Comparison

Loughborough Wave Lab vs Physics Toolbox Magnetometer

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

Head to head
About

Loughborough Wave Lab

This educational app helps students grasp electromagnetic wave concepts through interactive simulations. It features a virtual ripple tank, waveguide simulator, and Young's Double Slit experiment. Educators can create custom simulations for an enhanced learning experience.

Highlights
  • Virtual pond and ripple tank
  • Sinusoidal pulse generation
  • Waveguide simulation
  • Young's Double Slit experiment
  • Custom simulation mode
  • Educator-authored simulation uploads
Features
Read full description

Loughborough Wave Lab is an educational learning app designed to aid students in their understanding of electromagnetic wave concepts in an engaging and entertaining way! Features include: • Virtual pond • Persistent Sinusoidal Pulses • Virtual Ripple Tank • Waveguide Simulator • Young's Double Slit Experiment • Custom Simulation Mode Loughborough Wave Lab is intended to accompany teaching on Electromagnetic phenomena and to provide students with an interactive way of seeing these principles in action! Educators can now author their own custom simulation files, upload them to a web server and then have Loughborough Wave Lab execute the simulations using a WiFi or cellular data connection to download the configurations and display them to the user. This uses the new, open-source configuration standard CEML which has been introduced by the developer (available at www.github.com/danielrbrowne/CEML)

About

Physics Toolbox Magnetometer

This app transforms your iPhone into a precise scientific instrument for measuring, visualizing, and recording magnetic fields. Explore magnetic field vectors, magnitudes, and compass headings with real-time charts and digital readouts. Ideal for educational experiments, lab work, or curious exploration.

Highlights
  • Real-time magnetic field vector and magnitude display
  • Chart, digital, and compass viewing modes
  • Data recording and CSV export
  • Adjustable sample rate (1-100 Hz)
  • Signal filters for noise reduction
  • Detection of permanent and electromagnetic fields
Features
Read full description

Measure, visualize, and record magnetic fields with precision — right from your iPhone. Physics Toolbox Magnetometer displays the magnetic field vector in x, y, and z dimensions along with total magnitude in microteslas (µT) or gauss, giving you the data you need for serious lab work or casual exploration. Three ways to view your data: - Chart — real-time graph with toggleable axes, adjustable line width, and fullscreen mode - Digital — large numeric readout for quick at-a-glance measurements - Compass — live heading with True North and Magnetic North display Built for the lab and the field: - Record and export data as CSV for analysis in other software - Adjustable sample rate from 1 to 100 Hz - Signal filters to reduce noise - Detects permanent magnets, electromagnetic fields, and background geomagnetic field Classroom-ready experiments: The magnetometer is well-suited for determining the inverse-square law for a point-source magnet, measuring the magnetic field produced by a solenoid, or capturing the periodic field variations of audio speakers and magnetic plate stirrers. Whether you are a physics student, teacher, engineer, or curious mind, Physics Toolbox Magnetometer turns your device into a capable scientific instrument.

Screenshots

Loughborough Wave Lab4 screens
Physics Toolbox Magnetometer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Loughborough Wave Lab at none against Physics Toolbox Magnetometer's 1. Loughborough Wave Lab also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 13 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.1). Physics Toolbox Magnetometer's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.5). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume 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. Physics Toolbox Magnetometer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Loughborough Wave Lab asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Physics Toolbox Magnetometer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 8 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 80% and 80% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Loughborough Wave Lab ships an update every 3 months, Physics Toolbox Magnetometer every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Loughborough Wave Lab versus Physics Toolbox Magnetometer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLoughborough Wave LabPhysics Toolbox Magnetometer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (13 ratings)5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews80.0% of reviews
Number of ratings13 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 13 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.1
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaniel BrowneChrystian Vieyra

Customer experience

Loughborough Wave Lab

All ratings13 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral7.7%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%

Physics Toolbox Magnetometer

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Loughborough Wave Lab

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Physics Toolbox Magnetometer

One-time1
  • Pro Upgrade$2.99

Questions

Is Loughborough Wave Lab free?
Loughborough Wave Lab is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Physics Toolbox Magnetometer free?
Physics Toolbox Magnetometer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Loughborough Wave Lab or Physics Toolbox Magnetometer?
Physics Toolbox Magnetometer is rated higher. Loughborough Wave Lab averages 4.5 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Physics Toolbox Magnetometer averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.
Do Loughborough Wave Lab or Physics Toolbox Magnetometer have ads?
Neither Loughborough Wave Lab nor Physics Toolbox Magnetometer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Loughborough Wave Lab or Physics Toolbox Magnetometer?
Loughborough Wave Lab ships an update every 3 months, and Physics Toolbox Magnetometer every 13 months. Most recently, Loughborough Wave Lab was updated on October 23, 2026 and Physics Toolbox Magnetometer on October 24, 2026.

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