Physics Toolbox Magnetometer vs Stereonet Mobile
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Stereonet Mobile
This app assists geologists in collecting, visualizing, and analyzing geological orientation data. It offers automatic data entry using device sensors and augmented reality, manual input options, and various plotting and calculation tools for geological features.
- Automatic data entry via device orientation
- Augmented reality for strike and dip measurement
- Manual data entry via stereonet or text fields
- Plotting of lines and planes with user-defined types
- Basic geological calculations (rotations, angles, slope stability)
- Plotting of mean vectors, rose diagrams, and contour lines
- View plots from any orientation
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Stereonet Mobile is designed to help you collect, visualize, and analyze geological orientation data. It is a companion to my Stereonet program for desktop computers. As such I have tried to incorporate the basic functionality of that program, taking into account the inherent limitations of mobile devices. Some of the basic tasks that one can perform with Stereonet Mobile include: • Provide automatic data entry as a geologist's compass by reading the iOS device orientation and converting it to strike and dip of planes and/or trend and plunge of lines. It is the only geology compass app that can use augmented reality to record the strike and dip of planes using the sighting method and the device camera. • Provide manual data entry via either tapping and dragging on the stereonet or by typing values into text fields • Plot lines and planes, which can be tagged using one of as many user defined data types (e.g., bedding, cleavage, slickensides, etc.) as you want • Carry out basic calculations such as: rotations about any axis, planes from poles or poles from planes, measure angles between lines and between planes, and basic slope stability calculations • Plot mean vectors, cylindrical best fits, rose diagrams, and contour lines. • View the plots from any orientation, not just looking straight down into the lower hemisphere • See the location of a datum on a map or satellite image (if you have an internet connection) • Show realtime changes to the stereonet projection to help students understand the geometry of the device better • Provide basic input and output of data using standard iOS conventions • Works on iPhones or iPads. The program will work on iPods or iPads lacking a cellular data connection but those devices have fewer sensors and thus cannot be used in automatic data collection mode.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Physics Toolbox Magnetometer at 5.0 against Stereonet Mobile's 4.5. Stereonet Mobile's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (monthly vs every 13 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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
Both are free to download. Physics Toolbox Magnetometer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Stereonet Mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.
Physics Toolbox Magnetometer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 13 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Physics Toolbox Magnetometer's written reviews are positive against 73% of Stereonet Mobile's.
Physics Toolbox Magnetometer ships an update every 13 months, Stereonet Mobile monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Physics Toolbox Magnetometer | Stereonet Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better | 4.5 (13 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better | 72.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7 | 13 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 13 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 17 MB | 29 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chrystian Vieyra | Richard Allmendinger |
Customer experience
Physics Toolbox Magnetometer
Stereonet Mobile
In-app purchases
Physics Toolbox Magnetometer
- Pro Upgrade$2.99
Stereonet Mobile
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Physics Toolbox Magnetometer free?
Is Stereonet Mobile free?
Which has better reviews, Physics Toolbox Magnetometer or Stereonet Mobile?
Do Physics Toolbox Magnetometer or Stereonet Mobile have ads?
Which is updated more often, Physics Toolbox Magnetometer or Stereonet Mobile?
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