The best eye tracking software — 14 tools compared
Eye tracking technology — capturing and measuring a person’s eye movements — it’s increasingly being adopted across different industries — from marketing and research to healthcare and automotive.
And it’s no wonder it’s gotten so popular. Eye tracking helps detect people’s presence, attention and focus, providing insights into their behavior and decision-making processes. This is extremely useful for improving user experiences and providing useful business insights.
However, not all tools are made equal. So, let’s take a look at some of the best eye tracking software options today’s market has to offer.
The best eye tracking software — overview
1. Tobii
Tobii is the world’s leading supplier of eye-tracking solutions with the most patents and the broadest product portfolio in the field.
Tobii Pro’s comprehensive portfolio makes them a one-stop shop for eye-tracking tools. They offer eye tracking hardware, analysis software, and research consultancy services.
Tobii’s eye trackers combine excellent accuracy and precision with an extremely high tolerance for large head movements and a variety of environments. This makes them suitable for various applications. However, the company primarily focuses on three specific areas: scientific research, marketing and user research, and human performance.
2. Visage Technologies
Visage Technologies is a trusted provider of face tracking, analysis and recognition technology. With almost two decades of experience in the field, their in-house team has developed one of the finest face tracking algorithms on the market.
Their software, FaceTrack, provides real-time information on gaze direction, eye closure, and 3D and 2D coordinates of the eyes (pupils).
After a simple calibration, the results are also available in the form of a screen-space gaze point. This is particularly useful for marketing research, user studies and similar applications.
FaceTrack works with any standard camera, and it’s available for all major platforms and embedded systems. Because of its easy implementation yet powerful performance, it has been used for various applications in industries such as automotive, marketing, human experience research, and more.
Check out how the tracker works by trying out the live demo or requesting a free evaluation license.
3. eye square
eye square is one of the world’s leading providers of implicit and in-context market research technologies. Founded in 1999, they pioneered the use of eye tracking for user and market research.
eye square conducts eye tracking in four different ways, including webcam eye tracking, mobile eye tracking, desktop eye tracking and virtual reality eye tracking. Their technologies are licensable as online solutions and used to measure experience, consumer behavior, advertising impact, neuromarketing and other relevant market research topics.
4. Smart Eye
Smart Eye was founded to bridge the gap between man and machine by developing AI-powered eye tracking technology. Their offer ranges from small, mobile solutions to full-scale eye tracking systems that can be tuned to each customer’s specifications.
The company uses entirely camera-based monitoring to capture images of eye movements and facial features. Through the use of infrared light, the cameras can detect a reflection in each eye. The images are then run through the eye tracking software to track the person’s gaze and eye movements.
5. GazeRecorder
GazeRecorder is a hardware-independent eye and gaze tracking software. The software is available for free for non-commercial purposes.
GazeRecorder is designed to handle any type of content including banners, videos, and live web pages. Since the system is cloud-based and doesn’t require a specific hardware setup, it can be used for remote research.
6. xLabs
xLabs offers software for gaze tracking, eye-gaze, facial expression & head gestures, that can be applied to a broad range of industries.
Their technology can be delivered in three ways: API, Chrome extension, and C++ SDK for eye-gaze tracking (for commercial partners only). The software works with any webcam and offers continuous, real-time tracking without restricting user movement.
7. SeeSo
SeeSo is a software development kit (SDK) developed by VisualCamp. The SDK works with front-facing RGB cameras of devices such as smartphones, tablets, and webcams. Once the SDK is integrated into a mobile app, it can not only collect gaze data but also enable eye control (using eyes for scrolling or clicking).
8. GazeSense
Eyeware is a Swiss computer vision company that develops 3D eye tracking software for consumer applications. GazeSense is a software development kit that can be integrated with any device that has a 3D camera. By using depth-sensing cameras, it can track multiple subjects, label objects of interest in the open space, and track attention towards them in real-time.
9. Pupil Labs
Pupil Labs was founded in 2014 around an open-source eye tracking platform comprised of an open source software suite and a wearable eye tracking headset. The company focuses on design and aesthetics, which is reflected in their newest product — Pupil Invisible — the first eye tracking device that looks like ordinary glasses.
10. EyeTech
Founded in 1996, EyeTech primarily focuses on health AI applications such as patient screening, medical management, progress monitoring, predisposition testing, and more. The company’s tablets with an integrated eye tracker provide an all-in-one, hands-free accessibility.
11. Gazepoint
Gazepoint prides itself in providing affordable eye-tracking hardware and software for marketing and research. Their products come with useful functionalities such as heat maps, statistics exports, and similar. However, they also do not offer a free demo so you’ll not be able to try it out before buying.
12. EyeGaze
Eyegaze (formerly LC Technologies) was founded in 1986, with the goal of creating an unobtrusive human-computer interface. Their products are used to enable locked-in users to communicate with the world, but have also been implemented in research, virtual worlds, hospitals, gaming, and more.
13. SR Research
SR Research manufactures and distributes high-speed, video-based eye tracking equipment. The company has in-house expertise in all aspects of eye-tracking technology — hardware development, manufacturing, and software development.
To see how their technology works, you will have to purchase EyeLink, since the software cannot be licensed separately. However, each EyeLink comes with support and free updates, which should help you kickstart your research more easily.
14. Pygaze
Pygaze is an open source eye tracking toolbox. It’s compatible with Windows, Linux and Mac OS X, and it also works with various trackers such as EyeLink, Tobii’s trackers, etc.
Although this tracker won’t cost you anything, using it will require a decent knowledge of Python and some programming experience.
What is the best eye tracking software, then?
Choosing the right tracker depends on your specific use case. So, start by considering how you plan to use it:
What are you trying to achieve? Who is your target audience and how will you access them? How accurate does the tracker need to be?
By answering these and similar questions, you’ll be able to pinpoint the best eye tracking software for your use case.
For example, if you want to build your own application on the platform of your choice, get in touch with Visage Technologies. On the other hand, if you want a complete, out-of-the-box eye tracker for market research, you can consider Tobii. And so on.
Due to the growing number of face technology providers on the market, it might take you a bit longer to do your research, but you’re more likely to find just the right match for your project.
