Comparison

Sapling Isle vs Physics Handbook

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

Head to head
About

Sapling Isle

Explore physics and astronomy through interactive 3D experiments. Manipulate variables, observe system responses, and delve into underlying scientific concepts and equations. Offers multilingual support and adaptive layouts for iPhone and iPad.

Highlights
  • Interactive 3D physics experiments
  • 3D Solar System simulation
  • Black hole and light bending exploration
  • Microscopic world simulations
  • Multivariable comparisons and graphs
  • Exploration of equations and model limits
  • Multilingual interface
Features
Read full description

Sapling Isle is a multilingual interactive science lab that connects observable phenomena with advanced scientific concepts on iPhone and iPad. Change variables directly, observe how a system responds, read graphs and measurements, then explore the equations, assumptions, and limits behind the model. Explore nature and the universe โ€ข Control a 3D Solar System and observe planetary motion and astronomical time โ€ข Follow curved light, an accretion disk, and Einstein rings around a black hole Enter a hands-on physics lab โ€ข Explore forces, motion, heat, energy, magnetic fields, light, and atoms โ€ข Compare heating, compression, and diffusion in a 3D microscopic world โ€ข Investigate orbits, waves, entropy, Boltzmann distributions, quantum tunneling, and double-slit patterns Explore at your own depth โ€ข Start with direct manipulation and visual feedback โ€ข Continue with multivariable comparisons, measurements, and graphs โ€ข Go deeper into equations, approximations, and model boundaries โ€ข Choose from 10 interface languages โ€ข Adaptive layouts for both iPhone and iPad โ€ข No account, advertising, or cross-app tracking โ€ข Progress, camera frames, and experiment data are handled primarily on device Pick an island, begin with a phenomenon, and follow the evidence toward deeper models.

About

Physics Handbook

Features
Read full description

Physics Handbook is an offline reference for school and first-year university physics: 168 articles in 17 topics, each with its formula, the symbols explained, a worked example and โ€” in almost every case โ€” a calculator. EVERY TOPIC IN ONE PLACE Kinematics, dynamics, statics and hydrostatics, work and energy, momentum and collisions, rotation, oscillations, waves and sound, molecular physics and thermodynamics, electrostatics, direct current, magnetism and induction, electromagnetic oscillations and waves, optics, quantum and atomic physics, nuclear physics, special relativity. READ A FORMULA PROPERLY Each article opens with its main formula and 382 useful rearrangements in total, then a table of symbols with SI units, the conditions under which the formula holds, the physical meaning in short paragraphs, and the mistakes that cost marks most often โ€” 505 of them collected across the book. SOLVE, NOT JUST LOOK UP 161 articles include a calculator. Pick the value you are looking for, type in what you know in the units shown, and the app solves the formula for that unknown. LEARN FROM WORKED EXAMPLES All 168 articles contain a complete worked example: the given values, the reasoning step by step, and the answer with its unit. BUILD YOUR OWN CHEAT SHEET The cheat sheet screen lists formulas without the explanations, filtered by topic or by your starred articles โ€” a fast way to revise before a test. FIND IT FAST Search by the name of a law, a formula, a quantity or a symbol. Filter by topic, by favourites, or show only articles that have a calculator. THE TABLES YOU KEEP NEEDING 51 physical constants with values and units, 38 SI units with 11 prefixes, and a short guide to solving problems. 48 LANGUAGES Interface available in 48 languages. Arabic, Hebrew and Urdu read right to left while formulas keep their standard direction. COMFORTABLE TO USE Light and dark themes, phones and tablets, portrait and landscape. Physics Pro AI tutor: step-by-step physics explanations on your device Problem scanner: camera or photo, review the text before asking AI tutoring requires iOS/iPadOS 26 or later on a compatible device with Apple Intelligence enabled and its model ready. AI answers can contain mistakes. The tutor uses a language supported by Apple Intelligence, on-device Apple Translation where available, or English with a short note. The scanner and handbook work without AI. All formulas and calculators remain free. Monthly and yearly plans are auto-renewing subscriptions; manage or cancel them in App Store settings. Lifetime is a one-time purchase with no automatic renewal. Terms: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Sapling Isle4 screens
Physics Handbook3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sapling Isle at none against Physics Handbook's 3. Physics Handbook's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Physics Handbook sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Sapling Isle asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sapling Isle ships an update fortnightly, Physics Handbook every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 5 level
Sapling Isle versus Physics Handbook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSapling IslePhysics Handbook
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsโ€”
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 5 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
MonetizationFreeโ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS18.015.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size40 MB66 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerๅคง้น ๅผ Oleg Korunov

In-app purchases

None

Sapling Isle

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Physics Handbook

Subscriptions2
  • Physics Pro โ€” Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Physics Pro โ€” Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Physics Pro โ€” Lifetime$19.99

Questions

Is Sapling Isle free?
Sapling Isle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Physics Handbook free?
Physics Handbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Sapling Isle or Physics Handbook have ads?
Neither Sapling Isle nor Physics Handbook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sapling Isle or Physics Handbook?
Sapling Isle ships an update fortnightly, and Physics Handbook every 5 days. Most recently, Sapling Isle was updated on November 10, 2026 and Physics Handbook on November 13, 2026.

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