Comparison

Science Simulations vs ClassNotes

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

Head to head
About

Science Simulations

Explore over 150 interactive chemistry and physics simulations to understand complex science concepts. This app offers an intuitive, game-like environment for learning at home or in the classroom, with offline access to educational resources.

Highlights
  • 150+ interactive simulations
  • Chemistry and physics concepts
  • Classroom and home use
  • Offline access
  • Game-like learning environment
  • Creative Commons licensed content
Features
Read full description

Play and learn with more than 150 interactive chemistry and physics simulations, and dive into a wide range of science concepts. How do acid-base solutions work, what do atomic interactions look like, or what is a regression? Perfect for use in the classroom or at home, these award-winning resources create an intuitive, game-like environment that encourages exploration, discovery, and learning. Powered by Kiwix, this app provides offline access to open educational resources developed by the PhET Interactive Simulations project at the University of Colorado Boulder. All content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC-BY), making it freely accessible for everyone. For those who want to support the mission of the PhET project, consider purchasing the official PhET App on this store —a one-time payment for lifetime access. Whatever your level. start your journey into science today with interactive, engaging, and educational simulations!

About

ClassNotes

Read full description

ClassNotes is a handwriting-first notebook for iPad, built so what you write is exactly what stays on the page. WRITE, DON'T FIGHT YOUR APP Your Apple Pencil ink is recorded exactly as you draw it — no smoothing, no reshaping, nothing "cleaned up" behind your back. Turn on live beautification only if you want your handwriting typeset as you go. SMART TOOLS, ON YOUR TERMS • Hold a shape steady and watch it snap into a clean line, circle, rectangle, or triangle — still adjustable until you lift the pencil • A real two-finger ruler for straight edges • Paint bucket fill that flows under your ink, not over it • Scribble to erase • Sticky tape, text boxes, and photo/file drops • Full undo/redo history, per page NOVA, YOUR AI STUDY PARTNER Circle anything — a diagram, an equation, a paragraph — and ask NOVA about it. It sees exactly what you circled, not just the text, so it can actually explain a graph or work through the diagram you drew. MADE FOR NOTEBOOKS 28 cover designs, 14 paper templates, custom paper and line colors, multiple page sizes and orientations, and a dedicated whiteboard page for freeform sketching. FIND ANYTHING Search across typed text and your own handwriting — even pages you never touched with a keyboard. STAYS IN SYNC Sign in with a free ClassNotes account (optional) and your notebooks, pages, and attachments sync automatically, or keep everything on your device without one. READ ANYWHERE The iPhone companion app is a fast, read-only viewer for your whole library — perfect for a quick look between classes. NOVA PLUS AND NOVA PRO (OPTIONAL) NOVA is free. NOVA Plus ($3.99 a month or $34.99 a year) gives you 30 answers a day from Anthropic's Claude, and NOVA Pro ($5.99 a month or $54.99 a year) gives you 50. After the day's Claude answers, NOVA carries on with the free model. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period, and you can manage or cancel them in your App Store account settings. Free to use. No paywall on the notebook: every tool is free. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://tony11-dot.github.io/classmate-legal/privacy.html

Screenshots

Science Simulations4 screens
ClassNotes3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Science Simulations at none against ClassNotes's 4. Science Simulations also leads on iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). ClassNotes's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). On price, 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. ClassNotes sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Science Simulations asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Science Simulations ships an update every 2 months, ClassNotes every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Science Simulations versus ClassNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScience SimulationsClassNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size164 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWikimedia CHTony Aboud

In-app purchases

None

Science Simulations

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

ClassNotes

Subscriptions4
  • NOVA Plus$3.991 Month
  • NOVA Pro$5.991 Month
  • NOVA Plus$34.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • NOVA Pro$54.991 Year

Questions

Is Science Simulations free?
Science Simulations is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ClassNotes free?
ClassNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Science Simulations or ClassNotes have ads?
Neither Science Simulations nor ClassNotes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Science Simulations or ClassNotes?
Science Simulations ships an update every 2 months, and ClassNotes every 4 days. Most recently, Science Simulations was updated on October 25, 2026 and ClassNotes on October 29, 2026.

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