COMSOL Multiphysics vs myPhysicsLab
COMSOL Multiphysics
comsol.commyPhysicsLab
myphysicslab.comSide by side
| Figure | COMSOL Multiphysics | myPhysicsLab |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Physics Simulation Software | 8.9 (#2) | 8.8 (#4) |
| Authoring tools | Yes | Yes |
| Data export | Yes | Yes |
| Delivery mode | desktop | hybrid |
| Founded | 1986 | 2001 |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Headquarters | Stockholm, Sweden | Seattle, Washington, USA |
| Integrations | Interfacing products include LiveLink for MATLAB, Simulink, and Excel, plus CAD links or import tools for SOLIDWORKS, Inventor, AutoCAD, Revit, Solid Edge, CATIA, and ECAD. | The maker documents sharing simulation URLs by email and customizing simulations with JavaScript; it does not list third-party integrations on the pages reviewed. |
| Lesson library | Yes | Yes |
| Offline access | Yes | Yes |
| Purpose | COMSOL Multiphysics simulates designs, devices, and processes across engineering, manufacturing, and scientific research. | myPhysicsLab provides interactive, real-time animated physics simulations that users can change by dragging objects and adjusting parameters. |
| Support | To contact support, users must sign in with a COMSOL Access account; license options include technical support during the term or the first 12 months of a perpetual license. | The author identifies himself as Erik Neumann and provides an email address on the home page; no support plan is listed there. |
| 3D visuals | Yes | No |
Plans
COMSOL Multiphysics
- Perpetual license (commercial or academic; license type chosen by quotation)Priced on request
- Term license (commercial or academic; license type chosen by quotation)Priced on request
In their own words
COMSOL Multiphysics
COMSOL Multiphysics is desktop software for simulating designs, devices, and processes in engineering, manufacturing, and scientific research. It supports single-physics and fully coupled multiphysics models, including user-defined physics descriptions and equations. Model Builder covers work from geometry and CAD through physics modeling, meshing, studies, optimization, solving, and visualization. Supported fields include electromagnetics, structural mechanics, acoustics, fluid flow, heat transfer, and chemical reactions.
Model Manager provides version control, storage, search, collaboration, permissions, and support for local or remote server databases. Application Builder lets experts create custom simulation interfaces for collaborators and customers; deploying those applications requires COMSOL Server or COMSOL Compiler. Interfacing products include LiveLink for MATLAB, Simulink, and Excel, as well as CAD links or import tools. The software supports Windows, macOS, and Linux, with offline access, authoring tools, 3D visuals, and data export. It is paid, with pricing on request, and a free trial is available. Customers contact COMSOL to evaluate requirements and choose a license; a sales representative responds within one business day.
myPhysicsLab
myPhysicsLab is a free, open-source project with interactive physics simulations and JavaScript classes for building animated models. Simulations run in real time, and users can drag objects or change parameters such as gravity. Its library includes examples such as pendulums, springs, colliding blocks, roller coasters, billiards, and molecular models. Many simulation pages explain the mathematics behind the models. Users can customize simulations with EasyScript or JavaScript in a browser and text editor, then share a setup through a URL that embeds EasyScript. Numeric results can be retrieved through VarsHistory, JavaScript, or collision-data scripts. Downloadable versions can be used offline. The source code is available on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 License. The simulations do not specify measurement units, so values need to be used consistently within each model. Building from source requires TypeScript, esbuild, Perl, and GNU Make. The project began in 2001, and its maker is based in Seattle, Washington.