Comparison

GetPrincipia vs Physics Playground App

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

Head to head
About

GetPrincipia

Features
Read full description

Unlocking mathematical concepts with visuals, practice, progress tracking, study guides, and linking disciplines and topics across the field. Terms of Use: https://getprincipia.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://getprincipia.com/privacy

About

Physics Playground App

Explore the universe of physics and math through interactive simulations and real-time equation adjustments. Learn concepts from basic counting to advanced theories with hands-on playgrounds and mini-games that earn you badges. Designed for all levels of understanding, from children to PhDs.

Highlights
  • Interactive physics and math playgrounds
  • Real-time equation adjustments
  • Adjustable difficulty slider (Child to PhD)
  • Mini-games with badge rewards
  • Concept map for interconnected ideas
  • Offline-first functionality
  • No ads or accounts required
Features
Read full description

Physics & Math, made playable. Touch a slider and watch the equation rewrite itself. Tilt a ramp and feel the friction. Aim a cannon, dial in a Lorentz factor, swing a double pendulum into chaos. Every idea has a hands-on playground that responds in real time. One app. The entire universe of physics and math - from counting blocks to category theory, from throwing a ball to the Theory of Everything. WHAT'S INSIDE • 55+ topics across Physics and Math, organized by tier - Classical, Modern, Frontier, plus Math Foundations, Intermediate, and Frontier. • A live difficulty slider that rewrites every explanation in real time for Child, Teen, Undergrad, or PhD. • Interactive playgrounds for every topic. Sliders, simulations, force diagrams, and SpriteKit physics that actually behave like physics. • Mini-games that earn you badges - predict chaos, balance crates, dial in gamma, win at quantum measurement, escape a black hole. • A concept map that shows how every idea connects to every other - drag, zoom, tap a node and dive in. • A constellation of earned badges that grows as you master the subjects. PHYSICS, FROM "WHAT IF" TO "WHY" Newton's Laws. Projectile motion. Energy & momentum. Orbits. Waves. Pendulum chaos. Thermodynamics. Fluids. Optics. Electromagnetism. Special Relativity. Spacetime. Photoelectric effect. Double-slit. Heisenberg uncertainty. Quantum tunneling. Stern-Gerlach spin. Atomic orbitals. The Standard Model. Statistical mechanics. Condensed matter. Lasers. Black holes. The Big Bang. String theory. Loop quantum gravity. Entanglement. Quantum computing. And the prize at the end - a Theory of Everything badge for mastering them all. MATH THAT BUILDS Counting → addition → subtraction → multiplication → division → fractions → decimals → percents and ratios → the number line. Then algebra, geometry, trigonometry, functions, exponents and logs, sequences, probability, and statistics. Then limits, derivatives, integrals, linear algebra, differential equations, complex analysis, topology, and category theory. HOW IT WORKS Pick a topic. Read a leveled explanation that matches your background. Scroll to the live equation strip and watch the variables update as you drag. Play with the simulator. Take on the challenge, earn the badge. Tap a related topic to follow the thread - every page links to its prerequisites and to the ideas it unlocks. BUILT FOR FOCUS • Beautiful, calm visuals on a deep-space backdrop. • Smooth 60fps animations, gentle haptics, and confetti for the wins. • No ads. No accounts. No tracking. • Designed for iPhone and iPad with full split-view support. • Offline-first - everything is on device. WHO IT'S FOR Curious kids who want to know what makes things go. Students who'd rather feel an equation than memorize it. Self-learners coming back to math years later. Grad students looking for the cleanest one-page mental model of a topic. Teachers and parents who want a single shareable demo for any concept that comes up. If you've ever wondered why airplanes turn the way they do, why time slows down at high speeds, why a pendulum can be predictable AND chaotic, or what a quantum bit actually is - this is the app. One scroll. One slider. One badge at a time. The universe, unlocked.

Screenshots

GetPrincipia4 screens
Physics Playground App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Physics Playground App at none against GetPrincipia's 2. Physics Playground App also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). GetPrincipia's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18). 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. GetPrincipia sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Physics Playground App asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GetPrincipia ships an update every 2 months, Physics Playground App weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
GetPrincipia versus Physics Playground App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGetPrincipiaPhysics Playground App
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better18
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAxiom 38 LLCAJA Digital LLC

In-app purchases

2 purchases

GetPrincipia

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$44.991 Year
None

Physics Playground App

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is GetPrincipia free?
GetPrincipia is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Physics Playground App free?
Physics Playground App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do GetPrincipia or Physics Playground App have ads?
Neither GetPrincipia nor Physics Playground App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, GetPrincipia or Physics Playground App?
GetPrincipia ships an update every 2 months, and Physics Playground App weekly. Most recently, GetPrincipia was updated on October 2, 2026 and Physics Playground App on October 14, 2026.

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