Mobile VR Station® vs Google Cardboard
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
Google Cardboard
Experience virtual reality on your iPhone. This app guides you through setting up a compatible viewer and offers initial immersive experiences to explore.
- VR viewer setup
- Introductory VR experiences
- iPhone compatibility
- Cardboard viewer integration
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Cardboard puts virtual reality on your iPhone. The Google Cardboard app helps you set up a Cardboard viewer and includes a few experiences to get you started. To fully enjoy this app you'll need a Cardboard viewer. Learn more and get your own Cardboard viewer at http://g.co/cardboard. Do not use this app while driving, walking, or otherwise by being distracted or disoriented from real world situations that prevent you from obeying traffic or safety laws.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Mobile VR Station® at 4.1 against Google Cardboard's 2.7. Mobile VR Station® also leads on review sentiment (66% vs 27%) and device support (4 vs 2). Google Cardboard's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Mobile VR Station® sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Google Cardboard asks for nothing beyond the download.
Mobile VR Station® holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 514 and 683 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Mobile VR Station®'s written reviews are positive against 27% of Google Cardboard's.
Mobile VR Station® ships an update every 4 months, Google Cardboard every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mobile VR Station® | Google Cardboard |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (514 ratings) — better | 2.7 (683 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.3% of reviews — better | 26.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 514 | 683 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 77 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Michael Fuller | |
Customer experience
Mobile VR Station®
Google Cardboard
User reviews
Mobile VR Station®
From 514 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Works great with Google Cardboard
- 👍 Highly customizable settings
- 🔍 Supports wide range of media formats
- 🎥 Immersive VR experience
- 💡 Useful features like adjustable viewing angles
Room to improve
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- 🐛 Laggy performance on some devices
- 🔍 Confusing user interface
- 💰 Requires paid upgrade for full functionality
Google Cardboard
From 683 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great VR experience
- 🎉 Fun and immersive
- 👍 Simulates VR headset well
- 🌟 Awesome for the price
Room to improve
- 🐛 Spinning/glitching issues on newer iPhones
- 🤕 Can cause motion sickness
- 📺 Limited content/demos
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate/interact
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
Google Cardboard
Reported bugs
3 issues- Constant spinning/shaking on some devices
- Crashes and freezes on launch
- Incompatibility with certain VR headsets
Requested features
4 requests- More VR games and interactive experiences
- Ability to view own photos/videos in VR
- Support for newer iOS versions
- Improved navigation and controls
In-app purchases
Mobile VR Station®
- Micro Player - Lift Safari Extension Limit$1.99
- Protected Drives$1.99
- Presentation+$1.99
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- Premium Edition - Remove 5 Minute Limit$2.99
- Ultimate Edition - Everything$5.99
Google Cardboard
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Mobile VR Station® free?
Is Google Cardboard free?
Which has better reviews, Mobile VR Station® or Google Cardboard?
Do Mobile VR Station® or Google Cardboard have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mobile VR Station® or Google Cardboard?
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