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Education · head to head

Labster vs Linewize

Labster logo

Labster

Education

Virtual science labs for immersive learning

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Linewize logo

Linewize

Education

School web filtering, classroom control and student wellbeing alerting from the Qoria group

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; Linewize automated wellbeing flagging produces false positives on ordinary adolescent language, and each false positive is a recorded concern about a named child that the school must then handle and retain.
  • They diverge on capability: Labster covers Virtual simulations, Linewize covers Filtering on and off network.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Labster and Linewize actually diverge.

Attributes where Labster and Linewize differ
AttributeLabsterLinewize
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWebWeb, ChromeOS, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
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 Linewize

  • Filtering on and off network
  • Classwize
  • Wellbeing alerting
  • Pulse reporting
  • School to home
  • Multi-platform agents

What people use each for

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

Labster

  • Virtual labsnot Linewize
  • Pre-lab preparationnot Linewize
  • Supplemental learningnot Linewize
  • Remote educationnot Linewize

Linewize

  • A United Kingdom school evidencing Keeping Children Safe in Education monitoring expectations at inspectionnot Labster
  • Districts with take home devices that need policy applied off the school networknot Labster
  • Schools that want teachers to control lesson browsing without raising a ticket with the network managernot Labster
  • Safeguarding teams that need a documented trail of flags raised and actions takennot 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

Linewize

  • Automated wellbeing flagging produces false positives on ordinary adolescent language, and each false positive is a recorded concern about a named child that the school must then handle and retain.
  • Buying alerting without staffing it is a liability. If nobody reads the queue, the school has created evidence that it was told and did not act.
  • Off site monitoring of school devices extends school visibility into the home, and unless the school publishes the hours and scope, families discover it after the fact rather than at the point of consent.
  • The group sells both the school monitoring platform and a consumer parental control product to the same families, which is a commercial incentive to widen monitoring that the sales conversation will not surface.
  • Consolidation through acquisition means overlapping products from different codebases inside one group, and schools that bought a now acquired product face migration onto the group platform at renewal.

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

Linewize

On request
  • Linewize$undefined/year
    • Quoted per pupil per year
    • Filtering, classroom and wellbeing modules priced separately
    • Multi-year school and district agreements

Which should you pick?

Choose Labster if

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

Choose Linewize if

  • You need filtering on and off network.
  • You work on Web, ChromeOS, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • You also want classwize.
Linewize review

Questions people ask

Is Labster or Linewize better?
Neither clearly leads. Labster starts at On request and Linewize at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Labster or Linewize?
Labster starts at On request and Linewize at On request.
Does Labster or Linewize run on more platforms?
Labster runs on Web. Linewize runs on Web, ChromeOS, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
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 Linewize is typically brought in for.
What can Labster do that Linewize cannot?
Labster covers Virtual simulations, 3D environments, Theory pages, Quizzes. Linewize covers Filtering on and off network, Classwize, Wellbeing alerting, Pulse reporting.

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.

Linewize: Is Linewize the same company as Smoothwall and Qustodio?

They are all part of Qoria, the group formerly known as Family Zone Cyber Safety. Product roadmaps and renewals are coordinated at group level.

Labster: How many students has Labster served?

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

Linewize: Does it monitor pupils outside school hours?

On school managed devices it can, and the school decides the scope. Define the hours and the data retention period in policy and tell families, because the software will not decide proportionality for you.

Linewize: Is it FERPA and COPPA aligned?

For United States deployments it contracts as a school official under FERPA with COPPA consent handled by the district. In the United Kingdom the relevant frameworks are UK GDPR and Keeping Children Safe in Education, which impose different retention and review duties.

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