Bacterial ID Virtual Lab vs Solve the Outbreak
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bacterial ID Virtual Lab
Explore the science and methods for identifying bacteria using DNA sequences. This interactive virtual lab simulates modern techniques applicable in research and forensics. It's designed for high school biology students and science enthusiasts.
- Learn DNA sequencing techniques
- Identify different bacteria types
- Simulates real-world lab methods
- Applicable to research and forensics
- Interactive virtual lab environment
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Learn about the science and techniques used to identify different types of bacteria based on their DNA sequences. Not long ago, DNA sequencing was a time-consuming, tedious process. With readily available commercial equipment and kits, it is now routine. The techniques used in this lab are applicable in a wide variety of settings, including scientific research and forensic labs. This app is geared for high school biology students and anyone interested in the biological sciences. The Bacterial ID Virtual Lab was first released in 2000 as a browser-based interactive lab. Since its inception, it and the other HHMI Virtual Labs have won several awards, including the Pirelli INTERNETional Award's top prize in 2002. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is a nonprofit medical research organization that ranks as one of the nation’s largest philanthropies. HHMI plays a powerful role in advancing biomedical research and science education. HHMI brings the latest biomedical research into the classroom with the award-winning BioInteractive website and the Holiday Lectures on Science. BioInteractive features free resources for science education, including animations, videos, interactive features, and classroom materials. The Holiday Lectures on Science feature world-class scientists who bring their leading-edge research to the classroom.
Solve the Outbreak
Become a Disease Detective and solve simulated outbreaks by analyzing clues and data. Make critical decisions to contain diseases and save lives, earning badges and climbing ranks. Learn about real-world disease investigation in an engaging, game-like experience.
- Solve simulated outbreaks
- Analyze clues and data
- Make critical decisions
- Earn badges and ranks
- Learn about diseases
- Challenge friends
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Your mission, if you choose to accept, is to get clues and analyze data to solve the outbreak and save lives! In this fun app, you get to be a Disease Detective. Do you quarantine the village? Interview people who are sick? Run more lab tests? The better your answers, the higher your score - and the quicker you’ll climb the ranks to become a decorated Disease Detective. In level 1, you’ll start as a Trainee and earn badges by solving scenarios — with the goal of earning the top rank: Disease Detective. Unlock Level 2 by mastering all the 12 outbreaks of Level 1. Then earn honors by solving new and more challenging scenarios. Earn recognitions like Surveillance and Treatment Honors. New outbreaks happen every day and CDC's Disease Detectives are on the front lines — working 24/7 to save lives and protect people. When a new outbreak occurs, Disease Detectives are sent in to figure out how the outbreak started before it spreads further. In this app, you'll also: • Learn about diseases and outbreaks in an engaging way. • See how CDC's Disease Detectives save lives around the world. • Have the option to post your scores on Facebook or Twitter and challenge your friends to play!
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Solve the Outbreak at 4.6 against Bacterial ID Virtual Lab's 3.7. Solve the Outbreak also leads on review sentiment (96% vs 75%) and update cadence (every 5 months vs every 14 months). Bacterial ID Virtual Lab's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Solve the Outbreak holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Solve the Outbreak has 60 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Bacterial ID Virtual Lab's written reviews are positive against 96% of Solve the Outbreak's.
Bacterial ID Virtual Lab ships an update every 14 months, Solve the Outbreak every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on June 4, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bacterial ID Virtual Lab | Solve the Outbreak |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (9 ratings) | 4.6 (60 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | 95.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 9 | 60 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 14 months | Every 5 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 258 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Howard Hughes Medical Institute | Centers For Disease Control and Prevention |
Customer experience
Bacterial ID Virtual Lab
Solve the Outbreak
Bugs and requests
Bacterial ID Virtual Lab
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Solve the Outbreak
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashes when attempting to reset scores in settings
- Old scores and progress remain after reset attempt
- Accidental question selection due to bottom screen placement
Requested features
10 requests- Add more outbreak cases and scenarios
- Create harder difficulty levels for advanced players
- Include visual aids and images for better understanding
- Add background music and sound effects
- Implement branching storylines with different outcomes
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- Create Level 3 with more complex cases
- Add ability for users to create custom outbreaks
- Improve text size and readability on smaller screens
- Release app on iPhone in addition to iPad
- Include more historical and special plague scenarios
In-app purchases
Bacterial ID Virtual Lab
No in-app purchases
Solve the Outbreak
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Bacterial ID Virtual Lab free?
Is Solve the Outbreak free?
Which has better reviews, Bacterial ID Virtual Lab or Solve the Outbreak?
Do Bacterial ID Virtual Lab or Solve the Outbreak have ads?
Which is updated more often, Bacterial ID Virtual Lab or Solve the Outbreak?
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