Google Cardboard vs iVRy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
iVRy
Transform your iPhone into a PC VR headset for SteamVR. Play PC VR titles without an expensive headset by connecting your iPhone via USB or Wi-Fi. Enjoy customizable quality and performance options for an immersive experience.
- SteamVR compatible VR headset
- High-performance native driver
- Wired (USB) and Wireless (Wi-Fi) connections
- Automatic quality adjustment
- User configurable quality and performance
- QR code scanning for lens correction
- Native SteamVR integration
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What is iVRy? • iVRy is a SteamVR-compatible Virtual Reality headset app for your iPhone or Vision Pro with a native high-performance driver for Valve's OpenVR / SteamVR. What does that mean? • Want to use that stunning iPhone display for something more than sending text messages? • Want to use that high resolution Vision Pro display for more than watching videos? • Want to play PC VR* (Virtual Reality) titles without having to buy a dedicated headset? • With iVRy, an iPhone 6 or later, and a compatible VR headset, or a Vision Pro headset you can! • Supports Wired (USB) connections (iPhone) or Wired (Ethernet) connections (Vision Pro) for greater visual quality and performance. • Supports Wireless (Wifi) connections for greater mobility. • Automatically adjusts quality to maintain optimal frame rates on all connection types. • User configurable quality and performance options. • User configurable vignette options (iPhone only). • Scan your VR headset's Cardboard QR code for optimal lens distortion correction and field-of-view (iPhone only). • Integrates natively into SteamVR, so no 'manager' / 'server' apps or additional configuration required. • Compatible with most HTC Vive and Oculus Rift** titles, including 'Robinson: The Journey', 'Adr1ft', 'Project CARS', 'Obduction', 'Elite Dangerous', 'EVE: Valkerie', 'Chronos', 'Assetto Corsa' and many more. • "Lite" edition has all of the features of "Premium" edition, but will start to reduce color saturation after being connected for more than 5 minutes. Upgrade to "Premium" edition via Steam DLC to remove this limitation. Download the iVRy OpenVR/SteamVR HMD Device Driver from: https://store.steampowered.com/app/992490/iVRy_Driver_for_SteamVR/ * Valve OpenVR/SteamVR. Requires Valve Steam & SteamVR on Windows 7 or later. ** Oculus Rift titles require Valve SteamVR, Oculus Home & 3rd party 'Revive' software from: https://github.com/LibreVR/Revive iPhone: • Requires VR headset, compatible with iPhone (eg. Google Cardboard). • XBox 360/One controller for Windows recommended. • Additional hardware/software required for positional tracking and motion controllers. Vision Pro: • Sony Playstation VR2 Sense or Sony Playstation DualSense controller(s) recommended. All: • Requires a PC running Windows 7 (or later) with a DirectX 11 (or later) graphics card with Valve Steam and SteamVR installed. • Requires installation of iVRy SteamVR HMD Device Driver software. All trademarks are used for informational purposes, and remain the property of their respective owners.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: iVRy at 72% against Google Cardboard's 27%. iVRy also leads on rating (3.9 vs 2.7) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Google Cardboard's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (679 vs 153). On price, update cadence, 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. iVRy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Google Cardboard asks for nothing beyond the download.
iVRy holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 679 and 153 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of Google Cardboard's written reviews are positive against 72% of iVRy's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Google Cardboard | iVRy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.7 (679 ratings) | 3.9 (153 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 26.6% of reviews | 72.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 679 — better | 153 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 60 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ian Dean | |
Customer experience
Google Cardboard
iVRy
User reviews
Google Cardboard
From 679 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
iVRy
From 153 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent value for affordable VR experience
- 👍 Easy setup and installation process
- 🎮 Works seamlessly with SteamVR games
- 📱 USB wired connection with low latency
- ⚙️ Highly customizable settings (resolution, quality, tracking rate)
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent disconnection issues (WiFi and USB)
- 🐛 App crashes after 5 minutes in free version
- 🐛 Screen flickering and flashing lights
- ⚠️ Wireless connection unstable and laggy
- ⚠️ Wired connection frequently drops
Bugs and requests
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
iVRy
Reported bugs
14 issues- Screen turns black and white unexpectedly
- App crashes after 5 minutes of use
- Flashing lights and screen glitches
- WiFi/USB connection switching automatically
- Connection drops during gameplay
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Wired connection fails to establish
- App freezes and becomes unresponsive
- Head tracking skipping and lag
- Double vision from IPD miscalibration
- Restore purchases not working on older devices
- Family Sharing compatibility issues
- Driver installation failures
- Steam VR integration conflicts
- Performance degradation after extended sessions
Requested features
11 requests- Mac OS support
- VR controller support
- Full body tracking (FBT) integration
- Higher resolution options
- 120Hz support for compatible phones
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Improved wireless stability
- Better IPD adjustment options
- Automatic connection mode selection
- Apple Vision Pro support
- PSVR2 support expansion
- Room-scale tracking capability
In-app purchases
Google Cardboard
No in-app purchases
iVRy
- Premium Edition$8.99







