Comparison

Wind Tunnel Free vs Engine Lab

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

Head to head
About

Wind Tunnel Free

Simulate fluid dynamics on your mobile device. Draw obstacles and observe how fluids flow around them. Experiment with various shapes, sizes, and visualization modes to understand aerodynamic principles.

Highlights
  • Draw obstacles
  • Fluid flow simulation
  • Multiple visualization modes
  • Adjustable wind speed
  • Interactive touch actions
  • Preset models
Read full description

Turn your iPad/iPhone into a wind tunnel simulator ! Draw obstacles and watch the fluid flow around. Experiment with different sizes, shapes, aerodynamic profiles and see what happens ! Tap the blue button to bring application controls. Three segmented controls let you choose between: • 4 touch actions:  interact with the fluid, draw walls, insert smoke probe, use eraser tool. • 4 visualization modes:  particles, smoke, pressure field, velocity field. • 2 simulation modes:  wind tunnel (with adjustable wind speed), free mode (with no constrained wind). If you are interested in more options, check out Wind Tunnel, the paid version of this app, with many more features! New in version 1.5.1: - updated for iOS 9 New in version 1.5: - improved retina graphics - new simulation engine for dual-core devices - iPhone 5 support - other graphic improvements New in version 1.3: - Much more accurate fluid simulation engine. - Visualization of velocity field, with this color scheme : black (fluid at rest), blue, red, yellow (highest speed). - New preset models (try "swirl" !). - Ability to change smoke color : in "interact" touch action and "smoke" mode, double tap on the smoke source, at the top of the screen - Fixed bugs on boundary conditions. New in version 1.2: - Added support for older iphones and ipod touch (armv6) - Minor bug fixes - Added models of the "Lite" version Fluid motion is computed by solving Navier-Stokes equations, at high definition ( 23000 grid cells on ipad ) thanks to a well-optimized code taking the most out of CPU performance. Thank you all for your great comments.

About

Engine Lab

Design and simulate car engines, from single cylinders to V12s, and hear them run. Explore 3D models, test performance on a dyno, and even drive them with a simulated gearbox. Share your creations and compare them with others.

Highlights
  • Build custom engines
  • Hear engines idle and rev
  • 3D engine visualization
  • Simulated dyno testing
  • Manual/automatic gearbox simulation
  • Import and share engine builds
Features
Read full description

Build an engine and hear it run. Engine Lab is a touch-first engine simulator: design anything from a single to a V12, then hear it idle, rev and pull to the limiter, live on your iPhone or iPad. BUILD BENCH • Start from 317 real engines with their published bore, stroke, compression and firing order, or design your own. • Set the layout, 1 to 12 cylinders, bore, stroke, firing order and redline. • Hear each change as you make it, and hold to rev. • Try different headers, exhausts and mufflers. • Compare against a saved version by ear or on the dyno. SEE IT IN 3D • Every engine, including your own builds, becomes a 3D model driven by the live simulation: pistons, crank, cams, valves and glowing headers. • Orbit, zoom, slow it down, switch between X-ray and solid, and tap any part for live readings. The classic 2D cutaway is one tap away. DRIVE IT • Manual or automatic gearbox with clutch and road speed, plus a gearing chart with top speed in each gear. • Simulated dyno pulls with torque and power curves. • Six built-in engines: Honda B18C5 VTEC, Honda TRX520 single, BMW M52B28, Toyota 2JZ, Audi 2.3 inline-5 and GM LS V8. IMPORT AND SHARE • Import engine-sim .mr scripts and share your builds as .mr files. • Export a WAV recorded by the on-device simulator. No account, network service or microphone permission is required. An optional one-time Pro purchase opens every catalog engine, the Specialists and Masters challenges, advanced tuning and unlimited saved builds; the free plan includes 20 catalog engines and keeps three builds. Values are simulated estimates for exploration, not certified engineering measurements.

Screenshots

Wind Tunnel Free2 screens
Engine Lab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Wind Tunnel Free at none against Engine Lab's 1. Wind Tunnel Free also leads on review sentiment (82% vs 50%) and ratings volume (53 vs 12). On price, rating 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. Engine Lab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Wind Tunnel Free asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Wind Tunnel Free against 4.7 for Engine Lab. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 53 and 12 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of Wind Tunnel Free's written reviews are positive against 50% of Engine Lab's.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Wind Tunnel Free versus Engine Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWind Tunnel FreeEngine Lab
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (53 ratings) — better4.7 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews82.2% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings53 — better12
Update frequency—Every 9 days
Ads—No
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlgorizkJan Sokol

Customer experience

Wind Tunnel Free

All ratings47 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral2.1%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews157 reviews
Positive82.2%
Neutral6.4%
Negative11.5%

Engine Lab

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Wind Tunnel Free

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Engine Lab

One-time1
  • Engine Lab Pro$4.99

Questions

Is Wind Tunnel Free free?
Wind Tunnel Free is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Engine Lab free?
Engine Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Wind Tunnel Free or Engine Lab?
Wind Tunnel Free is rated higher. Wind Tunnel Free averages 4.7 out of 5 from 53 ratings, while Engine Lab averages 4.7 from 12 ratings.

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