# Roughness vs Thorlabs Toolkit

The clearest difference is update cadence: Thorlabs Toolkit at every 4 months against Roughness's every 14 months. Thorlabs Toolkit also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Roughness ships an update every 14 months, Thorlabs Toolkit every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Roughness | Thorlabs Toolkit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 14 months | **Every 4 months** |
| Size | 26 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Carl Zeiss AG](https://appshunter.io/developer/488066215) | [Thorlabs, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1725147057) |

## What reviewers say

### Roughness

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roughness/id1356085703)

**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 Roughness free?

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

### Is Thorlabs Toolkit free?

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

### Do Roughness or Thorlabs Toolkit have ads?

Neither Roughness nor Thorlabs Toolkit shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Roughness or Thorlabs Toolkit?

Roughness ships an update every 14 months, and Thorlabs Toolkit every 4 months. Most recently, Roughness was updated on October 6, 2026 and Thorlabs Toolkit on October 10, 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.*