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Education · head to head

Labster vs Skyward

Labster logo

Labster

Education

Virtual science labs for immersive learning

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Skyward logo

Skyward

Education

Student information and school ERP for K-12 districts and municipalities

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; Skyward no pricing is published anywhere, so the only way to learn what a district of your size pays is to enter a sales cycle, and comparative quotes across vendors are hard to obtain before a board meeting deadline.
  • They diverge on capability: Labster covers Virtual simulations, Skyward covers Qmlativ SIS.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Labster and Skyward actually diverge.

Attributes where Labster and Skyward differ
AttributeLabsterSkyward
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWebWeb, 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 Skyward

  • Qmlativ SIS
  • School Business Suite
  • Position control
  • Family and student access
  • State reporting packs
  • Municipality edition
  • Data mining and reporting
  • Employee access

What people use each for

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

Labster

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

Skyward

  • A district of 8,000 students that wants payroll, position budgeting and the SIS on one vendor contract instead of paying an integrator to reconcile employee records nightlynot Labster
  • A Wisconsin or Texas district where state submission deadlines are the dominant compliance burden and prebuilt state packs remove weeks of extract worknot Labster
  • A district still on the older PaC client-server product deciding whether to migrate to Qmlativ or replace the SIS outrightnot Labster
  • A county government buying the finance and HR half on its own, separate from any school usenot 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

Skyward

  • No pricing is published anywhere, so the only way to learn what a district of your size pays is to enter a sales cycle, and comparative quotes across vendors are hard to obtain before a board meeting deadline.
  • State reporting depth is uneven: the packs are excellent in the states where Skyward has a large installed base and thin elsewhere, so a district in a low-penetration state inherits reporting work the vendor absorbs for others.
  • The third-party integration ecosystem is much smaller than PowerSchool's, so an edtech tool your teachers want may support the market leader first and Skyward months later or not at all.
  • Two product generations are still live and the migration from PaC to Qmlativ is a project in its own right, meaning a district can be paying for a modernisation programme rather than new capability.
  • Buying SIS and ERP from one vendor concentrates risk: a pricing increase, an ownership change or a product direction you dislike affects enrolment, payroll and the general ledger simultaneously, and unpicking that is a multi-year replacement rather than swapping one system.

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

Skyward

On request
  • Student Management Suite$undefined/year
    • Enrolment, scheduling, attendance and grading
    • State reporting
    • Family and student portals
  • School Business Suite$undefined/year
    • Finance, payroll and HR
    • Position control
    • Usually quoted alongside the SIS as a bundle
  • Municipality Edition$undefined/year
    • Finance and HR for local government
    • Quoted per organisation

Which should you pick?

Choose Labster if

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

Choose Skyward if

  • You need qmlativ sis.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want school business suite.
Skyward review

Questions people ask

Is Labster or Skyward better?
Neither clearly leads. Labster starts at On request and Skyward at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Labster or Skyward?
Labster starts at On request and Skyward at On request.
Does Labster or Skyward run on more platforms?
Labster runs on Web. Skyward runs on Web, 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 Skyward is typically brought in for.
What can Labster do that Skyward cannot?
Labster covers Virtual simulations, 3D environments, Theory pages, Quizzes. Skyward covers Qmlativ SIS, School Business Suite, Position control, Family and student access.

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.

Skyward: Was Skyward bought by PowerSchool?

No. Skyward remains an independent company based in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and competes directly with PowerSchool in the K-12 SIS market. It is one of the few SIS vendors of scale not owned by a private equity roll-up.

Labster: How many students has Labster served?

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

Skyward: Is pricing per student?

Yes, the student system is generally quoted per student per year with the finance suite priced separately, but no rate card is published and discounts vary heavily by district size and term length.

Skyward: Can we buy just the finance and HR suite?

Yes. School Business Suite is sold on its own, and there is a municipality edition for city and county government with no school component.

Skyward: What is the difference between Qmlativ and PaC?

PaC is the older client-server generation and Qmlativ is the current browser-based product. New districts buy Qmlativ; existing PaC districts are being migrated.

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