Comparison

Microscope Resolution vs CrystalGen

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

Head to head
About

Microscope Resolution

Calculate microscope objective lens resolution and brightness. Match lenses to your imaging system and check sampling frequency. Save, share, and access calculation equations.

Highlights
  • Calculate lateral and axial resolution
  • Calculate objective brightness
  • Match objective to acquisition system
  • Check Nyquist sampling frequency
  • Save and restore objective data
  • Share objective data
  • Display calculation equations
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Characterize your microscope objective lenses, see how well matched they are to your microscope's image acquisition system. The App supports both transmitted light objectives and fluorescence objectives. Input the magnification, immersion medium (air, oil, glycerol or silicone oil), NA (numerical aperture), condenser NA and wavelength of light (lambda), to calculate the lateral resolution, axial resolution and brightness of the objective. Characterize your acquisition system (camera pixel size, camera binning and additional magnification) to check if you're sampling at Nyquist frequency. Each of your objectives can be saved and easily restored, and shared with other microscopists via e-mail, MMS, Linked-In or even Facebook. The equations used for the calculations can be displayed. The sources of equations are referenced in the "Information" section. * Theoretical Resolution is calculated according Ernst Abbe's famous equation (Abbe 1873) * Actual Resolution is calculated according to ‘The Rayleigh Criterion’ * Axial Resolution of fluorescence objectives is calculated according to Inoue's chapter in Jim Pawley's “Handbook of Biological Confocal Microscopy” (3rd edition 2006) * Camera pixel size can be loaded from the list of cameras, if your camera is not in the list, you can enter it manually. * Select the "share" feature to share all output to e-mail, MMS or Linked-In * It doesn't matter if your microscope was made by Zeiss, Evos, Leica, Olympus, Nikon, Motic, or Meiji Techno, the principles are identical and you will find the app useful. * The list of cameras in the Camera dialog includes those made by Andor, Hamamatsu, Photometrics, PCO, QImaging, Leica, Lumenera, Olympus, Nikon, Motic and Zeiss.

About

CrystalGen

Features
Read full description

Visualize minerals from basic crystallographic information. Symmetry, unit cell dimension, and habit

Screenshots

Microscope Resolution4 screens
CrystalGen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: CrystalGen at none against Microscope Resolution's shown. Microscope Resolution's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 38 months) and chart position (#190 vs unranked). On in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Microscope Resolution costs $1.99 and CrystalGen $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Microscope Resolution ships an update every 3 months, CrystalGen every 38 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Microscope Resolution versus CrystalGen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMicroscope ResolutionCrystalGen
Price$1.99 — better$2.99
Rating3.7 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 38 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#190 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.2
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndrew BarlowSteve Kliewer

In-app purchases

None

Microscope Resolution

No in-app purchases

None

CrystalGen

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Microscope Resolution free?
Microscope Resolution costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is CrystalGen free?
CrystalGen costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Microscope Resolution or CrystalGen have ads?
Microscope Resolution shows ads; CrystalGen does not.
Which is updated more often, Microscope Resolution or CrystalGen?
Microscope Resolution ships an update every 3 months, and CrystalGen every 38 months. Most recently, Microscope Resolution was updated on November 2, 2026 and CrystalGen on November 7, 2026.

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