# Microscope Resolution vs Thorlabs Toolkit

The clearest difference is price: Thorlabs Toolkit at Free against Microscope Resolution's $1.99. Thorlabs Toolkit also leads on ads (none vs shown). Microscope Resolution's advantage is chart position (#190 vs unranked). On update cadence, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Thorlabs Toolkit is free to download; Microscope Resolution costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Microscope Resolution ships an update every 3 months, Thorlabs Toolkit every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Microscope Resolution | Thorlabs Toolkit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[3.7 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microscope-resolution/id1229786939/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **6** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | **#190** | — |
| Size | 5 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Andrew Barlow](https://appshunter.io/developer/1229786938) | [Thorlabs, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1725147057) |

## What reviewers say

### Microscope Resolution

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microscope-resolution/id1229786939)

**Currently charting:** #190 Top Paid · Education (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Thorlabs Toolkit

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thorlabs-toolkit/id6475776756)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Microscope Resolution free?

Microscope Resolution costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Thorlabs Toolkit free?

Thorlabs Toolkit is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Microscope Resolution or Thorlabs Toolkit have ads?

Microscope Resolution shows ads; Thorlabs Toolkit does not.

### Which is updated more often, Microscope Resolution or Thorlabs Toolkit?

Microscope Resolution ships an update every 3 months, and Thorlabs Toolkit every 4 months. Most recently, Microscope Resolution was updated on November 2, 2026 and Thorlabs Toolkit on November 8, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*