Comparison

Mobile VR Station® vs SimpleVR

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

Head to head
About

Mobile VR Station®

Immerse yourself in your media with this virtual reality media player. View photos, panoramas, and videos on a large virtual screen with head tracking. Supports 2D and 3D content, offering a customizable viewing experience for various VR headsets.

Highlights
  • Virtual screen media playback
  • Head tracking support
  • 2D and 3D content display
  • Customizable viewing profiles
  • UPNP for external content
  • Subtitle support (.srt files)
  • Bluetooth remote control
Features
Read full description

Mobile VR Station is a media player designed for Virtual Reality with head tracking. With this app you can view your Photos, Panoramas, Videos & Files projected onto a virtual screen floating in space. Our app supports displaying standard 2D and 3D Side By Side/Over Under content. The app can't display DRM protected content, such as content bought from iTunes. "The most feature-packed VR media player available, with editable profiles that let you adjust the viewing experience across multiple devices and VR adapters. Excellent all around!" -Quote from Manuel M, Beta Tester If you need help we provide links inside the app to view our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channel. Usages: - Works with every headset, very flexible configuration - Watch movies in a virtual theater - Watch 3D 180 Degree content. - Explore 360/Spherical movies (Great for demos). - Experience 3D content (Left/Right, Right/Left and Top/Bottom). - See your device's photos & videos in a new way. - View panoramas with some depth. - Access external video content with UPNP. - Watch HTML5 Video from Mobile Safari with Micro VR Station extension. Details: - Native App, written in Obj-C with SceneKit - Watch App for Remote control capabalities - This app is currently only available in English - Free version limits video playback to the "first" five minutes. - Supported formats: MOV, MP4 & M4V. - Supported HMDs: None (Mono), None (SBS), Cardboard, Altergaze, Firefly, Custom, .... - Cardboard QR scanner available for quick setup - Supported Devices: Any device running iOS 8.1 can install the app, but iPhone 5S/iPad Mini (Retina) and above provide a great experience. - Projections: Dome, Full Dome, Curved (Large curve), Plane (Flat), Cylinder & Spherical - Skyboxes: 47 built in options. - Profiles: Each user/headset can have their own specific configuration. - Audio: Language switching available. - Subtitles: The app can load UTF-8 formatted *.srt files, after a movie has been started - Files: Each file has its own preview icon and meta data. You can either generate a icon or upload your own. Please see the FAQ on how to make your own icons. - Bluetooth Remote: If your headset has Play/Pause & Next/Previous buttons, you can use them to control video playback. - UPNP: Basic support for viewing & downloading video & image content. Music can play if you mess with a few settings. - Other File Formats: We are researching how other formats and higher quality content could be displayed, we understand the need and want to deliver in the future. -1080P @ 60 FPS is available on 5S+ and beyond. Devices under 5S should consume 720P. - 4K @ 30FPS is available for 6S, 6S+, 5SE & iPad Pro - Support for SanDisk™ iXpand Drives - Please see the guide book for more information Tips: - If video playback starts to lockup, or a setting doesn't stick please turn your device off and on again. - It's strongly recommended to go through Training at least once and check out the help videos if you have time. - Every projection is editable, just dig into "Manage Presets" for the details. - If you really need help, ask on our Facebook page, Twitter account, or reddit /r/iOSVR/ Controls: - MFI Controller/Bluetooth keyboard support (While in VR). - When not using a HMD device buttons can be tapped. - Tap anywhere in the right eye or empty space to recenter view. - Tap 3 fingers on screen to quickly exit VR. - Support for Occipital Bridge Controller

About

SimpleVR

Experience immersive 3D and 360-degree videos on your mobile device. Supports various viewing modes including 2D, 3D with viewers, and anaglyph glasses. Stream MP4 and HLS content with intuitive controls.

Highlights
  • Stream MP4 and HLS video
  • 3D Side by Side playback
  • 3D Over / Under playback
  • 360 2D viewing
  • 3D 360 playback
  • Anaglyph 3D viewing
  • Gyroscope and touch controls
Features
Read full description

Provides playback of streaming 3D and 360 video on your iPhone or iPad. View the content in 2D or 3D with Google Cardboard style viewers or anaglyph glasses. FEATURES: - Stream MP4 and HLS video - 3D Side by Side - 3D Over / Under - 360 2D - 3D 360 Side by Side - 3D 360 Over / Under - View  as 2D - View as 3D with most Google Cardboard style devices - View as Anaglyph - Red / Cyan, Amber / Blue, Magenta / Green, Green / Magenta - Control FOV via Pinch gesture for 360 content - Control current point of view via device gyroscope or touch - Control Barrel distortion for 3D content via Pinch gesture

Screenshots

Mobile VR Station®3 screens
SimpleVR4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Mobile VR Station® at 4.1 against SimpleVR's 2.5. Mobile VR Station® also leads on ratings volume (512 vs 2). SimpleVR's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Mobile VR Station® sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. SimpleVR asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mobile VR Station® holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mobile VR Station® has 512 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mobile VR Station® ships an update every 4 months, SimpleVR monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Mobile VR Station® versus SimpleVR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMobile VR Station®SimpleVR
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (512 ratings) — better2.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews66.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings512 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB19 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMichael FullerSmiling Frog Software LLC

Customer experience

Mobile VR Station®

All ratings512 ratings
Positive77.5%
Neutral6.3%
Negative16.2%
Written reviews415 reviews
Positive66.5%
Neutral10.4%
Negative23.1%

SimpleVR

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Mobile VR Station®

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when trying to play certain video files
  • Head tracking issues on some devices
  • Buffering problems when streaming content

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for 4K and higher resolution videos
  • Integrate web browser for more VR content
  • Improve file management and navigation
  • Provide better documentation and tutorials

SimpleVR

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Mobile VR Station®

One-time5
  • Micro Player - Lift Safari Extension Limit$1.99
  • Protected Drives$1.99
  • Presentation+$1.99
Show 2 more
  • Premium Edition - Remove 5 Minute Limit$2.99
  • Ultimate Edition - Everything$5.99
None

SimpleVR

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mobile VR Station® free?
Mobile VR Station® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SimpleVR free?
SimpleVR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Mobile VR Station® or SimpleVR?
Mobile VR Station® is rated higher. Mobile VR Station® averages 4.1 out of 5 from 512 ratings, while SimpleVR averages 2.5 from 2 ratings.
Do Mobile VR Station® or SimpleVR have ads?
Neither Mobile VR Station® nor SimpleVR shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mobile VR Station® or SimpleVR?
Mobile VR Station® ships an update every 4 months, and SimpleVR monthly. Most recently, Mobile VR Station® was updated on October 10, 2026 and SimpleVR on October 5, 2026.

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