Pivot Interactives vs WhimsyLabs

Pivot Interactives is a web platform for science teaching built around interactive video activities and active learning. Its library has more than 550 activities across biology, earth and space science, chemistry, environmental science, and physics. Students explore phenomena, adjust physical parameters, and investigate data through experimental design. Teachers can create classes, invite students, assign experiments, customize activities, and grade student work. Co-Lab lets students work together on assignments; the platform also provides frequent feedback and auto-grading. Pivot is presented for grades 6–12 and higher education. It supports LTI 1.3 integrations with learning management systems including Canvas, Schoology, Google Classroom, Moodle, Blackboard, and D2L Brightspace. The 30-day free trial provides instructors and students full feature access, including classes, LMS connections, activity editing, assignments, and grading. The Classroom plan costs $6.10 per seat per year. Semester options for institutions, students, and bookstore course codes each cost $11.10 per seat per semester. The platform requires a stable high-speed internet connection and does not support offline use of images, videos, or questions.

WhimsyLabs is virtual laboratory software where students conduct simulated experiments in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Electronics. Its simulation engine models fluids, heat, and molecular behavior, including impurities and differences between samples. WhimsyCat guides students in response to their lab actions without a student chat window, while assessment evaluates experimental processes and techniques and asks follow-up questions tied to experimental data. Teachers can paste a written lab protocol into the AI Experiment Builder to create a custom lab scenario without programming. The platform includes a teacher dashboard and names Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, and LTI among its integrations. It runs in a browser on desktops, laptops, and Chromebooks, with optional VR headsets; Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows are also listed. Accessibility options include control remapping, text-to-speech, self-paced modes, and low-bandwidth operation. Labs can be cached or downloaded for offline use. Institutional pricing is by request, and a free trial is available, with no duration specified.