Foxglove WebSocket Bridge vs SensorStream, powered by ROS 2
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Foxglove WebSocket Bridge
Stream robotics and sensor data from your iOS device directly to Foxglove Studio. This application serves as a demonstration, providing libraries and examples to help developers build their own custom servers for real-time data visualization.
- Stream sensor data from iOS
- Integrates with Foxglove Studio
- Demonstrates WebSocket Protocol
- Provides libraries and examples
- Open-source code available
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Stream sensor data from your iOS device to Foxglove. This app demonstrates how a custom server can use the Foxglove WebSocket Protocol to stream robotics data into Foxglove. Write your own server starting with the libraries and examples provided at https://github.com/foxglove/ws-protocol. View the source code for this app at https://github.com/foxglove/foxglove-ios-bridge. For further documentation on how to use Foxglove, visit https://docs.foxglove.dev/. ROS and the “nine dots” ROS logo are trademarks of Open Source Robotics Foundation.
SensorStream, powered by ROS 2
This app transforms your iPhone into a powerful sensor platform, streaming LiDAR depth, RGB camera, IMU, and GPS data to your computer. It's designed for robotics development and research, offering both Wi-Fi and USB connection options for seamless integration with ROS 2.
- LiDAR depth streaming
- RGB camera feed
- IMU data (accelerometer, gyroscope)
- GPS location data
- Wi-Fi and USB transport options
- ROS 2 integration
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SensorStream turns your iPhone into a sensor platform, streaming LiDAR depth, RGB camera, IMU, and GPS data to your host computer over Wi-Fi or USB. Built for robotics prototypers, researchers, or anyone who wants to use the iPhone's powerful built-in sensor suite. SENSOR STREAMS • LiDAR Depth — 256×192 depth frames at up to 30 FPS from front and back (Wide) cameras (requires a LiDAR-equipped iPhone) • RGB Camera — JPEG-compressed colour frames at up to 30 FPS from the wide-angle camera, or front-facing camera • IMU — accelerometer, gyroscope, and quaternion orientation data at a configurable frequency • GPS — GNSS position TRANSPORT OPTIONS • Wi-Fi (TCP) — connect wirelessly over your local network; scan the server's QR code from the app for instant pairing • USB — low-latency wired connection via PeerTalk / iproxy for demanding real-time applications INTEGRATION • Driver for integration with ROS 2 — a companion driver publishes sensor data directly to ROS 2 topics (/depth_image, /color_image/compressed, /imu/data, /gps/fix) using sensor_msgs message types ON-DEVICE PREVIEW • Real-time depth overlay with adjustable min/max range and colour thresholds • Live camera preview • IMU visualiser for orientation feedback • Per-sensor toggles and settings — configure each sensor independently before streaming HOW IT WORKS 1. Start the companion driver on your computer 2. Open SensorStream, go to Settings → Network, and connect via Wi-Fi (scan the QR code or enter IP/port manually) or USB. 3. Enable the sensors you need on the Dashboard. 4. Tap Start Streaming, that's it. REQUIREMENTS • iPhone with iOS 15.6 or later • LiDAR sensor required for depth streaming (iPhone 12 Pro and later) • Host computer running Python 3.9+ and ROS 2 Humble for the companion server
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Foxglove WebSocket Bridge at 5.0 against SensorStream, powered by ROS 2's 3.0. Foxglove WebSocket Bridge also leads on ratings volume (3 vs 1). SensorStream, powered by ROS 2's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Foxglove WebSocket Bridge holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.
Foxglove WebSocket Bridge ships an update monthly, SensorStream, powered by ROS 2 every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 11, 2026.
| Parameter | Foxglove WebSocket Bridge | SensorStream, powered by ROS 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 3.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Foxglove | Martijn Habers |
Customer experience
Foxglove WebSocket Bridge
SensorStream, powered by ROS 2
In-app purchases
Foxglove WebSocket Bridge
No in-app purchases
SensorStream, powered by ROS 2
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Foxglove WebSocket Bridge free?
Is SensorStream, powered by ROS 2 free?
Which has better reviews, Foxglove WebSocket Bridge or SensorStream, powered by ROS 2?
Do Foxglove WebSocket Bridge or SensorStream, powered by ROS 2 have ads?
Which is updated more often, Foxglove WebSocket Bridge or SensorStream, powered by ROS 2?
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