# Playground Physics vs PhET Simulations

The clearest difference is price: Playground Physics at Free against PhET Simulations's $0.99. Playground Physics also leads on update cadence (every 5 months vs every 14 months). PhET Simulations's advantage is review sentiment (66% vs 40%) and ratings volume (49 vs 5). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Playground Physics is free to download; PhET Simulations costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Playground Physics against 4.5 for PhET Simulations. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PhET Simulations has 49 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 40% of Playground Physics's written reviews are positive against 66% of PhET Simulations's.

Playground Physics ships an update every 5 months, PhET Simulations every 14 months. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Playground Physics | PhET Simulations |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | **[4.6 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/playground-physics/id947124790/reviews)** | [4.5 (49 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phet-simulations/id1134126831/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **49** |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | **65.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 months** | Every 14 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#48** |
| Size | 45 MB | 125 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [New York Hall of Science](https://appshunter.io/developer/947124789) | [University of Colorado Boulder](https://appshunter.io/developer/972210292) |

## What reviewers say

### Playground Physics

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/playground-physics/id947124790)

Record videos of motion, trace paths, and analyze physics concepts like forces and energy. This tool helps educators bring Newton's Laws to life with interactive graphs and slow-motion playback. Ideal for middle and high school science.

**Highlights:** Record and analyze motion in videos, Trace paths and examine movement, Interactive scrubbable graphs, Slow-motion playback, Calculate forces and energy, Save and share performance videos

**In-app purchases:** none


### PhET Simulations

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phet-simulations/id1134126831)

**Currently charting:** #48 Top Paid · Education (US App Store)

Explore science and math concepts through interactive simulations. This app provides over 75 HTML5 simulations for learning about atoms, energy, multiplication, and more. It's ideal for students, parents, and educators, offering offline access and multiple language support.

**Highlights:** Interactive science and math simulations, Offline play capability, Multiple language support, Customizable favorites collection, Automatic simulation updates, Easy simulation sorting

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Playground Physics free?

Playground Physics is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is PhET Simulations free?

PhET Simulations costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Playground Physics or PhET Simulations?

Playground Physics is rated higher. Playground Physics averages 4.6 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while PhET Simulations averages 4.5 from 49 ratings.

### Do Playground Physics or PhET Simulations have ads?

Neither Playground Physics nor PhET Simulations shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Playground Physics or PhET Simulations?

Playground Physics ships an update every 5 months, and PhET Simulations every 14 months. Most recently, Playground Physics was updated on September 13, 2026 and PhET Simulations on September 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*