How OpenLab Science Compares | OpenLab Science

A researched, sourced capability comparison against PhET, Gizmos, Pivot Interactives, Labster, The Physics Classroom, and Inq-ITS.

Curriculum & standards coverage

Named framework coverage

How many named standards (NGSS, AP, IB, state, etc.) does it map to at all?

• OpenLab Science (Yes): 8 named frameworks with real unit maps: NGSS High School Physical Science, general High School Physics, AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Physics C: E&M, IB Physics (all five DP themes), and NGSS Middle School Physical Science.
• PhET Interactive Simulations (Partial): No official first-party framework map found. The site hosts a community-submitted “Alignment of PhET sims with NGSS” activity, which is not the same as an official, maintained standards correlation.
• ExploreLearning Gizmos (Partial): NGSS alignment (including Disciplinary Core Ideas, Science & Engineering Practices, and Crosscutting Concepts) is claimed for Gizmos Investigations, and the broader library is described as correlated to state standards, curricula, and textbooks.
• Pivot Interactives (Yes): NGSS, AP, and IB are named, plus customizable state-standard correlation — broad claimed coverage.
• Labster (Yes): AP, IB, GCSE/A-Levels, and NGSS are named; a separate skills page also references ACS and AAPT mappings.
• The Physics Classroom (Task Tracker) (Partial): Supports AP Physics 1 course use, but the site’s own lesson-plan notes state core materials were not originally designed around NGSS — a materially narrower and more qualified claim than the other products compared here.
• Inq-ITS (Partial): “NGSS-aligned” is claimed at a general level on the homepage; a detailed, per-unit official map was not found.

Mapping depth

Is a standard tagged in marketing copy, or is each unit mapped to specific labs a teacher can actually assign?

• OpenLab Science (Yes): Every mapped unit lists the specific labs that satisfy it — not a blanket “correlates to NGSS” tag. A teacher can open a framework page and see exactly which investigations cover which unit.
• PhET Interactive Simulations (No): No per-unit official mapping was found to evaluate.
• ExploreLearning Gizmos (Partial): Investigations are tied to specific NGSS elements; how granular and complete that mapping is across the full library was not established from public sources.
• Pivot Interactives (Not confirmed): How granular the per-unit mapping is behind that claim was not established from public sources.
• Labster (Not confirmed): How granular the per-unit mapping is behind those claims was not established from public sources.
• The Physics Classroom (Task Tracker) (No): No per-unit official standards map was found.
• Inq-ITS (Not confirmed): How granular the per-unit mapping is behind that general claim was not established from public sources.

Simulation & lab capability

Library size

How many simulations, labs, or investigations does the product publish? (We mark full at 100+ published presets/simulations.)

• OpenLab Science (Yes): 137 curated presets across 8 physics modules (mechanics, fluids, waves, thermo, circuits, electricity & magnetism, optics, modern physics) — over our 100-preset bar for a full mark. Smaller than PhET’s 167 or Gizmos’ 550+, and narrower in scope — physics only, not general K-12 science.
• PhET Interactive Simulations (Yes): 167 interactive simulations, per the current PhET homepage — the largest single free library among the products compared here.
• ExploreLearning Gizmos (Yes): 550+ math and science simulations for grades 3–12 — the largest claimed library here, though it spans far more than physics.
• Pivot Interactives (Yes): 500+ activities — mostly interactive-video and sensor-based measurement investigations, not simulations. This is a different medium by design, not a smaller version of a simulation library.
• Labster (Yes): 300+ virtual labs across STEM — broad, but spanning far more than physics, and built for a higher-education audience first.
• The Physics Classroom (Task Tracker) (Partial): “About 100” simulations, skill-builders, and game-like challenges combined, per the site’s own Concept Checkers description — the smallest and most format-mixed library among the products compared here.
• Inq-ITS (Yes): 150+ investigations in its virtual-lab collection, spanning science broadly — the physics-specific subset is likely smaller than this headline figure.

Interactivity depth

Can a student freely build/configure a scene, or is the experience a fixed simulation, video, or scripted narrative?

• OpenLab Science (Yes): Every module is a buildable 2D scene — students place, connect, and configure real objects, not just move a slider on a fixed layout.
• PhET Interactive Simulations (Partial): Simulations are interactive with adjustable parameters, but generally not freely buildable scenes the way a sandbox is; depth varies a great deal by individual simulation.
• ExploreLearning Gizmos (Partial): Simulations and guided Investigations/STEM Cases are interactive but largely structured and canned rather than freely buildable.
• Pivot Interactives (Partial): Pivot’s model is real, recorded video and live sensor/uploaded-video measurement rather than a free-build simulation sandbox — a deliberate choice to use real physical phenomena, not a gap.
• Labster (No): Labster’s labs are immersive, scenario-led, and largely scripted rather than a freely buildable sandbox — a deliberate 3D-narrative design for realism, not a gap in a simulation product.
• The Physics Classroom (Task Tracker) (Partial): A mix of tutorials, problem/practice tools, HTML5 Interactives, and concept-check challenges — closer to a concept-practice and reference product than a lab-simulation platform, which is a different category, not a smaller version of one.
• Inq-ITS (Partial): Structured virtual inquiry investigations built around forming hypotheses and analyzing data, not a free-build simulation sandbox — a deliberate assessment-first design, not a gap.

Live formula + SI-unit transparency

Does the product show the substituted equation and SI-unit readouts behind a live result, not just the result?

• OpenLab Science (Yes): The headline product differentiator: module formula panels evaluate the real symbolic formula with the scene’s current values live, and every readout carries its SI unit.
• PhET Interactive Simulations (Not confirmed): Could not confirm a consistent, platform-wide live substituted-formula display from public sources; behavior varies by simulation, and the absence of a central claim is not proof of absence.
• ExploreLearning Gizmos (Not confirmed): Could not confirm a consistent, platform-wide live substituted-formula display from public sources.
• Pivot Interactives (Partial): Calculated table columns, units, graph-fit equations, and RMSE are supported; a live simulation-state-to-substituted-formula panel does not apply in the same way to a video-measurement product and was not confirmed.
• Labster (Not confirmed): A consistent, platform-wide live substituted-formula display was not confirmed from public sources.
• The Physics Classroom (Task Tracker) (Not confirmed): A consistent, platform-wide live substituted-formula display was not confirmed from public sources.
• Inq-ITS (Not confirmed): The verified workflow centers on hypothesis, data collection, analysis, and claim-evidence-reasoning (CER) writing, not a live substituted-formula display; not confirmed as a capability at all.

Data tables, graphing & analysis

Are in-product tools for recording, graphing, and analyzing trial data built in?

• OpenLab Science (Yes): Live graphs, a recorded measurement history, and readouts with units, exportable to CSV. Breadth varies by module.
• PhET Interactive Simulations (Not confirmed): Could not confirm a consistent, platform-wide data-table/graphing tool from public sources; varies by simulation.
• ExploreLearning Gizmos (Partial): Data collection, analysis, and graphing are marketed as part of Investigations; the exact tools available vary by individual Gizmo.
• Pivot Interactives (Yes): A genuinely strong, dedicated toolset: data tables, calculated columns, multiple graph types, curve fits with RMSE, and uncertainty bars.
• Labster (Partial): Some labs allow generated data to be downloaded; a common cross-lab table/graph workbench was not confirmed.
• The Physics Classroom (Task Tracker) (Not confirmed): A common cross-activity data/graphing workbench was not confirmed from public sources.
• Inq-ITS (Partial): Students collect and analyze trial data and select supporting evidence at a workflow level; the depth of graphing-tool coverage per investigation was not confirmed.

Browser-based, no install

Does it run in an ordinary browser with no software or app installation?

• OpenLab Science (Yes): Runs as an ordinary browser web app; no install, no plugin.
• PhET Interactive Simulations (Yes): Runs in-browser, with optional offline and app access also available.
• ExploreLearning Gizmos (Yes): First-party system requirements describe browser/device access with no install.
• Pivot Interactives (Yes): Explicitly a web application; no downloads or apps required (an internet connection is required).
• Labster (Yes): Browser-based on computers, Chromebooks, iPads, and Android tablets.
• The Physics Classroom (Task Tracker) (Yes): HTML5 Interactives and web activities run in-browser.
• Inq-ITS (Yes): Supports current Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

Investigation & assignment workflow

Printable worksheets + answer keys

Are printable student worksheets available, with a real answer key for teachers?

• OpenLab Science (Yes): All 137 presets have a printable 5E-model lab sheet, with a signed, email-verified teacher unlock for the filled-in answer key.
• PhET Interactive Simulations (Partial): Community and PhET-provided activity worksheets exist, but not every activity has one, and answer-key availability is inconsistent across the library.
• ExploreLearning Gizmos (Yes): Customizable Student Exploration Sheets are provided in Google Docs, Word, and PDF, with teacher answer keys.
• Pivot Interactives (Not confirmed): A product-wide printable worksheet-plus-answer-key offering was not confirmed; activities are primarily completed online.
• Labster (Partial): Downloadable lab manuals and report templates, plus editable quiz documents with and without answers, are provided as simulation supplements.
• The Physics Classroom (Task Tracker) (Yes): Free printable Think Sheets are available; paid Solutions Guides and course packages add answer keys and lab sheets.
• Inq-ITS (Partial): Student work can be saved or printed as PDF; a product-wide printable-worksheet-plus-answer-key library was not confirmed.

Investigation notebook / evidence capture

Is there a structured, in-product record of a student’s hypothesis, data, and conclusion?

• OpenLab Science (Coming soon): Coming soon. A structured investigation notebook and evidence-pack system are built and in active use with our concierge pilot cohort — not yet open to the public.
• PhET Interactive Simulations (No): No integrated investigation notebook was found; external and community-authored activity sheets exist separately.
• ExploreLearning Gizmos (Yes): Gizmos Investigations include in-product experiment design, data collection and analysis, an “Evidence Picker,” conclusions, autoscoring, and teacher heatmaps — a genuinely structured evidence workflow.
• Pivot Interactives (Yes): Pivot markets itself directly as a digital lab notebook — instructions, data tables/graphs, written analysis, feedback, and scoring in one workflow.
• Labster (Partial): A downloadable lab-report template (synopsis, hypothesis, procedure, results, conclusions) is provided; an integrated, in-product investigation notebook tied to live lab state was not confirmed.
• The Physics Classroom (Task Tracker) (Not confirmed): Worksheets and lesson materials exist; an integrated evidence notebook tied to live simulation state was not confirmed.
• Inq-ITS (Yes): This is Inq-ITS’s strongest area: a documented workflow of hypothesis formation, designed trials, collected and analyzed data, a claim, selected supporting evidence, and a CER write-up — arguably the most complete structured-evidence workflow among the products compared here.

Teacher assignment, progress & grading tools

Can a teacher assign work, see progress, and grade or auto-grade it in-product?

• OpenLab Science (Coming soon): Coming soon. Teacher assignment and grading tools are built and in active use with our concierge pilot cohort — not yet open to the public.
• PhET Interactive Simulations (No): No native, in-product assignment collection, progress tracking, or grading was found. A teacher-resource library and paid PhET Studio launch-state presets exist, which is a different thing.
• ExploreLearning Gizmos (Yes): Customizable materials, built-in assessment, real-time progress/response heatmaps, and teacher scoring are documented for Investigations and STEM Cases.
• Pivot Interactives (Yes): Customizable assignments, student collaboration, scoring and feedback, grade export, and LMS integration are documented.
• Labster (Yes): Assignment from an LMS or Course Manager, automated grading, grade sync, attempt tracking, and instructor dashboards are documented.
• The Physics Classroom (Task Tracker) (Yes): Task Tracker provides classes, assignments, instant scoring, progress reports, customizable scoring and due dates, and score export.
• Inq-ITS (Yes): Auto-grading, class and student reports, real-time teacher alerts, and assignments with optional AI-tutor support are documented.

Save / share a configured scene

Can a teacher configure a specific setup and reliably share or reopen that exact state?

• OpenLab Science (Partial): Named local saves and JSON export/import work within a module. Shareable, parameterized deep-link URLs currently cover 10 curated presets by design, not the full catalog.
• PhET Interactive Simulations (Partial): Free simulations do not offer this. The separately sold PhET Studio ($100/year per editor) lets an educator save a configured launch state and share it by URL.
• ExploreLearning Gizmos (Not confirmed): Snapshot images (pictures, graphs, and data captured into a document) are confirmed; a reopenable, shareable configured simulation state was not confirmed.
• Pivot Interactives (Partial): Student assignment work auto-saves for later return; sharing a configured phenomenon/video state with another user was not confirmed.
• Labster (Not confirmed): A shareable, reopenable configured lab state was not confirmed from public sources.
• The Physics Classroom (Task Tracker) (Partial): Task Tracker saves and continues student activity progress across sessions/devices; sharing a configured simulation state was not confirmed.
• Inq-ITS (Not confirmed): Account-based work persistence is implied by the student workflow; a shareable, reopenable configured lab state was not confirmed.

Data export (CSV or similar)

Can recorded data leave the product in a usable format, e.g. CSV?

• OpenLab Science (Yes): Recorded measurement runs export to CSV with units and provenance metadata.
• PhET Interactive Simulations (Not confirmed): Could not confirm CSV export on free simulations from public sources. A separately licensed product, PhET-iO, supports streaming output data and programmatic control for developers.
• ExploreLearning Gizmos (Not confirmed): Raw CSV/data export was not confirmed from public sources; snapshot capture into documents is confirmed.
• Pivot Interactives (Partial): Class and assignment scores export as CSV; separate raw student investigation-data export was not confirmed.
• Labster (Yes): Instructor dashboards export grade and engagement data, and some individual simulations offer generated-data downloads.
• The Physics Classroom (Task Tracker) (Yes): Task Tracker exports scores in spreadsheet format.
• Inq-ITS (Not confirmed): PDF save of student work is confirmed; CSV or raw-data export was not confirmed.

AI guidance

AI tutor / assistant

Is there an AI assistant, and does it actually see the student’s current lab state rather than acting as a generic chatbot?

• OpenLab Science (Yes): A bring-your-own-key AI tutor is shipped and genuinely lab-aware: its requests include the current serialized scene, live measurements, and the relevant formula context, not just a chat window bolted on the side.
• PhET Interactive Simulations (Not confirmed): No AI tutor or assistant was found on public PhET pages.
• ExploreLearning Gizmos (Partial): First-party material claims AI-assisted feedback within formative assessment; a conversational, lab-state-aware tutor for students was not confirmed.
• Pivot Interactives (Not confirmed): No AI tutor or assistant was found on public Pivot pages.
• Labster (Not confirmed): A built-in “virtual lab assistant” is claimed and embedded in the lab experience; whether it is genuinely AI-driven versus scripted guidance was not confirmed.
• The Physics Classroom (Task Tracker) (Not confirmed): No AI tutor or assistant was found on public pages.
• Inq-ITS (Yes): Rex is explicitly lab-aware — it responds during hypothesis formation, data collection/analysis, and CER writing, while teachers receive real-time skill alerts. This is a genuinely different kind of lab-awareness than OpenLab’s (process/assessment-focused, versus OpenLab’s live formula/measurement context), not a lesser one.

Accessibility & reach

Accessibility

What accessibility features exist, and is there a public conformance statement (e.g. VPAT) backing them?

• OpenLab Science (Partial): Real accessible controls exist — ARIA roles/labels, live regions, keyboard and click fallbacks — but there is no public WCAG conformance statement or VPAT yet, unlike PhET or Pivot.
• PhET Interactive Simulations (Yes): The strongest accessibility program among the products compared here: alternative input, touch, sound/sonification, interactive description and voicing, pan/zoom, and disability co-design, documented in a public accessibility statement. Coverage varies by individual simulation.
• ExploreLearning Gizmos (Partial): Keyboard-navigation targets, responsive and minimal-text design, and avoidance of repeated flashing/timed responses are documented; the vendor itself notes some color-contrast coverage is incomplete.
• Pivot Interactives (Yes): A VPAT dated June 2026 is published, alongside keyboard/screen-reader alternatives, accessible tables and video, and a built-in text reader; the vendor states current development targets WCAG 2.1.
• Labster (Partial): Keyboard navigation, screen-reader support, and resizable text are documented as features; coverage is stated to vary by individual simulation, with no platform-wide conformance statement found.
• The Physics Classroom (Task Tracker) (Partial): A 2026-dated Accessibility Conformance Report exists for HTML5 Interactives; its detailed support levels need a dedicated review before treating it as a blanket “yes.”
• Inq-ITS (No): No current first-party accessibility statement or VPAT was found.

Languages supported

How many languages does the product interface support?

• OpenLab Science (Yes): 13 UI locales (English, Simplified & Traditional Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Turkish). Printable lab-sheet text itself is English-only.
• PhET Interactive Simulations (Yes): 121 language translations reported on the current homepage — more than any other product compared here, including OpenLab.
• ExploreLearning Gizmos (Not confirmed): Core simulation interface language count was not confirmed from public sources; Spanish and French lesson resources are documented separately for multilingual learners.
• Pivot Interactives (Not confirmed): Language count was not confirmed from public sources.
• Labster (Partial): 5 languages listed (English, Italian, German, French, Spanish) — fewer than OpenLab’s 13; availability varies by simulation.
• The Physics Classroom (Task Tracker) (Not confirmed): Language count was not confirmed from public sources.
• Inq-ITS (Partial): 2 languages: English and Spanish — fewer than OpenLab’s 13.

Pricing

Free tier

What, if anything, is usable at no cost, on an ongoing basis (not just a trial)?

• OpenLab Science (Yes): Every lab, every preset, every printable sheet, and the AI tutor (with your own API key) are free, with no account and no paywall.
• PhET Interactive Simulations (Yes): The entire core simulation library is free, with no account required, funded by grants and donations.
• ExploreLearning Gizmos (Partial): A 30-day full-library trial is offered, after which a limited, rotating free selection remains — not an ongoing free tier at full breadth.
• Pivot Interactives (No): No meaningful ongoing free tier beyond a trial — this is a paid product from the outset.
• Labster (No): No meaningful ongoing free tier — the most expensive product compared here, aimed at institutional purchasing.
• The Physics Classroom (Task Tracker) (Partial): Concept Checkers and tutorials are free to browse; the Task Tracker assignment/grading layer requires a paid subscription.
• Inq-ITS (Partial): A 30-day trial and an informal free-teacher pilot path are offered; not an ongoing free public tier.

Paid tier / entry price

What does a school or teacher actually pay to get the full product, and how is it priced?

• OpenLab Science (Coming soon): Coming soon. The whole product is free today; a paid tier with dedicated support for schools/departments is planned but not live yet.
• PhET Interactive Simulations (Partial): PhET Studio is an optional $100/year-per-editor add-on for saving and sharing configured launch states by URL; the core library stays free either way.
• ExploreLearning Gizmos (Not confirmed): No public dollar price was found; pricing runs through a quote-based sales path, with a stated $2,995 minimum site license and separate teacher licenses historically in the $599–799/year range (not confirmed current).
• Pivot Interactives (Yes): Clear public per-seat pricing: $6.10/student/year for the grades 6–12 Classroom plan, $11.10/seat/semester for higher-ed options, with custom district quotes available.
• Labster (Yes): Public entry pricing: $3,000/year for the Explorer plan, covering 50 students and 10 simulations; higher tiers are custom-quoted.
• The Physics Classroom (Task Tracker) (Yes): Human-confirmed 2026-07-28: Standard (ad-free) tier $5/student/year under 75 students, $4/student/year at 75+. Ad-supported tier $2.50/student/year under 75, $2/student/year at 75+ (no student personal data shared with advertisers, though advertiser tracking cookies are used). Homeschool plan $50/child/year, ad-free, with a bundled Physics curriculum. $50 minimum order on every tier.
• Inq-ITS (Not confirmed): No public dollar price was found; pricing is tiered by student count through a district or multi-year quote.

• OpenLab vs. PhET Interactive Simulations