Comparison

Physics Playgrounds vs PlayMagnet

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

Head to head
About

Physics Playgrounds

Features
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Physics Playground is an interactive science app featuring 38 real physics experiments across mechanics, waves, optics, electricity, magnetism, thermodynamics, quantum physics, fluids, electromagnetism, nuclear physics, and astrophysics. Every experiment runs as a live simulation on your screen. You control it directly with your finger β€” drag the pendulum, aim the projectile, position charges in the electric field, adjust wave frequencies, and watch the physics respond in real time. HOW IT WORKS Touch the canvas to grab and interact with the simulation. Every experiment responds to your input β€” there is no right or wrong way to explore. Adjust variables like gravity, mass, length, and velocity using the built-in sliders and watch the results change instantly. For a truly hands-free experience, enable the camera and control experiments with your hand in the air. The app uses on-device AI to track your hand movements in real time β€” no data is sent to any server. EXPERIMENTS INCLUDED Mechanics: Simple Pendulum, Projectile Motion, Elastic Collision, Spring Oscillator, Gravitational Field, Inclined Plane, Circular Motion, Torque and Levers Waves and Sound: Wave Interference, Standing Waves, Doppler Effect, Sound Waves Optics: Snell's Law and Refraction, Lens and Focal Point, Double Slit Experiment, Diffraction Grating Electricity and Magnetism: Electric Field Visualizer, Magnetic Field Lines, Electromagnetic Induction, RC Circuit Thermodynamics: Ideal Gas Law, Heat Transfer, Carnot Cycle, Entropy and Disorder Quantum Physics: Quantum Tunneling, Wave Particle Duality, Photoelectric Effect, Heisenberg Uncertainty Fluids: Bernoulli Principle, Archimedes and Buoyancy, Fluid Dynamics, Surface Tension Nuclear Physics: Nuclear Fission, Nuclear Fusion Astrophysics: Orbital Mechanics, Black Hole Gravity, Stellar Evolution, Escape Velocity CHALLENGES Every experiment has a built-in challenge that teaches the key physics concept behind the simulation. Complete the challenge to earn a star. Track your progress across all 38 experiments from the progress screen and see how many you have mastered. REAL PHYSICS LAWS Each simulation is built on actual physics equations. The app displays the governing laws for every experiment so you can connect what you see on screen to real formulas. Variables like gravity, mass, angle, frequency, and charge are all adjustable, letting you run the same experiment under different conditions. WHO IS IT FOR Physics Playground is designed for students, teachers, and anyone curious about how the physical world works. It is suitable for middle school through university level and makes an excellent companion to classroom learning. No prior physics knowledge is required to enjoy the simulations. The app is rated 4 and above with no objectionable content. PRIVACY Physics Playground signs you in anonymously. No name, email address, or personal information is ever collected or required. Your experiment progress is saved to the cloud using your anonymous account. Camera processing happens entirely on your device, and no images or videos are stored or transmitted. Full privacy policy: https://physics-playground-24c5e.web.app/privacy

About

PlayMagnet

Features
Read full description

PlayMagnet allows students of all ages to play with magnets on the screen. The program has six different disc magnets the user can drop anywhere on the screen. The program instantly draws the magnetic around the magnets the user has dropped on the screen with the mouse. It's made for people of all ages. The program is very simple with only eight buttons at the bottom of the screen. There are three buttons that allow you to pick different magnet discs, an undo button to remove the last disc added, a text button to input coordinates instead of clicking on the screen. It also has a save button to save the screen and a clear button to clear the screen. If you pinch the screen, it has a zoom mode. There's an easter egg if you hold down the clear button.

Screenshots

Physics Playgrounds4 screens
PlayMagnet4 screens

Verdict

The call

Physics Playgrounds and PlayMagnet are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters β€” price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them β€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Physics Playgrounds versus PlayMagnet: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhysics PlaygroundsPlayMagnet
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsβ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 β€” better15.4
Further details β€” not scored
Size22 MB351 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKheniTechMichael Snyder

In-app purchases

None

Physics Playgrounds

No in-app purchases

None

PlayMagnet

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Physics Playgrounds free?
Physics Playgrounds is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PlayMagnet free?
PlayMagnet is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Physics Playgrounds or PlayMagnet have ads?
Neither Physics Playgrounds nor PlayMagnet shows ads.

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