3.4) and ratings volume (90 vs 5). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. MEL VR Science Simulations sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. BioDive asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MEL VR Science Simulations holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MEL VR Science Simulations has 90 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MEL VR Science Simulations ships an update every 2 months, BioDive every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and June 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
MEL VR Science Simulations versus BioDive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMEL VR Science SimulationsBioDive
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (90 ratings) — better3.4 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews56.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings90 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.1 GB372 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMEL Science LimitedKiller Snails

Customer experience

MEL VR Science Simulations

All ratings89 ratings
Positive68.5%
Neutral3.4%
Negative28.1%
Written reviews41 reviews
Positive56.1%
Neutral9.8%
Negative34.1%

BioDive

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

In-app purchases

8 purchases

MEL VR Science Simulations

One-time8
  • Atoms lessons pack$9.99
  • Periodic Table lessons pack$9.99
  • Molecules lessons pack$9.99
Show 5 more
  • Gas Laws lessons pack$9.99
  • Isomerism lessons pack$9.99
  • Electrostatics lessons pack$9.99
  • Temperature lessons pack$9.99
  • Substances lessons pack$9.99
None

BioDive

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MEL VR Science Simulations free?
MEL VR Science Simulations is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BioDive free?
BioDive is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MEL VR Science Simulations or BioDive?
MEL VR Science Simulations is rated higher. MEL VR Science Simulations averages 3.8 out of 5 from 90 ratings, while BioDive averages 3.4 from 5 ratings.
Do MEL VR Science Simulations or BioDive have ads?
Neither MEL VR Science Simulations nor BioDive shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MEL VR Science Simulations or BioDive?
MEL VR Science Simulations ships an update every 2 months, and BioDive every 4 months. Most recently, MEL VR Science Simulations was updated on September 30, 2026 and BioDive on June 11, 2026.

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