Video analysis software compared
Tracker, FizziQ, an online tool or school software: which one for a kinematics lab?
Several video analysis programs exist for physics. They do not all aim at the same use: here is a fair comparison, based on each program's public documentation (November 2026). A dash means we did not find the information, not that the feature is missing.
| Otoolia video tracker | Tracker (OSP) | FizziQ | NewMeca (Montpellier education authority) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free, open source | Free | Free |
| Runs on | Browser, computer and phone | Windows, macOS, Linux (computer); Tracker Online web version for computers | iOS and Android app | Browser |
| Install or account | None | Install (except Tracker Online) | App install | None |
| Finger tracking on a phone | Yes, with magnifier | Limited on mobile (Tracker Online) | Yes | — |
| Automatic tracking | Yes (correlation, stops if it loses the object) | Yes, very complete (patch settings, stop conditions) | — | — |
| Velocity and acceleration vectors | Yes | Yes | Velocity and acceleration | — |
| Curve fitting | Line, parabola, sine (R²) | Yes, full analysis tool (Data Tool) | — | — |
| Dynamic models | No | Yes (particle models) | — | — |
| Printable student sheet and answer key | Yes | — | — | — |
| Exports | CSV, PNG, SVG, LaTeX, session, link | Data, TRZ project… | — | — |
Tracker: the complete reference
Tracker, from the Open Source Physics project, is free and open source. It is the most complete tool: highly adjustable auto-tracking, multiple reference frames, video filters, dynamic models compared with the video, and a data analysis tool. It also has a web version, Tracker Online, which runs in desktop browsers (mobile compatibility is limited according to its authors). For an ambitious student project or university work, it is often the best choice.
When to choose the Otoolia video tracker
- School kinematics labs: calibration, axes, tracking, vectors, graphs and models on a single page, with the methods taught in class (speed from Mi−1Mi+1/2τ, change-in-velocity vector).
- On students' phones: the video is tracked on the device that filmed it, by finger, with a magnifier.
- No install, no account, on any school computer; the video is sent nowhere.
- For preparing documents: printable student sheet (stroboscopic picture and questions) and answer key, LaTeX export, ready-made worked exercises.
Other options
- FizziQ: a free phone and tablet app (iOS, Android), widely used in schools, which also makes many other measurements with the phone's sensors. It includes video kinematics by tracking.
- NewMeca: a free online tracking application from the Montpellier education authority (France).
- Aviméca and LatisPro: Windows programs long used in French schools (LatisPro is commercial data-logging software with a video analysis module; Aviméca, older, mainly reads AVI videos).
In short
To work quickly in class, on computers or phones, and print documents: the Otoolia video tracker. For advanced analysis (dynamic models, reference frames, filters): Tracker. They complement each other: CSV exports open in any spreadsheet or in Python.