Softwr

Education · head to head

Labster vs Lightspeed Systems

Labster logo

Labster

Education

Virtual science labs for immersive learning

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lightspeed Systems logo

Lightspeed Systems

Education

Filtering, classroom management and student safety monitoring for K-12 device fleets

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Labster customization is limited and labs cannot be easily adapted to specific course learning outcomes; Lightspeed Systems no module has published pricing, so districts cannot benchmark a quote without running a formal procurement, and the eventual figure depends heavily on which co-operative contract they buy through.
  • They diverge on capability: Labster covers Virtual simulations, Lightspeed Systems covers Filter.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Labster and Lightspeed Systems actually diverge.

Attributes where Labster and Lightspeed Systems differ
AttributeLabsterLightspeed Systems
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows, macOS
Founded2011Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Labster

  • Virtual simulations
  • 3D environments
  • Theory pages
  • Quizzes
  • Lab reports
  • Progress tracking
  • Mobile access
  • Multiplayer

Only in Lightspeed Systems

  • Filter
  • Alert
  • Classroom
  • Insight
  • Signal
  • MDM
  • StopIt
  • Hall Monitor

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Labster

  • Virtual labsnot Lightspeed Systems
  • Pre-lab preparationnot Lightspeed Systems
  • Supplemental learningnot Lightspeed Systems
  • Remote educationnot Lightspeed Systems

Lightspeed Systems

  • A district with 15,000 take-home Chromebooks that needs filtering to follow the device onto home and public networksnot Labster
  • A technology director being asked to justify the edtech budget, who can use app usage data to cancel licences nobody opensnot Labster
  • A school board that has agreed to safety monitoring but has no staff able to respond to alerts at night, and so buys the human review servicenot Labster
  • A one-to-one iPad rollout wanting device enrolment, filtering and teacher screen control from one vendornot Labster

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Labster

  • Customization is limited and labs cannot be easily adapted to specific course learning outcomes
  • Simulations can lag or freeze depending on operating system and connection speed
  • Cannot fully replace hands-on physical lab experience and data collection
  • Students report preference for tactile physical lab experience over virtual simulations

Lightspeed Systems

  • No module has published pricing, so districts cannot benchmark a quote without running a formal procurement, and the eventual figure depends heavily on which co-operative contract they buy through.
  • Alert detection and the 24/7 human review that makes it actionable are priced separately, so a district that budgets for Alert alone ends up owning the overnight triage burden itself.
  • The agent model means coverage stops at the managed device, and students moving to a personal phone on mobile data are outside filtering and monitoring entirely, which undercuts the compliance claim in the exact scenario administrators worry about.
  • Teacher screen monitoring is frequently deployed without training, and lessons stall while staff learn the interface, so the first term of a Classroom rollout often produces complaints rather than the intended benefit.
  • Buying eight modules from one vendor makes renewal a single high-value negotiation with no partial leverage, and districts locked into a multi-year co-operative contract cannot easily drop a module that underperforms.

Pricing, plan by plan

Labster

On request
  • Student Access$49/month
    • Course simulations
    • Mobile access
    • Progress tracking
  • Institution$undefined/month
    • All simulations
    • LMS integration
    • Analytics
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom content
    • API access
    • Priority support

Lightspeed Systems

On request
  • Lightspeed Filter$undefined/year
    • Device-level content filtering on and off network
    • YouTube and social media policy controls
    • Quoted per student device per year
  • Lightspeed Alert$undefined/year
    • Safety signal detection
    • 24/7 human review sold as an additional service
    • Quoted
  • Lightspeed Classroom, Insight, Signal, MDM, StopIt and Hall Monitor$undefined/year
    • Each sold as a separate per-student module
    • Quoted, commonly bundled

Which should you pick?

Choose Labster if

  • You need virtual simulations.
  • You also want 3d environments.
Labster review

Choose Lightspeed Systems if

  • You need filter.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want alert.
Lightspeed Systems review

Questions people ask

Is Labster or Lightspeed Systems better?
Neither clearly leads. Labster starts at On request and Lightspeed Systems at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Labster or Lightspeed Systems?
Labster starts at On request and Lightspeed Systems at On request.
Does Labster or Lightspeed Systems run on more platforms?
Labster runs on Web. Lightspeed Systems runs on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows, macOS.
What is Labster best used for?
Labster is most often used for virtual labs, pre-lab preparation, supplemental learning, remote education. Of those, virtual labs and pre-lab preparation are not what Lightspeed Systems is typically brought in for.
What can Labster do that Lightspeed Systems cannot?
Labster covers Virtual simulations, 3D environments, Theory pages, Quizzes. Lightspeed Systems covers Filter, Alert, Classroom, Insight.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Labster: What STEM subjects does Labster cover?

Labster provides interactive 3D simulations across biology, chemistry, physics, and other STEM subjects, designed for university, college, and high school students.

Lightspeed Systems: How much does Lightspeed Filter cost per student?

Lightspeed does not publish rates. Pricing is quoted per student device per year and varies with district size, module mix and which purchasing co-operative contract you buy through.

Labster: How many students has Labster served?

Labster has served over 6 million students and thousands of institutions globally with its virtual lab simulations.

Lightspeed Systems: Is 24/7 human alert review included with Alert?

No. Alert provides the detection; the staffed round-the-clock review service is an additional purchase, and it is usually what districts actually need.

Lightspeed Systems: Does filtering work when students are at home?

Yes, the agent runs on the device rather than the network, so policy follows the Chromebook or laptop off site.

Lightspeed Systems: What does Insight actually do for the budget?

It reports which licensed apps are opened and by whom, which districts use to cancel subscriptions with low usage. It also flags whether an app meets named privacy and accessibility standards.

Share

Related pages

More on Labster

More on Lightspeed Systems

Keep looking

Other head to heads