SKF Shaft alignment vs Video tachometer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SKF Shaft alignment
This utility app, when paired with specific hardware, enables precise and intuitive shaft alignment for rotating machinery. It offers a demonstration mode for experiencing the full process without the hardware and generates automatic, shareable reports.
- Intuitive shaft alignment with hardware
- Flexible three-position measurement
- Demonstration mode for full experience
- Automatic, customizable alignment reports
- Explanatory setup and measurement videos
- 3D animations for guidance
- Machine library with QR code scanner
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The Horizontal shaft alignment app is designed to be used with the SKF Shaft Alignment Tool TKSA 51 or TKSA 71. Together, the hardware and the app form an alignment system that allows shaft alignments of many rotating machines to be made in an intuitive and easy way. The system uses line laser to PSD technology that enables highly accurate and reliable shaft alignments. The hardware and its app communicate wirelessly via Bluetooth®. Without the hardware the app can nonetheless be used, as it features a fully functional demonstration mode allowing the complete alignment process to be experienced before purchasing the TKSA 51 or TKSA 71 instrument. KEY FEATURES: • Very easy-to-use – The Horizontal shaft alignment app focuses on making the main alignment tasks as easy as possible and enabling accurate shaft alignments. • Full measurement flexibility – The Horizontal shaft alignment app uses a flexible three position measurement method that allows measurements to start at any angle and if the space is limited alignments can be performed with a total of 40° rotation only. • Demonstration mode – The Horizontal shaft alignment app offers a fully functional demonstration mode allowing the complete alignment process to be experienced before purchasing a supported SKF Shaft Alignment Tool. • Automatic alignment report – Automatically generated alignment reports give a complete overview of the alignment process and results. The reports can be customised with additional notes, a machine picture, a signature and can easily be shared via email or cloud services. • Explanatory videos – Easy to follow videos demonstrating how to set up and perform accurate measurements using the TKSA 51 or TKSA 71. • 3D Animations – 3D animations guide the user through the alignment process, allowing accurate shaft alignment to be performed in a very easy way. • Machine library and QR code scanner – Helps keeping track of the machines that have been measured. Machine information like distances, the machine picture, and other details are saved for each machine and can be reused the next time the same machine is measured. QR codes can be scanned to identify a machine and quickly retrieve its details. The library can also be used for easy access to all the reports generated for each machine in one place. HARDWARE – SKF Shaft Alignment Tool TKSA 51 and TKSA 71: The SKF TKSA 51 and TKSA 71 systems use a pair of measurement units that are combined with laser transmitter and detectors to measure and correct shaft alignment with high accuracy and reliability. The data is transferred in real time through Bluetooth® 4.0 LE to the app. IMPORTANT NOTE: This app is designed to be used with the SKF Shaft Alignment Tool TKSA 51 or TKSA 71 hardware. The SKF TKSA 51 or TKSA 71 can be purchased separately from your local SKF Authorized Distributor. For more information and technical specifications about the SKF Shaft Alignment Tool, please visit our website.
Video tachometer
This app uses slow-motion video to create a strobe light effect, allowing you to measure rotational speeds. It records video with detailed information like frame rate and exposure, and offers customizable text overlays.
- Strobe light effect simulation
- Rotational speed measurement (RPM/Hz)
- Slow-motion video recording
- Customizable text overlays on video
- Adjustable frame rate and exposure
- Records 4K video (if supported)
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When the frame rate of a video matches the speed of a particular part, the effect is the same as using a strobe light. In the video, that part freezes. Since the frame rate of a video can be adjusted, this effect can be used to determine the rotational speed of a part. The smartphone must support slow-motion video recording (filming at a high frame rate). This is the case for all smartphones starting with iPhone 5S. The range is as follows: • 0.5—240 Hz (30—14400 RPM), for all phones from iPhone 6 onward • 0.5—120 Hz (30—7200 RPM), for iPhone 5S THE HERTZ (Hz) VALUE IS MORE ACCURATE THAN THE REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE (RPM) VALUE, SINCE REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE ARE CALCULATED FROM HERTZ AND ROUNDING IS DONE. To get a clear image, good lighting is important. The clarity of the image is controlled by the exposure of the video (exposure time and light sensitivity (ISO)). If the exposure time is reduced, the image will increase in clarity, but brightness will lower. To increase the brightness, you need to raise the camera's light sensitivity (ISO), but then the amount of noise increases. You also need to manually adjust the focus of the camera. The app can record video. The video format depends on the selected format in the app settings. If your iPhone supports 4K video format (3840x2160), then you can record 4K video at the frame rate supported by your iPhone. Text with important information is added to the frames of the recorded video: the selected frame rate, exposure duration, ISO, time stamp, time difference between the current and previous frames (Tcurr. − Tprev.), the sequence number of the frame in the recorded video. If you want any other information to be added, then let me know. You can choose to add only part of this information, and you can choose a different text color. You also have the option of not adding any information. You can change the information that is added and the color of the text while recording a video. At high frame rates, frames that do not have time to be processed may be discarded. This does not affect subsequent frames and can be controlled using the time difference between the current frame and the previous frame (Tcurr. − Tprev.). Dropping frames affects the video frame rate displayed in the "Photos" app. But the time interval between frames that were taken one after another and were not discarded will correspond to the selected frame rate. Frames may be dropped even when shooting slow motion video using the "Camera" app. You can check this by looking at the frame rate for slow motion video in the "Photos" app. Video containing the app's interface can be captured using the iOS "Screen Recording" function. The app can take a photo with the measurement result, date, and time written on the photo. The exposure time and ISO settings will be saved in the photo's metadata. To take a photo that shows the app interface, tap the "Pause" button and take a screenshot. It is possible to choose a video format that has the best quality, but has a significantly lower maximum frame rate. The difference between the formats is clearly visible only when using the digital zoom. Also, when using a format with better quality, the Rolling Shutter effect is stronger. Therefore, the best quality format can be used at speeds less than about 2000 rpm. You can turn on hints for easier observation of changes in rotation speed. Hints show how to change the frame rate (decrease or increase) depending on the direction of rotation of the mark. The hints are selected manually, but then you do not need to remember this information. The hints are relevant for frequencies close to the rotation frequency. If the direction of rotation of the impeller is known, hints can be selected in advance. The arrow showing the direction of rotation of the impeller must correspond to the "+" button. The video tachometer measures the rotational speed in exactly the same way a stroboscopic tachometer would.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Video tachometer at 4.6 against SKF Shaft alignment's 3.7. Video tachometer also leads on ratings volume (84 vs 10). SKF Shaft alignment's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (100% vs 85%). 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. Video tachometer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SKF Shaft alignment asks for nothing beyond the download.
Video tachometer holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Video tachometer has 84 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of SKF Shaft alignment's written reviews are positive against 85% of Video tachometer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SKF Shaft alignment | Video tachometer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (10 ratings) | 4.6 (84 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 84.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 10 | 84 — better |
| 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, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 72 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SKF | Dmitriy Kharutskiy |
Customer experience
SKF Shaft alignment
Video tachometer
Bugs and requests
SKF Shaft alignment
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Video tachometer
Reported bugs
3 issues- Does not read anything
- Pop-ups for paid features
- Interface visible in screen recording
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to record video
- Slow phase shift mode
- Improved UI for initial setup
- Long press for gradual increment/decrement
In-app purchases
SKF Shaft alignment
No in-app purchases
Video tachometer
- Full version$2.99
Questions
Is SKF Shaft alignment free?
Is Video tachometer free?
Which has better reviews, SKF Shaft alignment or Video tachometer?
Do SKF Shaft alignment or Video tachometer have ads?
Which is updated more often, SKF Shaft alignment or Video tachometer?
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