Labster vs MoluCAD

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.

MoluCAD is a free Windows desktop application for molecular modeling and visualization, designed for chemistry students and originally conceived for organic chemistry study. Users can construct molecular structures in true 3D and inspect them from any viewpoint. The software creates reaction animations and includes more than 170 sample structures and animations that can be opened, viewed, and modified. Built-in MM2 energy minimization supports the modeling workflow, alongside an interactive periodic table and HTML-based help. MoluCAD imports and exports PDB, ENT, MOL, and MM3 files, and generates BMP, JPEG, and AVI files. New River Kinematics offers it as a free download through a Windows executable. The product originated in a three-year National Institutes of Health biomedical technology research project intended to produce low-cost chemistry education software. New River Kinematics, founded in 1994 and based in Williamsburg, Virginia, describes itself as an engineering company developing and supporting portable metrology software solutions.