Comparison

Camera Heart Rate Variability vs TYDE Study

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

Head to head
About

Camera Heart Rate Variability

Measure heart rate variability using your phone's camera without external devices. Analyze time and frequency domain features to understand cardiac autonomic regulation, stress levels, and training impact.

Highlights
  • Record and plot HRV data
  • Extract time and frequency domain features
  • No heart rate monitor required
  • Configurable time window for analysis
  • Automatic RR-interval correction
  • Event annotation and comparison
  • Data export to iTunes and Dropbox
Features
Read full description

Camera Heart Rate Variability is the first app that lets you record, plot and export time and frequency domain Heart Rate Variability Features - without requiring any heart rate monitor. Camera HRV uses a technique called photoplethysmography (PPG for short), which consists in detecting changes in blood volume during a cardiac cycle, by illuminating the skin and measuring changes in light absorption. PPG has become quite a popular non-invasive method for extracting physiological measurements such as heart rate and oxygen saturation. However, most applications today focus simply on heart rate or respiration rate. Supported devices for the camera measurement: iPhones 5, 5S, 6, 6S, 6+, 6S+, SE, 7, 7+, 8, 8+, X, XS, XS Max, XR, 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, 12 mini, 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, 13 mini, 13, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max Camera HRV can assess cardiac autonomic regulation through quantification of sinus rhythm variability. Since HRV aims at quantifying autonomic regulations, it can be used as marker of sympathetic or parasympathetic predominance, and therefore become relevant in many applications. In athletes for example heavy training is responsible for shifting the cardiac autonomic balance toward a predominance of the sympathetic over the parasympathetic drive, and HRV analysis attempts to quantify this shift. Other applications span from stress monitoring, assessment of pathological conditions and even emotional regulation during financial decision-making. Main Features: - extracts, plots, stores and exports heart rate, rr-intervals, time and frequency domain heart rate variability features (AVNN, SDNN, rMSSD, pNN50, LF, HF, LF/HF) - configurable time window for feature extraction (30 seconds to 5 minutes) - automatic RR-interval correction - event annotation - comparison between up to 3 recordings lets you get a better understanding of autonomic regulation and sympathetic/parasympathetic activity under different contexts in a glance - data export/storage on iTunes and Dropbox (csv format, exports heart rates, rr intervals, events and computed features). Data export needs to be performed from the history -> recording view, by clicking on the export button (bottom left). - integration with the Health app (writes Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability) Find out more at this link: http://www.marcoaltini.com/2/post/2014/01/heart-rate-variability-using-the-phones-camera.html

About

TYDE Study

Features
Read full description

The TYDE app is part of a research study at the University of Basel, which seeks to understand how mental health fluctuations manifest in daily life. Our focus areas include sleep patterns, physical activity, social connections, and emotional experiences. By collecting data and allowing participants to submit weekly reports on their experiences and behaviors, we hope to gain insight into mental health dynamics. A key objective is to identify early warning signs of mental health issues. This knowledge could inform the development of support services for young people in future studies.

Screenshots

Camera Heart Rate Variability4 screens
TYDE Study4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: TYDE Study at Free against Camera Heart Rate Variability's $6.99. TYDE Study also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). Camera Heart Rate Variability's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). On ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

TYDE Study is free to download; Camera Heart Rate Variability costs $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Camera Heart Rate Variability ships an update every 2 months, TYDE Study every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Camera Heart Rate Variability versus TYDE Study: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCamera Heart Rate VariabilityTYDE Study
Price$6.99Free — better
Rating2.8 (8 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews27.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperA.S.M.A. B.V.Avicenna Research Inc.

In-app purchases

None

Camera Heart Rate Variability

No in-app purchases

None

TYDE Study

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Camera Heart Rate Variability free?
Camera Heart Rate Variability costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is TYDE Study free?
TYDE Study is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Camera Heart Rate Variability or TYDE Study have ads?
Neither Camera Heart Rate Variability nor TYDE Study shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Camera Heart Rate Variability or TYDE Study?
Camera Heart Rate Variability ships an update every 2 months, and TYDE Study every 2 weeks. Most recently, Camera Heart Rate Variability was updated on September 27, 2026 and TYDE Study on September 10, 2026.

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