Compared
DrawWarm vs Interplay Learning
In short
Interplay Learning sells online and virtual-reality training for the skilled trades, HVAC, plumbing and electrical among them, priced in US dollars and built around North American practice. DrawWarm is a UK heating controls simulator: S-Plan, Y-Plan, combi and the wiring centre. 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 | Online and VR training for the skilled trades: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, solar, facilities and industrial maintenance and more, sold per user. | A heating wiring and fault-finding simulator: wire S-Plan, Y-Plan and combi controls yourself, switch on, test with the meter, find the fault. |
| 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, the cable colours used in the UK. |
| Who buys it | Colleges and training providers, workforce programmes, businesses of every size, and individual learners. | Individual engineers and apprentices; colleges, training centres and employers by seat. |
| Price | Interplay Basic: US$49 per user a month, billed monthly, for companies with up to 15 technicians. Team plans from 25 learners, by quote. Check their site. | For one person: the Sandbox £29 a month; the full version £249 a month at launch until 31 March 2027, then £299 a month. Cancel any time. No VAT is added. |
| Credits and exams | Continuing-education credits, and preparation for US trade exams such as EPA 608, OSHA 10 and NATE. | Stars, scores and a signed record of what you completed; at the end of a Programme stage, a certificate of completion with a serial anyone can check online. Not a formal qualification, and we do not call it one. |
| How it is checked | See their site. | Every lesson is replayed by a test harness before it ships, and read through as a beginner would read it. |
| Trying it first | A product tour, and a demo on request. | Not yet: there is no demo. The Sandbox, at £29 a month, is the low-cost way in, and you can cancel any time from your account. |
Where the facts about Interplay Learning come from
- Interplay Basic’s price: Interplay Basic, checked 5 November 2026.
- Team plans: Interplay Learning, pricing and plans, checked 5 November 2026.
- The trades, who buys it, the credits and exams, the product tour: Interplay Learning, checked 5 November 2026.
- The systems their HVAC training is built around: Interplay Learning, checked 22 September 2026.
As published on those dates; check their site for anything that may have changed. DrawWarm has no connection with Interplay Learning.
Where Interplay Learning is better
- Breadth: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, solar, maintenance, VR. DrawWarm is heating controls only.
- Continuing-education credits and preparation for US trade exams, which DrawWarm does not offer.
- 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 a whole class.
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?
Practise it in the simulator.
Runs in the browser on a laptop or desktop. Cancel any time.