Comparison

Light Lab vs GalacticAR for Education

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

Head to head
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!

About

GalacticAR for Education

Features
Read full description

GalacticAR for Education is the complete school edition of GalacticAR. Explore and learn about the universe, from comets and planets to black holes, galaxies, and the cosmos as a whole. GalacticAR combines a comprehensive astronomy encyclopedia, interactive 3D models and scenes, and a quiz with 300 questions across multiple difficulty levels. Ideal for schools, classrooms, students, and anyone who wants a complete astronomy experience. It is available across Apple platforms as a one-time app purchase for educational use. Features: • 300 quiz questions to test and expand your knowledge • 121 astronomical topics in the encyclopedia • 43 interactive 3D models • 16 immersive outer space scenes, from the Solar System to galaxies. • 9 main categories: Comets, Asteroids, Moons, Planets, Solar System, Stars, Black Holes, Galaxies, and Universe. • 8 Game Center achievements to collect • 3 Game Center leaderboards to compete in • 6 languages (English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese and Simplified Chinese) • Made for Vision Pro, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Watch.

Screenshots

Light Lab4 screens
GalacticAR for Education4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Light Lab at Free against GalacticAR for Education's $4.99. Light Lab also leads on iOS requirement (16.6 vs 26.0). GalacticAR for Education's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and device support (6 vs 2). On 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

Light Lab is free to download; GalacticAR for Education costs $4.99 up front. Light Lab sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. GalacticAR for Education asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard4 real differences · 2 level
Light Lab versus GalacticAR for Education: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLight LabGalacticAR for Education
PriceFree — better$4.99
Update frequencyEvery 3 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS16.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB226 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTHSSVielfalt Software e.U.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Light Lab

One-time2
  • Purchase all lenses$4.99
  • Lens Ticket Issuance Function$9.99
None

GalacticAR for Education

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Light Lab free?
Light Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GalacticAR for Education free?
GalacticAR for Education costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Light Lab or GalacticAR for Education have ads?
Neither Light Lab nor GalacticAR for Education shows ads.

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