Comparison

Physics Toolbox Magnetometer vs phyphox

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Physics Toolbox Magnetometer

This app transforms your iPhone into a precise scientific instrument for measuring, visualizing, and recording magnetic fields. Explore magnetic field vectors, magnitudes, and compass headings with real-time charts and digital readouts. Ideal for educational experiments, lab work, or curious exploration.

Highlights
  • Real-time magnetic field vector and magnitude display
  • Chart, digital, and compass viewing modes
  • Data recording and CSV export
  • Adjustable sample rate (1-100 Hz)
  • Signal filters for noise reduction
  • Detection of permanent and electromagnetic fields
Features
Read full description

Measure, visualize, and record magnetic fields with precision — right from your iPhone. Physics Toolbox Magnetometer displays the magnetic field vector in x, y, and z dimensions along with total magnitude in microteslas (µT) or gauss, giving you the data you need for serious lab work or casual exploration. Three ways to view your data: - Chart — real-time graph with toggleable axes, adjustable line width, and fullscreen mode - Digital — large numeric readout for quick at-a-glance measurements - Compass — live heading with True North and Magnetic North display Built for the lab and the field: - Record and export data as CSV for analysis in other software - Adjustable sample rate from 1 to 100 Hz - Signal filters to reduce noise - Detects permanent magnets, electromagnetic fields, and background geomagnetic field Classroom-ready experiments: The magnetometer is well-suited for determining the inverse-square law for a point-source magnet, measuring the magnetic field produced by a solenoid, or capturing the periodic field variations of audio speakers and magnetic plate stirrers. Whether you are a physics student, teacher, engineer, or curious mind, Physics Toolbox Magnetometer turns your device into a capable scientific instrument.

About

phyphox

Unlock your phone's sensors for scientific exploration. Conduct pre-built experiments or create your own using accelerometers, magnetometers, and more. Analyze and export data in various formats for further study.

Highlights
  • Pre-defined experiments
  • Data export (CSV, TSV, Excel)
  • Web-based remote control
  • Custom experiment editor
  • Access to phone sensors
  • Advanced analysis functions
Features
Read full description

Did you know that you are carrying a 3D magnetometer? That you can use your phone as a pendulum to measure earth's local gravitational acceleration? That you can turn your phone into a sonar? phyphox gives you access to the sensors of your phone either directly or through ready-to-play experiments which analyze your data and let you export raw data along with the results for further analysis. You can even define your own experiments on phyphox.org and share them with colleagues, students and friends. Selected Features: • A selection of pre-defined experiments. Just press play to start. • Export your data to a range of widely used formats • Remote-control your experiment through a web interface from any PC on the same network as your phone. No need to install anything on those PCs - all you need is a modern web browser. • Define your own experiments by selecting sensor inputs, defining analysis steps and creating views as an interface using our web-editor (http://phyphox.org/editor). The analysis consists of just adding two values or using advanced methods like Fourier transforms and crosscorrelation. We offer a whole toolbox of analysis functions. Sensors supported: • Accelerometer • Magnetometer • Gyroscope • Pressure • Microphone • Proximity • GPS • Camera • LiDAR/ToF *some sensors are not present on every phone. Export formats • CSV (Comma separated values) • TSV (Tab-separated values) • Excel (if you need other formats, please let us know) This app has been developed at the 2nd Institute of Physics A at the RWTH Aachen University.

Screenshots

Physics Toolbox Magnetometer4 screens
phyphox4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: phyphox at none against Physics Toolbox Magnetometer's 1. phyphox also leads on ratings volume (276 vs 7) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 13 months). Physics Toolbox Magnetometer's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6). On price, review sentiment, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Physics Toolbox Magnetometer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. phyphox asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Physics Toolbox Magnetometer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: phyphox has 276 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Physics Toolbox Magnetometer's written reviews are positive against 79% of phyphox's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Physics Toolbox Magnetometer ships an update every 13 months, phyphox every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Physics Toolbox Magnetometer versus phyphox: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhysics Toolbox Magnetometerphyphox
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (7 ratings) — better4.6 (276 ratings)
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews — better78.9% of reviews
Number of ratings7276 — better
Update frequencyEvery 13 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.112.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChrystian VieyraRWTH Aachen University

Customer experience

Physics Toolbox Magnetometer

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%

phyphox

All ratings276 ratings
Positive89.5%
Neutral4.0%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews266 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral3.0%
Negative18.0%

Bugs and requests

Physics Toolbox Magnetometer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

phyphox

Reported bugs

21 issues
  • App crashes on older devices
  • Barometer not working on iOS 17.4
  • Network error: Generic error
  • Sound measurement curve disappears
  • App crashes frequently
Show 16 more
  • Cannot be opened on iPhone 6
  • Light sensor not implemented
  • Recording stops when phone is locked or app is minimized
  • Green lines on screen and faded to black after using barometer sensor
  • WLAN not working after using the app
  • Pressure no longer displayed on iOS 17.5
  • Barometer not working on iOS 17.4
  • Latest version cannot be opened on iPhone 6
  • Sound chronometer reset button not working
  • iPad destroyed after update
  • App displays Russian language by default
  • Experiments not working on iPhone 7
  • Magnetometer not working after update on iPhone 5s
  • GPS shows 0 satellites with 6m accuracy
  • App claims iPhone 11 is comparable to a low-cost tablet
  • App crashes every time

Requested features

33 requests
  • Add infrasound detector
  • More units of measurement (G-force, PSI, feet)
  • NFC/RFID support
  • In-app bug report feature
  • Allow other sensors via USB-C
Show 28 more
  • Ability to plug in external sensors
  • Slo-mo recording with timestamps
  • Add attitude sensor (roll, pitch, yaw)
  • Integration with Apple Shortcuts
  • Ability to record audio/dB simultaneously with other sensors
  • Adjustable sampling frequency for all sensors
  • Dark mode option
  • Experiment editor integrated into the app
  • More documentation for the editor
  • Ability to form averages
  • Support for older iPhones (iPhone 6)
  • Add GPS satellite count display
  • Add speedometer functionality
  • Add Lux measurement using light sensor/camera
  • Ability to play recorded audio
  • Limit input for sound analyzers (dB/Hz range)
  • Wi-Fi and RF module access for EMF analysis
  • iWatch integration
  • Improve audio generator capability
  • Allow background/screen locked recording
  • Add light sensor functionality
  • Change units of measurement
  • Add more precise measurements for static cases
  • Add FFT and spectral generation for accelerometer
  • Support for older devices
  • Improve UI/UX for new users
  • Add support for more languages
  • Add a donate option

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Physics Toolbox Magnetometer

One-time1
  • Pro Upgrade$2.99
None

phyphox

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Physics Toolbox Magnetometer free?
Physics Toolbox Magnetometer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is phyphox free?
phyphox is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Physics Toolbox Magnetometer or phyphox?
Physics Toolbox Magnetometer is rated higher. Physics Toolbox Magnetometer averages 5.0 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while phyphox averages 4.6 from 276 ratings.
Do Physics Toolbox Magnetometer or phyphox have ads?
Neither Physics Toolbox Magnetometer nor phyphox shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Physics Toolbox Magnetometer or phyphox?
Physics Toolbox Magnetometer ships an update every 13 months, and phyphox every 3 months. Most recently, Physics Toolbox Magnetometer was updated on September 23, 2026 and phyphox on October 1, 2026.

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