Comparison

Desmos Graphing Calculator vs phyphox

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

Head to head
About

Desmos Graphing Calculator

Explore mathematical concepts by graphing any equation, from simple lines to complex series. This powerful tool allows for interactive exploration with sliders, data tables, and animations. It also includes a scientific calculator and supports inequalities and accessibility features.

Highlights
  • Graph any equation (polar, cartesian, parametric)
  • Interactive sliders for function transformations
  • Input and plot data with tables
  • Animate graphs
  • Scientific calculator functionality
  • Plot inequalities
  • Accessibility features
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Explore math with the fast and powerful Desmos Graphing Calculator. Plot any equation, from lines and parabolas to derivatives and Fourier series. Add sliders to demonstrate function transformations, create tables to input and plot data, animate your graphs, and more—all for free. Features: Graphing: Plot polar, cartesian, or parametric graphs. There’s no limit to how many expressions you can graph at one time—and you don’t even need to enter expressions in y= form! Sliders: Adjust values interactively to build intuition, or animate any parameter to visualize its effect on the graph. Tables: Input and plot data, or create an input-output table for any function. Statistics: Find best-fit lines, parabolas, and more. Zooming: Scale the axes independently or at the same time with the pinch of two fingers, or edit the window size manually to get the perfect window. Points of Interest: Touch a curve to show maximums, minimums, and points of intersection. Tap the gray points of interest to see their coordinates. Hold and drag along a curve to see the coordinates change under your finger. Scientific Calculator: Just type in any equation you want to solve and Desmos will show you the answer. It can handle square roots, logs, absolute value, and more. Inequalities: Plot Cartesian and polar inequalities. Accessibility: Read and edit math using a screen reader or a refreshable Braille display, and use audio trace to explore graphs and data through sound. Offline: No internet access required. Visit www.desmos.com to learn more and to see the free browser version of our calculator.

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

Desmos Graphing Calculator4 screens
phyphox4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: phyphox at 4.6 against Desmos Graphing Calculator's 4.3. phyphox also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). Desmos Graphing Calculator's advantage is chart position (#125 vs unranked) and ratings volume (1.3K vs 276). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.3K and 276 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 81% of Desmos Graphing Calculator'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

Desmos Graphing Calculator ships an update every 2 months, phyphox every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Desmos Graphing Calculator versus phyphox: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDesmos Graphing Calculatorphyphox
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (1.3K ratings)4.6 (276 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.8% of reviews — better78.7% of reviews
Number of ratings1.3K — better276
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#125 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDesmosRWTH Aachen University

Customer experience

Desmos Graphing Calculator

All ratings1,290 ratings
Positive82.5%
Neutral3.8%
Negative13.7%
Written reviews355 reviews
Positive80.8%
Neutral5.6%
Negative13.5%

phyphox

All ratings276 ratings
Positive89.5%
Neutral4.0%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews267 reviews
Positive78.7%
Neutral3.4%
Negative18.0%

User reviews

Desmos Graphing Calculator

From 1.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Insane tool for FREE!
  • 🚀 Best mobile graphing app
  • 👍 Awesome for algebra and calculus
  • 👍 Genuinely an awesome resource
  • 👍 Makes math easier

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 🐛 Glitches with certain features
  • 🐛 Loses saved data
  • 🐛 Keyboard issues
  • 🐛 Zooming and panning problems

phyphox

From 276 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Access to phone sensors
  • 🔬 Useful for physics experiments
  • 📊 Data logging and export
  • 🆓 Free and no ads
  • 🤔 Sparks curiosity

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes
  • 📉 Inconsistent performance
  • 🔒 App locks/minimizes recording
  • ❓ Units not always clear
  • ⚠️ Potential for device damage

Bugs and requests

Desmos Graphing Calculator

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when using certain functions
  • Graphs not displaying properly
  • Login issues
  • Compatibility problems with older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Dark mode
  • Copy and paste functionality
  • Ability to save and load graphs
  • Improved handling of complex numbers and polar equations
  • More customization options

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

Desmos Graphing Calculator

No in-app purchases

None

phyphox

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Desmos Graphing Calculator free?
Desmos Graphing Calculator 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, Desmos Graphing Calculator or phyphox?
phyphox is rated higher. Desmos Graphing Calculator averages 4.3 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while phyphox averages 4.6 from 276 ratings.
Do Desmos Graphing Calculator or phyphox have ads?
Neither Desmos Graphing Calculator nor phyphox shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Desmos Graphing Calculator or phyphox?
Desmos Graphing Calculator ships an update every 2 months, and phyphox every 3 months. Most recently, Desmos Graphing Calculator was updated on October 13, 2026 and phyphox on October 12, 2026.

Other comparisons