phyphox vs MathWrite Notes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Pre-defined experiments
- Data export (CSV, TSV, Excel)
- Web-based remote control
- Custom experiment editor
- Access to phone sensors
- Advanced analysis functions
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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.
MathWrite Notes
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MathWrite converts handwritten science notes into LaTeX. Write with Apple Pencil the way you already do. When a page is finished, MathWrite reads it and produces LaTeX you can compile, copy, or send straight to Overleaf. FREE TO START MathWrite is free to download and use. A free account keeps one notebook, writes by hand without limits, and includes 5 LaTeX conversions and 20 PDF compilations to try the conversion on your own notes. Those are one-time and do not renew. PREMIUM UNLOCKS THE REST • As many notebooks as you like • Unlimited LaTeX conversion and PDF compilation • Document scanning, photo import and PDF import • Converting a whole imported notebook in one go The yearly plan begins with a 7-day free trial. WRITTEN FOR MATHS • Pressure-sensitive ink with Apple Pencil, built on PencilKit • Apple Pencil-only mode for proper palm rejection • Blank, ruled, grid and dotted pages, in colours chosen for long reading sessions LATEX THAT ACTUALLY COMPILES • Finish a page and it converts, so the LaTeX grows with the notebook • Theorems, proofs, aligned equations, matrices and macros survive the conversion • Pages are joined into one document. A proof that starts on one page and ends on the next comes out as a single environment, not two broken halves • Macros you define once are collected into the preamble, not repeated • Three document styles: Default, Tagged and Boxed • Compile to PDF inside the app and read it beside your handwriting • Open in Overleaf in one tap, into your own account BRING YOUR OLD NOTEBOOKS • Import a PDF and write on top of it • Imported pages convert too, so your old notes become LaTeX as well • Scan paper notes with the camera and convert those Scanning and importing are premium features. BUILT FOR HOW STUDYING ACTUALLY GOES • Works offline: write with no connection, and the pages convert when you are back • Read-only mode for revising without stray marks • Export any notebook as a PDF • Favourites for finding a lecture again in week eleven Available in English and Spanish. Designed for iPad first, and works on iPhone. CONVERSION AND COMPILATION Conversion and compilation need to be online. Writing, reading and exporting are unlimited and work offline. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS • MathWriteNotes Yearly Subscription — 39.99 USD per year, starting with a 7-day free trial • MathWriteNotes Monthly Subscription — 9.99 USD per month Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your Apple Account is charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of that period. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal in your Apple Account settings after purchase. If you take the free trial, any unused portion is forfeited when you buy a subscription. Terms of Use: https://math-write-notes-backend.vercel.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://math-write-notes-backend.vercel.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: phyphox at none against MathWrite Notes's 2. phyphox also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.6). On price, ads and device support 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. MathWrite Notes sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. phyphox asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | phyphox | MathWrite Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (272 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 78.9% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 272 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 35 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RWTH Aachen University | Andres Osorio Leyenda |
Bugs and 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
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- 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
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- 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
MathWrite Notes
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
phyphox
No in-app purchases
MathWrite Notes
- MathWriteNotes Monthly Subscription$9.991 Month
- MathWriteNotes Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Questions
Is phyphox free?
Is MathWrite Notes free?
Do phyphox or MathWrite Notes have ads?
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