Compared
DrawWarm vs Interplay Learning
In short
Interplay Learning sells 3D and virtual-reality simulations for HVAC, plumbing and electrical work to trade schools and employers, mostly in the United States. DrawWarm is a UK heating controls simulator: S-Plan, Y-Plan, combi, the wiring centre and BS 7671 colours. If you train UK heating engineers, one of these matches the job and the other does not.
Side by side
| Interplay Learning | DrawWarm | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | 3D and VR simulations across HVAC, refrigeration, plumbing, electrical and more; a large catalogue sold by seat. | A heating wiring and fault-finding simulator: wire S-Plan, Y-Plan and combi controls yourself, switch on, meter, break, fix. |
| Systems | North American HVAC: 24 V thermostat circuits, furnaces, air handlers, US wiring practice. | UK heating: S-Plan, Y-Plan, combi, wireless controls, 230 V, the wiring centre, BS 7671 colours. |
| Who buys it | Trade schools and employers, by seat, with progress tracking and certificates. | Individual engineers and apprentices; colleges, training centres and employers by seat. |
| Price | About $54 per user a month for an individual, as listed on Capterra on 22 September 2026; custom pricing for schools and employers. Check their site. | Sandbox £29 a month (the simulator only). Full version £199 a month; £99 at launch until 31 March 2027. No VAT added. |
| Proof | An established product with a track record in US schools. | Every lesson and fault replayed by a test harness before release: 477 of 477 checks on the fault catalogue. |
| Free taste | A 14-day trial was offered on the date checked. | A free three-minute demo in the browser, opening with the launch. |
Facts about Interplay Learning are as published on the date shown in the table; check their site for anything that may have changed. DrawWarm has no connection with Interplay Learning.
Where Interplay Learning is better
- Breadth: refrigeration, air conditioning, furnaces, electrical, VR. DrawWarm is heating controls only.
- Maturity: years in US classrooms with the reporting and integrations that come with that.
- If you train to North American systems, it is the right tool and DrawWarm is the wrong one.
Where DrawWarm is better
- It is the UK circuit. A US HVAC simulation does not contain an S-Plan, a Y-Plan, a cylinder stat or a wiring centre.
- Depth on the one thing UK engineers get wrong most: the controls wiring and the meter.
- Priced in pounds, for one person or one classroom, with no minimum.
Both? Unlikely: they cover different countries. A UK college would use DrawWarm for heating controls and, if it also teaches refrigeration or air conditioning, might look at Interplay for that.
Questions
Is Interplay Learning available in the UK?
Does DrawWarm do VR?
Your first fault is waiting.
The demo opens with the launch: leave your email and the link lands in your inbox that day.