# Playground Physics vs Physics Lab AR

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Playground Physics at none against Physics Lab AR's 7. Physics Lab AR's advantage is ratings volume (1.8K vs 5) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Physics Lab AR sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Playground Physics asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Playground Physics against 4.7 for Physics Lab AR. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Physics Lab AR has 1.8K 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 48% of Physics Lab AR's.

Playground Physics ships an update every 5 months, Physics Lab AR every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Playground Physics | Physics Lab AR |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/playground-physics/id947124790/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/physics-lab-ar/id1298984261/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **1.8K** |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | **47.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 45 MB | 177 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) | [Turtle Sim LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1568741108) |

## 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


### Physics Lab AR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/physics-lab-ar/id1298984261)

Explore physics through interactive virtual experiments and augmented reality. Build and test electrical circuits with over 100 components, visualize electromagnetic fields, and even design your own galaxy. Ideal for students, teachers, and curious minds of all ages.

**Highlights:** Virtual lab with AR mode, Build 3D electric circuits, 100+ circuit components, Precise scientific calculations, Electromagnetic field visualization, Design custom galaxies

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Component Subscription | $1.49 | per month |
| 60 Diamonds | $0.99 | one-time |
| 10 Diamonds | $0.99 | one-time |
| 120 Diamonds | $1.99 | one-time |
| 300 Diamonds | $4.99 | one-time |
| 680 Diamonds | $9.99 | one-time |
| 1280  Diamonds | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Nice app
- 🚀 Awesome app
- 💡 Good app idea
- 👍 Helpful for learning
- 👍 Useful for teachers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Unstable app
- 🐛 Buggy app
- 🐛 App doesn't work
- 🔧 Needs improvements

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when opening experiments or circuits
- Wires don't attach properly
- Objects fall through the table
- Camera position issues
- App freezes or becomes unresponsive

**Requested features**

- Add more components like transistors and potentiometers
- Improve camera controls and view options
- Implement saving and loading of circuits
- Add more tutorials and explanations
- Support for Vietnamese and other languages


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Playground Physics free?

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

### Is Physics Lab AR free?

Physics Lab AR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Playground Physics or Physics Lab AR?

Physics Lab AR is rated higher. Playground Physics averages 4.6 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Physics Lab AR averages 4.7 from 1.8K ratings.

### Do Playground Physics or Physics Lab AR have ads?

Neither Playground Physics nor Physics Lab AR shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Playground Physics or Physics Lab AR?

Playground Physics ships an update every 5 months, and Physics Lab AR every 2 months. Most recently, Playground Physics was updated on September 13, 2026 and Physics Lab AR on October 14, 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.*