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PhET Alternative When No Prebuilt Sim Fits Your Topic

PhET is free, research-based, and classroom-tested, and it should stay your first stop. When its catalogue has no sim for the exact topic in your notes or syllabus, Scholarly builds a custom interactive 3D model of it, with labels from your material and sliders or switches when a value changes the outcome.

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Scholarly vs PhET: Feature Comparison

An honest look at how the two platforms compare.

What you get

Scholarly
A custom 3D model of the exact topic you ask for
PhET
A fixed catalogue of prebuilt simulations

Price

Scholarly
Free to start; a full build uses 1 AI Creation Credit
PhET
Free

Tested for learning

Scholarly
No. AI-built Beta models; check them before class
PhET
Yes, with student interviews and classroom observation

Subjects

Scholarly
Any topic in your notes or syllabus
PhET
Physics, maths and statistics, chemistry, earth and space, biology

Built from your notes or syllabus

Scholarly
PhET

Interactive controls

Scholarly
Sliders and switches when a value changes the outcome
PhET
Designed into each sim

Classroom materials

Scholarly
Quiz, flashcards, or slides from the same source
PhET
Activities by subject and grade level

Where it runs

Scholarly
In the browser, with nothing to install
PhET
Online, or downloaded to your computer

Open source

Scholarly
PhET

PhET or Scholarly: Which Should You Pick?

Start with PhET when a sim exists. Build with Scholarly when one doesn't.

A standard topic like projectile motion, DC circuits, or building an atom

Better pick
PhET
Why
A free, tested sim already exists for it.

A simulation validated for learning

Better pick
PhET
Why
Each sim is tested with student interviews and classroom observation.

Ready-made classroom activities

Better pick
PhET
Why
Its activities are organised by subject and grade level.

A topic no prebuilt sim covers

Better pick
Scholarly
Why
Describe it or add your notes, and the AI builds a model of that exact topic.

A model labelled in the words of your syllabus

Better pick
Scholarly
Why
Labels come from the material you add.

A 3D visual or turntable video for slides

Better pick
Scholarly
Why
On a paid plan, export a 4K PNG, a transparent PNG, a turntable video, or a .glb.

PhET facts checked November 2026 against: About PhET, PhET activities, PhET Projectile Motion, PhET Circuit Construction Kit: DC, PhET Build an Atom

Comparing tools for a whole team?

Scholarly Teams puts your team, class, lab, or company on one Premium or Laureate plan - the chosen access for every member, all built from your shared material.

Where PhET Still Shines

PhET is a great tool with real strengths worth acknowledging.

Free for every student and teacher

PhET describes its simulations as fun, free, interactive, and research-based, and says its sponsors make them free to all students and teachers. Scholarly does not match that price.

Tested for learning

PhET tests and evaluates each simulation with student interviews and classroom observation. Scholarly's AI-built models have not been through that kind of testing.

Open source and ready to teach

All PhET simulations are open source, run online or download to a computer, and come with activities organised by subject and grade level.

Where Scholarly Fits Better

The exact topic, not the nearest sim

Ask for the mechanism, structure, or system in your syllabus and the AI builds a model of it, instead of you adapting a lesson to a sim that is close but not quite right.

Built from your own material

Add notes, PDFs, slides, websites, or recordings (1 to 20 sources, depending on plan), or start empty and describe the model in chat.

Controls when a value matters

When changing a value changes the outcome, the model gets live sliders and switches, so students can try it and watch what happens.

Real 3D you can turn

The AI writes each model as three.js code with geometry, lighting, animation, and labels with leader lines. Orbit, zoom, or start a turntable.

Refine it by asking

Change a label, a colour, or an animation's speed in chat for free. Bigger changes come back as a draft you preview, apply, or discard, with Undo.

Study tools from the same notes

The same source can also become a quiz, flashcards, slides, or a narrated video lecture.

How Scholarly Works

Step 1: Add your source or describe it

Pick notes, a PDF, slides, a website, or a recording from your library, or start empty and describe the model in chat.

Step 2: Scholarly builds the model

You confirm the AI Creation Credit first. In a few minutes the AI builds an interactive 3D model with labels taken from your material.

Step 3: Refine, then use it

Ask chat for free small edits, turn and zoom the model in your browser, and on a paid plan export a PNG, a turntable MP4, or a .glb file.

Scholarly vs PhET: A Closer Look

PhET Interactive Simulations, from the University of Colorado, offers free science and maths simulations written in HTML5, with some legacy Java and Flash sims. Per its About page in November 2026, each sim is tested with student interviews and classroom observation, and all of them are open source. For any topic it covers, PhET is the better choice.

The limit is the catalogue: if no sim matches your topic, there is nothing to open. Scholarly fills that gap. You add your notes or syllabus, or describe the topic, confirm the build, and its AI writes an interactive 3D model with labels from your material and controls where a value changes the result. 3D models are in Beta.

Scholarly models are illustrative teaching models, not validated physics or chemistry simulations, and they can get details wrong. Check each model before class, and do not use one where a measured or validated result matters.

Keep exploring

Related Pages

3D models in Scholarly

How 3D models work, what they cost, and what they can't do yet.

AI 3D physics model generator

Fields, atoms, orbits, and mechanisms you can rotate and zoom.

AI 3D molecule model generator

Labelled teaching models of molecules.

AI 3D science model generator

Labelled 3D models for any science subject.

3D process visualiser

SOPs, workflows, and processes as 3D process models.

3D models for teachers

Turn lesson notes into models students can rotate in class.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best PhET alternative?

For topics PhET covers, there is no need for one: its sims are free, research-based, and tested in classrooms. When no sim matches the exact topic in your notes or syllabus, Scholarly can build a custom interactive 3D model of it from your material.

Is Scholarly a replacement for PhET?

No. PhET's simulations are tested for learning and free for everyone. Scholarly's models are AI-built teaching models in Beta, useful when no prebuilt sim fits, but not validated simulations.

Are Scholarly models accurate physics simulations?

No. They are illustrative models that show how something works, with sliders and switches when a value changes the outcome. They are not validated simulations, and the AI can get details wrong, so check each model before you teach with it.

What can I build a model from?

Your sources, such as notes, PDFs, slides, websites, or recordings (1 on Free, up to 10 on Premium, up to 20 on Laureate), or an empty model you describe in chat. Labels come from the material you add.

Can students use the models?

Yes. Students can build their own models from their notes to study a topic in 3D, turning and zooming the model in the browser and asking chat to change it.

How much does Scholarly cost?

Scholarly is free to start. A full model build uses 1 AI Creation Credit, and you confirm it first; a build on the best model uses 2 credits on paid plans. Small edits in chat are free, and exports need a paid plan.

Model the Topic No Sim Covers

Add your notes or syllabus, confirm the build, and get an interactive 3D model you can turn, adjust, and refine in chat.

Sample lecture

What one video lecture gets

Free makes a lecture of about 2 minutes in 720p with the Scholarly logo, to watch in Scholarly. Premium and Laureate make lectures up to 45 minutes in 1080p that you can download as an MP4, with the logo off if you choose.

Pricing shown in USD by default. Local currency may be available in app or at checkout.

Compare plans

Image creation · Beta

Shared across Image Studio and chat. Separate from AI Creation Credits. Free images are lifetime and do not reset. Paid allowances reset weekly without rollover. Limits may change during beta.

Free
2 lifetime
Premium
40/week
Laureate
80/week

AI chat

Premium and Laureate include unlimited AI chat on Auto. Chat starts on Best, and premium models such as GPT 6.1 Sol, Claude Sonnet 5.5, and Claude Opus 5.5 draw on a weekly premium usage allowance; when it runs out, chat keeps going on Auto until it resets. Chat never spends AI Creation Credits.

Free
3 total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Premium chat models (Best)

Chat answers on Best, the strongest model, by default. Premium models draw on a weekly allowance that resets every Monday at 00:00 UTC; long threads, large files, background tasks, and Claude Opus 5.5 use it faster. When it runs out, chat keeps going on Auto until the reset.

Free
Not included
Premium
Weekly usage
Laureate
4× weekly usage

AI Creation Credits

AI Creation Credits cover videos, slides, documents, and other AI creations. Most models use 1 credit, a few use 2, and Frontier models use 2, 3, or 4. Image Studio and chat images have a separate weekly allowance.

Free
1 total
Premium
15/week
Laureate
80/week

Podcast length

Free episodes are about 2 minutes. Paid plans can set a target length up to 60 minutes.

Free
About 2 minutes
Premium
Up to 60 minutes
Laureate
Up to 60 minutes

Video lecture length

Free lectures with a length control are about 2 minutes. Paid plans can set a target up to 45 minutes. Short uses its own short video format.

Free
About 2 minutes
Premium
Up to 45 minutes
Laureate
Up to 45 minutes

Video lecture resolution

Free
720p
Premium
1080p
Laureate
1080p

Download lectures as MP4

Free
-
Premium
Included
Laureate
Included

Scholarly logo on lectures

Free
Always on
Premium
Your choice
Laureate
Your choice

File uploads

Free
1 total (8MB)
Premium
Unlimited (300MB)
Laureate
Unlimited (1 GB each)

PDF to flashcards

Free
32 pages
Premium
1000 pages
Laureate
3000 pages

Sources per creation

Free
Up to 1
Premium
Up to 10
Laureate
Up to 20

Practice questions

Free
5 total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Practice exams

Free
1 total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Voice mode

Free
5 min total
Premium
2 hr/day
Laureate
12 hr/day

Autocomplete

Free
500 words total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Export to Anki

Free
-
Premium
Included
Laureate
Included

Support

Free
Standard
Premium
Priority
Laureate
Priority

What customers say

Scholarly has enhanced the quality of notes and questions I administer to my tutees. Insightful, to the point.

TD Georgas

TD Georgas

Tutor

I have very good experience with Scholarly it summarise me scientific text in hovel academic level with citation. I use this for any therapeutic area . It is great and useful tool.

Diana

Diana

Scholarly user

Scholarly has been a valuable tool for my studies. The AI-generated flashcards and intuitive features make organising and retaining information much easier.

Briana

Briana

Scholarly user

This app is great for studying for big test. Drop your PDF's in the system and it'll do the trick. You can organise it specifically for your needs.

Kelvin

Kelvin

Scholarly user

Your questions, answered

Is Scholarly free to use?

Yes! The free plan includes core study tools with lifetime allowances: 3 AI Chat messages, 500 autocomplete words, 5 quiz questions, 5 voice minutes, 1 practice exam, one free AI Creation Credit total, and 1 file upload. These allowances do not reset. Image Studio and chat also share 2 lifetime images during beta; this separate Free allowance does not reset and may change. Upgrade to Premium for 15 AI Creation Credits per week and unlimited uploads.

What uses my free AI Creation Credits?

AI Creation Credits are shared across flashcards, podcasts, videos, slides, AI Documents, Deep Research, and the Transcribe tool. The selected model determines the credit cost. Recording a meeting does not use an AI Creation Credit. Transcript and notes are included, up to 10 hours on paid plans.

Can I cancel any time?

Absolutely. There are no contracts or commitments. You can cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings, and you'll keep access until the end of your billing period.

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept all major credit and debit cards through Stripe. Pricing is displayed in USD by default, but local currency is available in the app.

Can I use Scholarly with a class or school?

Yes. For a school or organisation-wide rollout, contact us at hello@scholarly.so and we'll help you find the right setup.

What happens when I hit a free plan limit?

You'll see a prompt to upgrade. Your existing work is never lost. Limits only apply to new actions. Most Free allowances are lifetime limits. The separate beta image allowance includes 2 lifetime images on Free with no reset, 40 per week on Premium, and 80 per week on Laureate. Limits may change during beta. Premium includes 15 AI Creation Credits per week, podcasts up to 60 minutes, video lectures up to 45 minutes, unlimited uploads, chat, autocomplete, quizzes, and exams, plus more daily voice time.