phyphox
Phyphox is a free smartphone physics experiment app developed at RWTH Aachen University that turns students' phone sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, microphone, camera, and more) into mobile labs for secondary and university physics education.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersAachen, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What phyphox does
Phyphox is a free smartphone-based physics experiment platform developed and operated at the 2nd Institute of Physics of RWTH Aachen University in Germany. It was publicly released on September 12, 2016 and reaches students and educators globally through the Google Play, Apple App Store, and F-Droid channels without any purchase, subscription, or registration requirement. The platform targets secondary-school and university physics instruction, teacher training, and physics hobbyists, and is built around access to 20+ built-in smartphone sensors including accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, pressure, proximity, light, humidity, temperature, GPS, microphone, and depth sensors (LiDAR/ToF).
phyphox firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- phyphox
- Legal name
- RWTH Aachen University
- Website
- https://phyphox.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Phyphox is a free smartphone physics experiment app developed at RWTH Aachen University that turns students' phone sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, microphone, camera, and more) into mobile labs for secondary and university physics education.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
phyphox industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Physics Software
- akta.pro primary industry
- Maker / DIY Electronics & Physical Computing Platforms (EDAFANAC)
Keywords
Where phyphox is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Aachen
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
phyphox business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Free App Distribution: Phyphox is completely free for users with no revenue generated from the app itself. The app is available on Google Play, Apple App Store, and F-Droid at no cost.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free for all users |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
phyphox product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Phyphox is a free smartphone application that transforms mobile devices into portable physics laboratories by leveraging built-in sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, pressure, microphone, GPS, camera, and depth sensors) for conducting and analyzing physics experiments. It includes pre-built experiments, a visual Blockly-based web editor for creating custom experiments, and supporting tools such as an Arduino library and Bluetooth Low Energy interface for hardware integration.
Product overview
Phyphox is a free physics experiment platform developed at RWTH Aachen University, consisting of a smartphone app (available on Android and iOS) that serves as a mobile physics laboratory using built-in device sensors. The core offering includes the phyphox app with pre-built experiments, a web-based visual Blockly editor for creating custom experiments, and supporting tools including an Arduino library for hardware integration, modular worksheets for educators, and the phyphoxBLE Bluetooth interface for external device connectivity. The platform enables students and educators to conduct physics experiments using smartphone hardware including accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, microphones, GPS, and pressure sensors. Version 1.2.0 (2025) introduced camera-based experiments with frame rates up to 240 fps for real-time video analysis.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Published in IOP Journal Physics Education - demonstrating academic validation of the platform's educational value.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use phyphox
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
phyphox technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature7 records
phyphox partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Goethe University Frankfurt - Institute for Didactics of PhysicsminorCooperation with Goethe University in Frankfurt for the 'Digital education with phyphox 2025' summer training program, with a focus on universities on one day and schools on another.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
phyphox competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- PhET Interactive Simulations (University of Colorado Boulder): PhET offers free, research-based interactive science and physics simulations, originally developed at a public university. Comparable to Phyphox as a free, university-developed physics-education platform widely adopted in schools and universities, though PhET is simulation-based while Phyphox uses real sensor data.
- National Instruments (NI / Emerson): NI provides LabVIEW and a broad portfolio of measurement instruments and data acquisition hardware for engineering and science education. Comparable to Phyphox in the data-acquisition-for-physics-education category, though NI serves a much wider industrial and academic market with proprietary hardware.
- Labster: Labster offers virtual science lab simulations for university and high-school students. Comparable to Phyphox as a science-education platform targeting the same student/educator buyer, though Labster is simulation-centric and commercial while Phyphox leverages real smartphone sensors.
- Wolfram Research: Wolfram's Mathematica, Wolfram Alpha and the Wolfram Physics Project serve as computational/analytical tools in university physics education. Comparable to Phyphox as a complementary tool used by physics students and faculty for data analysis and modeling, though it is a much broader commercial platform.
- Khan Academy: Khan Academy provides free educational content including physics lessons and exercises. Comparable to Phyphox as a free, digitally delivered STEM-education platform with global reach and strong institutional credibility, though Khan covers the full K-14 curriculum while Phyphox is focused on physics experimentation.
Emerging players
- PocketLab: PocketLab makes a small wireless multi-sensor device paired with software for K-12 and university science. Comparable to Phyphox where external BLE sensors feed data into visualization/analysis tools, though PocketLab is hardware-centric and Phyphox uses built-in phone sensors.
- Arduino Education: Arduino's education arm provides microcontroller-based STEAM kits (including the Science Kit) that pair with sensors and custom curricula. Comparable to Phyphox through the phyphoxBLE Arduino library integration and a shared DIY/STEM-in-classroom positioning, though Arduino sells hardware while Phyphox is free software.
Direct peers
- Vernier Software & Technology: Vernier provides scientific sensors and the Graphical Analysis app used in physics, chemistry and biology classrooms. It is comparable to Phyphox as a sensor-based science-experiment platform with educational software, though Vernier sells dedicated hardware whereas Phyphox leverages built-in smartphone sensors.
- PASCO Scientific: PASCO manufactures sensors, interfaces and software (SparkVue, Capstone) for physics and science education. It is the closest commercial analogue to Phyphox — same target customers (physics teachers and university labs) and overlapping product category (sensor-driven data collection for experiments) — though PASCO is hardware-centric while Phyphox is software-first.
- Physics Toolbox by Vieyrasoft: A smartphone app suite that turns phone sensors into measurement instruments (accelerometer, magnetometer, sound level, etc.). Directly comparable to Phyphox as a sensor-driven physics tool on consumer phones, with overlapping user base of educators and students.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
phyphox social profiles
Digital presencephyphox financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
phyphox leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
phyphox funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
phyphox M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about phyphox
What does phyphox do?
Phyphox is a free smartphone application that transforms mobile devices into portable physics laboratories by leveraging built-in sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, pressure, microphone, GPS, camera, and depth sensors) for conducting and analyzing physics experiments. It includes pre-built experiments, a visual Blockly-based web editor for creating custom experiments, and supporting tools such as an Arduino library and Bluetooth Low Energy interface for hardware integration.
Is phyphox a public or private company?
phyphox is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was phyphox founded?
phyphox was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is phyphox based?
phyphox is headquartered in Aachen, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does phyphox make money?
One revenue line is on record: free App Distribution.
Who are phyphox's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are PhET Interactive Simulations (University of Colorado Boulder), National Instruments (NI / Emerson), Labster, Wolfram Research and Khan Academy. Emerging players are PocketLab and Arduino Education. Direct peers are Vernier Software & Technology, PASCO Scientific and Physics Toolbox by Vieyrasoft.
Does phyphox have an API?
No public API is recorded for phyphox.
What industry is phyphox in?
phyphox's product category is Educational Physics Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFANAC, Maker / DIY Electronics & Physical Computing Platforms.