Atoms vs Perfboard Lab
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Atoms
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Atoms-World turns real chemistry into three games. Every frame is computed live on your iPhone or iPad by SO3LR, a machine-learned force field from current research. What you see is real physics, not animation. FIX THE MOLECULE A real molecule has been sabotaged: one to three intruder atoms were bonded into it. Compare it with its name and formula, then pull the intruders out with your finger while the force field relaxes everything around them. Fix it and learn what the molecule is and what it is used for. BINDING DIMER DUEL Two players, one device. Dock a small molecule onto a bigger one, find the pose where they attract most, lock it in, and let the pair relax. The stronger binding energy wins. SOUNDS OF NATURE Every molecule vibrates in its own set of ways, its normal modes, the same ones infrared spectroscopy measures. Play music in any app or on a speaker nearby and watch the molecule dance to it: the sound the microphone hears drives its vibrations. You can also paste a YouTube link. WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT • Real physics: energies, forces, and vibrational spectra are computed on your device • 490 molecules in 37 families, from water and caffeine to amino acids, sugars and 115 medicines, each with a short note on what it does • Works offline • No account, no ads, no tracking, no data collected • English, French, German and Spanish • Made for curious students, teachers, and anyone who likes molecules Atoms-World is an educational tool. Its results come from an approximate model and are not meant for laboratory, medical, or safety decisions.
Perfboard Lab
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Understand electronics by trying it out: Perfboard Lab turns your iPhone, iPad or Mac with Apple silicon into an electronics lab. Build a circuit and switch on the power. Right away you see what happens: LEDs light up, buzzers beep, motors turn and hum. And if your maths was off: it smokes, it sparks and the part burns out – without any real damage. SEE WHAT HAPPENS, INSTANTLY • Every change is computed instantly with real physics • Overloaded parts smoke in four levels until they burn out • The analysis explains in plain words what is wrong: an LED the wrong way round, a missing series resistor, a short circuit, an open circuit MEASURE LIKE IN A REAL LAB • Multimeter: voltage, current and power at every part • Oscilloscope: voltage and current over time OVER 20 REAL PARTS • DC voltage source, AC source, current source and breadboard power supply • Resistors, potentiometers, ceramic and electrolytic capacitors, inductors, switches • Diodes and Zener diodes, NPN and PNP transistors, N- and P-channel MOSFETs, relays, op-amps, voltage regulators and Timer NE555 • LEDs in six colours, an incandescent lamp, a buzzer with a real tone and a motor whose hum matches its turning • Real characteristics as in a parts catalogue, each with a short explanation JUST LIKE ON THE WORKBENCH • Draw wires with the pen – straight wires with bends and branches • Perfboard, with Perfboard Lab Pro also stripboard with cuttable strips and breadboard as used with Arduino • Copy parts with all their values; text labels annotate your circuit • Real 2.54 mm grid: what fits in the app fits on the real board • Bill of materials with every part and the length of every wire • With Perfboard Lab Pro you see your circuit in the 3D view: real parts on the board that you turn, tilt and measure PERFECT FOR SCHOOL AND CLASS • A guided tutorial builds your first circuit with you • AI-assisted tasks and explanations in Perfboard Lab Pro: tasks that suit your level, explanations step by step on the board. • Lots of ready-made examples: from an LED with a series resistor to logic circuits, transistors and op-amps • The interactive formula collection adapts to your circuit: with the power on, every worked example calculates with the measured values of your parts and shows where each number comes from. • Teachers pass their default settings on to the whole class as a file FOR EVERYONE • For iPhone, iPad and Macs with Apple silicon • In many languages and usable with VoiceOver and Voice Control • No ads, no tracking FREE The perfboard with almost all parts and their examples, text labels, the instruments and the simulation are free. A circuit can have up to 7 parts. Your circuit is kept automatically. PERFBOARD LAB PRO With “Perfboard Lab Pro” you save as many circuits as you like and keep working on the same circuit on iPhone, iPad and Mac. You export them as PDF with a bill of materials and share them with others. Plus circuits with more than 7 parts, op-amp, voltage regulator, Timer NE555, motor, Zener diode and current source with their examples, the stripboard and the breadboard with their examples, AI-assisted tasks and explanations, and the 3D view. • Try it free for 3 days, then a weekly subscription. The App Store shows the price in your currency before you buy. • The subscription renews automatically every week unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. You can cancel at any time in your Apple Account settings under “Subscriptions”. • Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ • Privacy policy: https://pascalschroeer.github.io/PerfboardLab_PrivacyPolicy/ Legal notice: https://pascalschroeer.github.io/PerfboardLab_PrivacyPolicy/#legal-notice
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Atoms at none against Perfboard Lab's 1. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Perfboard Lab sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Atoms asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Atoms | Perfboard Lab |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | — | Every 9 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 65 MB | 35 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Igor Poltavskyi | Pascal Schroeer |
In-app purchases
Atoms
No in-app purchases
Perfboard Lab
- Perfboard Lab Pro3 Days trial$0.997 Days








