Comparison

Gauges vs Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite

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

Head to head
About

Gauges

This app transforms your iPhone or iPad into a versatile set of live measuring instruments. It displays data from your device's sensors on a clear dashboard, offering full-screen gauges, charts, and history for each. Advanced features and unlimited recording are available through a Pro subscription.

Highlights
  • Live dashboard with multiple sensors
  • Full-screen gauges with charts and history
  • GPS speedometer
  • Altimeter and barometer
  • Sound level meter
  • Exportable data recordings
Features
Read full description

Gauges turns your iPhone and iPad into a beautiful set of live measuring instruments. Every sensor in your device, on one clean dashboard — with a full-screen gauge, live chart and history for each one. YOUR INSTRUMENTS • Speedometer — GPS speed in km/h, mph or knots • Altimeter — your altitude in metres or feet • Barometer — atmospheric pressure in hPa, inHg, psi, kPa or mmHg • Accelerometer — g-force, live • Magnetometer — magnetic field strength in µT or gauss • Sound Level — ambient noise in dB • Compass & Location — heading (magnetic or true) plus your position on a map • Luminance — light level, straight from the camera BUILT FOR MEASURING • Live dashboard showing every instrument at once, with trend sparklines • Tap any instrument for a full-screen gauge, a live 60-second chart and min/max values • Switch units with a tap • Mark a reading to compare against later • Spoken readings at your chosen interval — perfect when your eyes are busy • Share any reading instantly GAUGES PRO Recording is free: capture sessions of up to 60 seconds and review them in the app. Go Pro to unlock the full toolkit: • Record sessions of any length — every instrument, sampled continuously • Export recordings as CSV, with units in every column header, ready for Excel, Numbers, MATLAB or Python • Fine-tune every setting, including sample rate and QNH calibration • No ads Choose a weekly, monthly or annual plan (best value), or unlock everything once with Lifetime. Subscriptions renew automatically until cancelled; manage or cancel any time in your App Store account settings. If you unlocked Gauges with the original one-time purchase, you keep full access — nothing changes. Whether you're flying, sailing, hiking, driving or just curious about the world around you, Gauges gives you the numbers — clearly, instantly and beautifully. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://boluga.com/privacy

About

Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite

This app turns your smartphone into a scientific instrument suite, measuring sound, light, magnetism, and motion. It's ideal for students, educators, researchers, and hobbyists to record, analyze, and export real-time scientific data.

Highlights
  • Measure sound, light, magnetism, and motion
  • Record, analyze, and export real-time data
  • Includes G-Force Meter, Accelerometer, Gyroscope
  • Features Sound Meter, Oscilloscope, Spectrum Analyzer
  • Light Meter, Color Detector, Stroboscope
  • Compass, Magnetometer, AR visualization
  • Barometer, GPS, AR Ruler
Features
Read full description

Whether you’re a student, educator, researcher, or hobbyist, Physics Toolbox transforms your smartphone’s built-in sensors into a powerful suite of scientific instruments. Easily measure, record, analyze, and export real-time data for a variety of uses—from classroom experiments to cutting-edge research. KINEMATICS G-Force Meter Linear Accelerometer Gyroscope Inclinometer Motion Visualizer (LiDAR-tracked position and velocity) ACOUSTICS Sound Meter Tone Detector Tone Generator Oscilloscope Spectrum Analyzer Spectrogram LIGHT Light Meter Color Detector Proximeter Stroboscope MAGNETISM Compass Magnetometer Magna-AR (AR visualization of magnetic field vectors) OTHER Barometer GPS - latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, direction, number of satellites Ruler-AR (AR-estimated measurements) COMBINATION Multi Record Roller Coaster GAME Play (data-verified challenges)

Screenshots

Gauges4 screens
Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite4 screens

Verdict

The call

Gauges and Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 81% of Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite's written reviews are positive against 54% of Gauges's. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Gauges sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Gauges against 4.7 for Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.1K and 1.8K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 54% of Gauges's written reviews are positive against 81% of Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Gauges ships an update every 2 weeks, Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite weekly. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Gauges versus Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGaugesPhysics Toolbox Sensor Suite
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (3.1K ratings)4.7 (1.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews54.3% of reviews80.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.1K — better1.8K
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB80 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBolugaChrystian Vieyra

Customer experience

Gauges

All ratings3,080 ratings
Positive90.5%
Neutral4.7%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews94 reviews
Positive54.3%
Neutral8.5%
Negative37.2%

Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite

All ratings1,835 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral2.8%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews125 reviews
Positive80.8%
Neutral8.0%
Negative11.2%

Bugs and requests

Gauges

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Altitude reading showing unrealistic values
  • Speedometer not working as expected
  • Magnetometer not functioning properly
  • Inconsistent or missing sensor data

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add temperature sensor
  • Improve altimeter accuracy
  • Implement Apple Watch complications
  • Allow customization of units and settings
  • Enhance data logging and export options

Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Gauges

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly$0.997 Days
  • Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$29.99
1 purchases

Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite

One-time1
  • Upgrade to Pro$5.99

Questions

Is Gauges free?
Gauges is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite free?
Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Gauges or Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite?
Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite is rated higher. Gauges averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3.1K ratings, while Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite averages 4.7 from 1.8K ratings.
Do Gauges or Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite have ads?
Neither Gauges nor Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Gauges or Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite?
Gauges ships an update every 2 weeks, and Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite weekly. Most recently, Gauges was updated on November 6, 2026 and Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite on November 6, 2026.

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