Comparison

Khan Academy vs Physics Lab AR

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

Head to head
About

Khan Academy

Access a vast library of free educational content, including interactive exercises, videos, and articles. Master subjects from math and science to humanities and finance at your own pace, with offline access and personalized learning paths.

Highlights
  • Thousands of interactive exercises, videos, and articles
  • Study math, science, economics, finance, grammar, history, and more
  • Practice exercises with instant feedback and hints
  • Offline content access
  • Personalized learning mastery system
  • Syncs progress with website account
Currently charting
Read full description

You can learn anything. For free. Spend an afternoon brushing up on statistics. Discover how the Krebs cycle works. Get a head start on next semester's geometry. Prepare for upcoming exams. Or, if you're feeling particularly adventurous, learn how fire-stick farming changes the landscape of Australia. Whether you're a student, teacher, homeschooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after 20 years, or a friendly alien trying to get a leg up in earthly biology — Khan Academy's personalized learning library is available to you, for free. - Learn anything, for free: Thousands of interactive exercises, videos, and articles at your fingertips. Study math, science, economics, finance, grammar, history, government, politics, and much, much more. - Sharpen your skills: Practice exercises, quizzes, and tests with instant feedback and step-by-step hints. Follow along with what you're learning in school, or practice at your own pace. - Keep learning when you're offline: Bookmark and download your favorite content to watch videos without an internet connection. - Pick up where you left off: Tailored to your current learning level, our mastery system gives instant feedback and recommendations on exactly which skills and videos to try next. And, if you choose to create a free account, your learning syncs with http://khanacademy.org, so your progress is always up-to-date across all your devices. Learn using expert-created videos, interactive exercises, and in-depth articles in math (arithmetic, pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics, calculus, differential equations, linear algebra), science (biology, chemistry, physics), economics (microeconomics, macroeconomics, finance and capital markets), humanities (art history, civics, finance, US history, US government and politics, world history), and more (including computer science principles)! Already familiar with the Khan Academy website? Not all functionality is available in this app. Community discussions, computer programming content, test prep, parent tools, teacher tools, and district tools should all be accessed directly at http://khanacademy.org. Khan Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, with the mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.

About

Physics Lab AR

Explore physics through interactive virtual experiments and augmented reality. Build and test electrical circuits with over 100 components, visualize electromagnetic fields, and even design your own galaxy. Ideal for students, teachers, and curious minds of all ages.

Highlights
  • Virtual lab with AR mode
  • Build 3D electric circuits
  • 100+ circuit components
  • Precise scientific calculations
  • Electromagnetic field visualization
  • Design custom galaxies
Features
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Are you a curious student eager to explore deeper into the physics world? Are you a science enthusiast who wants to share your ideas with others? Are you an adventurer bounded by textbook instructions and budget limits? Are you a romantic dreaming of having your own customized galaxy? Are you a teacher who wants to use fun and interactive demonstrations in your physics lessons? Learn science by doing experiments in your virtual lab with Physics Lab. With our new AR mode, you can even bring your experiments to life! In Physics Lab, you can play with various circuit components, build your own 3D electric circuits, and see how they work in real time. With 100+ circuit components to choose from (and more coming soon), the possibilities are endless. Plus, all of our experiments are backed by science and calculated with precise numbers, so you can learn and have fun at the same time. Physics Lab is not only for students, but for teachers too! Use it to demonstrate experiments in class, and help your students learn and explore in a new way. And because it's virtual, you don't have to worry about expensive lab equipment or safety concerns. Explore with freedom - Pick from 100+ circuit components (more coming!) - Drag them from the toolbox to the virtual desk and connect them the way you like - All experiment results are backed by science and calculated in precise numbers - Design your own galaxy or load from our solar system - Electromagnetic experiments with field line visualization Better than real life - Set properties of circuit components to different figures and observe changes of behavior and stats in real time - One-click to turn what you have built into an editable circuit diagram and vice versa - No expenses on lab equipments, no worry about safety issues A lab for everyone - Teachers have been using Physics Lab to demonstrate experiments and assist teaching in class - Students, in primary or high schools, can learn science and explore freely anywhere, anytime - Kids or not, curious minds now have their own virtual lab to learn knowledge by doing experiments Whether you're a teacher, student, or just someone who loves learning about physics, Physics Lab has something for everyone. Connect with us and let us know what you think, and check out our subscription options to access even more experiments and components. We can't wait to see what you create! Email: turtlesim@u.northwestern.edu =========================== Concerning Component Subscription During your subscription period, you will have access to all paid components for free, including future ones. 1) Subscription periods are one month long and will be charged to your iTunes Account at the time of purchase. 2) Your subscription is linked to your Physics Lab account. 3) You will be charged for renewals 24 hours before the end of the current period, and will be notified of the cost. 4) You can manage your subscriptions at any time in your Account Settings. 5) By purchasing a subscription, you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Terms of Use: https://static.turtlesim.com/products/Term-Of-Use.txt Privacy Policy: https://static.turtlesim.com/products/Privacy-Policy.txt

Screenshots

Khan Academy4 screens
Physics Lab AR4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Khan Academy at none against Physics Lab AR's 7. Khan Academy also leads on review sentiment (74% vs 47%) and ratings volume (110K vs 1.8K). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Physics Lab AR sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Khan Academy asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Khan Academy against 4.7 for Physics Lab AR. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Khan Academy has 110K ratings behind it against 1.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 74% of Khan Academy's written reviews are positive against 47% of Physics Lab AR's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Khan Academy ships an update every 6 weeks, Physics Lab AR every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Khan Academy versus Physics Lab AR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKhan AcademyPhysics Lab AR
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (110K ratings)4.7 (1.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.3% of reviews — better47.1% of reviews
Number of ratings110K — better1.8K
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#60 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB177 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperKhan AcademyTurtle Sim LLC

Customer experience

Khan Academy

All ratings109,728 ratings
Positive89.4%
Neutral2.6%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews1,578 reviews
Positive74.3%
Neutral6.6%
Negative19.1%

Physics Lab AR

All ratings1,811 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral3.8%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews121 reviews
Positive47.1%
Neutral7.4%
Negative45.5%

User reviews

Khan Academy

From 110K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Impeccable app
  • 👍 Very easy to learn with
  • 👍 Great for learning math
  • 👍 Excellent math program
  • 👍 Fantastic learning tool

Room to improve

  • 🐛 New writing system issues
  • 🐛 Incorrect grammar
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🐛 Deleted all my progress
  • 🐛 Annoying keyboard issues

Physics Lab AR

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Nice app
  • 🚀 Awesome app
  • 💡 Good app idea
  • 👍 Helpful for learning
  • 👍 Useful for teachers

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Unstable app
  • 🐛 Buggy app
  • 🐛 App doesn't work
  • 🔧 Needs improvements

Bugs and requests

Khan Academy

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Incorrect answers marked wrong
  • Keyboard issues
  • Glitches in interactive diagrams
  • Crashes and freezes
  • Content not loading
Show 2 more
  • Formatting issues in math
  • Bugged answer input

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add dark mode
  • Improve search and navigation
  • Add more content for higher grades
  • Allow redoing exercises
  • Improve writing/drawing tools
Show 5 more
  • Add split screen support
  • Improve progress tracking
  • Add more language options
  • Add more science and coding content
  • Improve SAT/test prep features

Physics Lab AR

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes when opening experiments or circuits
  • Wires don't attach properly
  • Objects fall through the table
  • Camera position issues
  • App freezes or becomes unresponsive

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add more components like transistors and potentiometers
  • Improve camera controls and view options
  • Implement saving and loading of circuits
  • Add more tutorials and explanations
  • Support for Vietnamese and other languages
Show 1 more
  • Improve stability and reduce crashes

In-app purchases

None

Khan Academy

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

Physics Lab AR

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Component Subscription$1.491 Month
One-time6
  • 60 Diamonds$0.99
  • 10 Diamonds$0.99
  • 120 Diamonds$1.99
Show 3 more
  • 300 Diamonds$4.99
  • 680 Diamonds$9.99
  • 1280 Diamonds$19.99

Questions

Is Khan Academy free?
Khan Academy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Physics Lab AR free?
Physics Lab AR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Khan Academy or Physics Lab AR?
Physics Lab AR is rated higher. Khan Academy averages 4.6 out of 5 from 110K ratings, while Physics Lab AR averages 4.7 from 1.8K ratings.
Do Khan Academy or Physics Lab AR have ads?
Neither Khan Academy nor Physics Lab AR shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Khan Academy or Physics Lab AR?
Khan Academy ships an update every 6 weeks, and Physics Lab AR every 2 months. Most recently, Khan Academy was updated on September 24, 2026 and Physics Lab AR on September 22, 2026.

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