# Refractive vs iPhasematch

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Refractive at 10 against iPhasematch's 15.6. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Refractive against 5.0 for iPhasematch. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively.

Refractive ships an update every 10 months, iPhasematch every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Refractive | iPhasematch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refractive/id339056990/reviews) | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iphasematch/id492370060/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | **Every 7 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 20 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Xavier Daxhelet](https://appshunter.io/developer/339056993) | [Yushi Kaneda](https://appshunter.io/developer/492370063) |

## What reviewers say

### Refractive

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refractive/id339056990)

This application calculates the refractive index of transparent materials based on wavelength. It assists optical design engineers and students by computing transmission properties, angles, and critical values. Users can also define custom materials for their calculations.

**Highlights:** Refractive index calculation by wavelength, Light transmission angle calculation, Reflection and transmission coefficients, Critical angle and Brewster's angle calculation, Recall of refraction formulas, Custom material definition

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### iPhasematch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iphasematch/id492370060)

Calculate nonlinear optical effects like second-harmonic generation and spontaneous parametric down-conversion. This app provides phasematching orientations, nonlinear coefficients, and tolerance values for various crystals based on Sellmeier equations.

**Highlights:** Phasematching condition calculation, Sellmeier equation integration, Effective nonlinear optical coefficients, Walk-off and angular tolerance, Temperature tolerance, Supported crystal list

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Refractive free?

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

### Is iPhasematch free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Refractive or iPhasematch?

Refractive and iPhasematch are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 2 ratings respectively.

### Do Refractive or iPhasematch have ads?

Neither Refractive nor iPhasematch shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Refractive or iPhasematch?

Refractive ships an update every 10 months, and iPhasematch every 7 months. Most recently, Refractive was updated on September 29, 2026 and iPhasematch on October 7, 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.*