Labster vs Maroon

Labster provides interactive virtual lab assignments for teaching science concepts and practicing laboratory techniques. Its catalog includes more than 300 simulations across STEM subjects. Learners follow guided scenarios, repeat work at their own pace, and receive immediate feedback. Instructors can use automatic grading, customizable quizzes, and a modular assignment builder. A course mapping tool helps match simulations to a syllabus, and listed LMS integrations include Canvas, Google Classroom, Blackboard, Moodle, Schoology, and D2L Brightspace.

Simulations run in supported browsers on Windows and Mac computers. Some are available on iPads and Chromebooks through the Labster app; smartphones, including iPhones and Android phones, are not supported for playing them. Purchases are available to instructors, faculty, and administrators at educational institutions. A free trial is offered, but there is no free plan. Pricing is on request; institutional or department engagements typically begin at $5,000 a year, billed annually, with final pricing dependent on the solution and implementation requirements.

Maroon is a free, open-source immersive physics laboratory for interactive learning, simulations, and experiments. In its virtual environment, users approach a station and teleport to a room containing the related lesson or activity. Simulations emphasize active learning by involving students in the process. Listed physics activities include Coulomb’s Law, Falling Coil, Faraday’s Law, Huygens’ Principle, Point Wave, Pendulum, Van de Graaff, and Optics. The lab also includes titration and sorting experiments, and supports experiment authoring. In the optics activity, users adjust parameters and receive real-time visual feedback while exploring reflection, refraction, lenses, and fiber optics. Maroon runs in a browser and has downloadable Windows PC and virtual-reality versions. Developed with Unity at Graz University of Technology, the project is hosted on GitHub and welcomes contributions, issue reports, and pull requests. Students can contribute functionality, VR experiences, learning experiences, and physics experiments.