Comparison

Chromatic Vision Simulator vs phyphox

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

Head to head
About

Chromatic Vision Simulator

Simulate various types of color vision deficiencies in real-time using your device's camera or photos. Understand how individuals with protanopia, deuteranopia, or tritanopia perceive the world by visualizing color differences.

Highlights
  • Simulates color vision deficiencies
  • Real-time camera simulation
  • Photo simulation
  • Supports protanope/protanomal
  • Supports deuteranope/deuteranomal
  • Supports tritanope/tritanomal
Features
Read full description

“Chromatic Vision Simulator” is a color vision simulation tool which simulates the color vision of color vision deficiencies. This software is developed by Kazunori Asada (Ph.D. medical science and Ph.D. media design), based on the research in color science. About 5% of men have difficulty distinguishing red and green, or recognizing dark red. Such color deficiency can be classified into three major categories: protanope / Protanomal, Deuteranope / Deuteranomal and Tritanope / Tritanomal. Color deficiencies are the inability to tell differences between some colors other people can easily distinguish. People with different types of color vision deficiency perceive colors differently. For example, individuals diagnosed as Protan or Deutan cannot perceive differences between red and green, and pink and cyan. These color visions are predictable by calculating working of the cone cells that perceives the color to some degree. "Chromatic Vision Simulator" makes simulated images of each color vision type from built-in Camera or Photos and shows you how people with specific types of color vision sees the world in real-time.

About

phyphox

Unlock your phone's sensors for scientific exploration. Conduct pre-built experiments or create your own using accelerometers, magnetometers, and more. Analyze and export data in various formats for further study.

Highlights
  • Pre-defined experiments
  • Data export (CSV, TSV, Excel)
  • Web-based remote control
  • Custom experiment editor
  • Access to phone sensors
  • Advanced analysis functions
Features
Read full description

Did you know that you are carrying a 3D magnetometer? That you can use your phone as a pendulum to measure earth's local gravitational acceleration? That you can turn your phone into a sonar? phyphox gives you access to the sensors of your phone either directly or through ready-to-play experiments which analyze your data and let you export raw data along with the results for further analysis. You can even define your own experiments on phyphox.org and share them with colleagues, students and friends. Selected Features: • A selection of pre-defined experiments. Just press play to start. • Export your data to a range of widely used formats • Remote-control your experiment through a web interface from any PC on the same network as your phone. No need to install anything on those PCs - all you need is a modern web browser. • Define your own experiments by selecting sensor inputs, defining analysis steps and creating views as an interface using our web-editor (http://phyphox.org/editor). The analysis consists of just adding two values or using advanced methods like Fourier transforms and crosscorrelation. We offer a whole toolbox of analysis functions. Sensors supported: • Accelerometer • Magnetometer • Gyroscope • Pressure • Microphone • Proximity • GPS • Camera • LiDAR/ToF *some sensors are not present on every phone. Export formats • CSV (Comma separated values) • TSV (Tab-separated values) • Excel (if you need other formats, please let us know) This app has been developed at the 2nd Institute of Physics A at the RWTH Aachen University.

Screenshots

Chromatic Vision Simulator4 screens
phyphox4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: phyphox at every 3 months against Chromatic Vision Simulator's every 11 months. phyphox also leads on ratings volume (272 vs 58) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

phyphox holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 58 and 272 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 85% of Chromatic Vision Simulator's written reviews are positive against 79% of phyphox's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chromatic Vision Simulator ships an update every 11 months, phyphox every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Chromatic Vision Simulator versus phyphox: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChromatic Vision Simulatorphyphox
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (58 ratings)4.6 (272 ratings) — better
Positive reviews84.9% of reviews — better78.9% of reviews
Number of ratings58272 — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKazunori AsadaRWTH Aachen University

Customer experience

Chromatic Vision Simulator

All ratings58 ratings
Positive84.5%
Neutral5.2%
Negative10.3%
Written reviews93 reviews
Positive84.9%
Neutral5.4%
Negative9.7%

phyphox

All ratings272 ratings
Positive89.7%
Neutral3.7%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews265 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral3.0%
Negative18.1%

Bugs and requests

Chromatic Vision Simulator

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

phyphox

Reported bugs

21 issues
  • App crashes on older devices
  • Barometer not working on iOS 17.4
  • Network error: Generic error
  • Sound measurement curve disappears
  • App crashes frequently
Show 16 more
  • Cannot be opened on iPhone 6
  • Light sensor not implemented
  • Recording stops when phone is locked or app is minimized
  • Green lines on screen and faded to black after using barometer sensor
  • WLAN not working after using the app
  • Pressure no longer displayed on iOS 17.5
  • Barometer not working on iOS 17.4
  • Latest version cannot be opened on iPhone 6
  • Sound chronometer reset button not working
  • iPad destroyed after update
  • App displays Russian language by default
  • Experiments not working on iPhone 7
  • Magnetometer not working after update on iPhone 5s
  • GPS shows 0 satellites with 6m accuracy
  • App claims iPhone 11 is comparable to a low-cost tablet
  • App crashes every time

Requested features

33 requests
  • Add infrasound detector
  • More units of measurement (G-force, PSI, feet)
  • NFC/RFID support
  • In-app bug report feature
  • Allow other sensors via USB-C
Show 28 more
  • Ability to plug in external sensors
  • Slo-mo recording with timestamps
  • Add attitude sensor (roll, pitch, yaw)
  • Integration with Apple Shortcuts
  • Ability to record audio/dB simultaneously with other sensors
  • Adjustable sampling frequency for all sensors
  • Dark mode option
  • Experiment editor integrated into the app
  • More documentation for the editor
  • Ability to form averages
  • Support for older iPhones (iPhone 6)
  • Add GPS satellite count display
  • Add speedometer functionality
  • Add Lux measurement using light sensor/camera
  • Ability to play recorded audio
  • Limit input for sound analyzers (dB/Hz range)
  • Wi-Fi and RF module access for EMF analysis
  • iWatch integration
  • Improve audio generator capability
  • Allow background/screen locked recording
  • Add light sensor functionality
  • Change units of measurement
  • Add more precise measurements for static cases
  • Add FFT and spectral generation for accelerometer
  • Support for older devices
  • Improve UI/UX for new users
  • Add support for more languages
  • Add a donate option

In-app purchases

None

Chromatic Vision Simulator

No in-app purchases

None

phyphox

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chromatic Vision Simulator free?
Chromatic Vision Simulator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is phyphox free?
phyphox is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chromatic Vision Simulator or phyphox?
phyphox is rated higher. Chromatic Vision Simulator averages 4.4 out of 5 from 58 ratings, while phyphox averages 4.6 from 272 ratings.
Do Chromatic Vision Simulator or phyphox have ads?
Neither Chromatic Vision Simulator nor phyphox shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chromatic Vision Simulator or phyphox?
Chromatic Vision Simulator ships an update every 11 months, and phyphox every 3 months. Most recently, Chromatic Vision Simulator was updated on September 15, 2026 and phyphox on September 24, 2026.

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