Optical Power Meter vs Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Optical Power Meter
Control handheld optical power meters remotely via Bluetooth. View power readings on a large gauge and a 5-digit display, with min/max tracking. Adjust basic settings like wavelength and zeroing from your mobile device.
- Remote control via Bluetooth
- Large needle gauge display
- 5-digit power reading
- Minimum and maximum readings
- Wavelength correction
- Zeroing function
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The Thorlabs Powermeter App is designed to remote control the PM160 series handheld optical power meters via Bluetooth® connection. This application allows the user to read the optical power from a large needle gauge, supported by a 5 digit display with additional minimum and maximum readings. Basic settings like wavelength correction and zeroing can be performed directly from your mobile device. The app requires a Bluetooth® paired device. Supported Power Meters: - Thorlabs PM160 - Thorlabs PM160T
Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite
This app turns your smartphone into a scientific instrument suite, enabling measurement, recording, analysis, and export of real-time sensor data. It offers tools for kinematics, acoustics, light, magnetism, and more, suitable for students, educators, researchers, and hobbyists.
- Real-time sensor data measurement
- Data recording and analysis
- Data export functionality
- Kinematics tools (accelerometer, gyroscope)
- Acoustics tools (sound meter, oscilloscope)
- Magnetism tools (compass, magnetometer)
- AR visualization for magnetic fields and measurements
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Whether you’re a student, educator, researcher, or hobbyist, Physics Toolbox transforms your smartphone’s built-in sensors into a powerful suite of scientific instruments. Easily measure, record, analyze, and export real-time data for a variety of uses—from classroom experiments to cutting-edge research. KINEMATICS G-Force Meter Linear Accelerometer Gyroscope Inclinometer Motion Visualizer (LiDAR-tracked position and velocity) ACOUSTICS Sound Meter Tone Detector Tone Generator Oscilloscope Spectrum Analyzer Spectrogram LIGHT Light Meter Color Detector Proximeter Stroboscope MAGNETISM Compass Magnetometer Magna-AR (AR visualization of magnetic field vectors) OTHER Barometer GPS - latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, direction, number of satellites Ruler-AR (AR-estimated measurements) COMBINATION Multi Record Roller Coaster GAME Play (data-verified challenges)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite at 80% against Optical Power Meter's 0%. Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.6) and update cadence (weekly vs every 12 months). Optical Power Meter's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads and device support 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. Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Optical Power Meter asks for nothing beyond the download.
Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite has 1.8K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Optical Power Meter's written reviews are positive against 80% of Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite's.
Optical Power Meter ships an update every 12 months, Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Optical Power Meter | Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.6 (5 ratings) | 4.7 (1.8K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 80.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 1.8K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 77 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Thorlabs GmbH | Chrystian Vieyra |
Customer experience
Optical Power Meter
Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite
In-app purchases
Optical Power Meter
No in-app purchases
Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite
- Upgrade to Pro$5.99
Questions
Is Optical Power Meter free?
Is Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite free?
Which has better reviews, Optical Power Meter or Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite?
Do Optical Power Meter or Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite have ads?
Which is updated more often, Optical Power Meter or Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite?
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