OpenGazer vs RealEye

OpenGazer is a Linux application that uses an ordinary webcam to estimate gaze direction and send it to other programs. It also tracks head position and rotation, and displays the estimated gaze point, head-rotation lines, and calibration target. Setup calls for a camera at 640×480, placed centrally below the monitor. Users calibrate by looking at indicated screen points while keeping their head still, then choose facial tracking points; the project calls for at least four and recommends seven or eight. Gaze estimates appear on screen, print to standard output, and are sent through a local UDP socket on port 20230. Dasher is an example of software that can use the gaze direction for writing with the eyes. OpenGazer is free under GPLv2 and uses the X Window System interface. It is marked Alpha, with a last update listed as 2013-04-24. Building it requires VXL, OpenCV, gtkmm, cairomm, and Boost.

RealEye is a cloud-based webcam eye-tracking research platform for building online studies, tracking participants, and analyzing results. Researchers can use images, videos, or live websites as stimuli, configure display settings, and add instructions and follow-up questions. The dashboard includes heatmaps, gaze and fixation analysis, Areas of Interest statistics, survey answers, and raw or processed data exports. A facial coding feature analyzes neutral, happy, and surprised expressions. External survey connections can redirect participants to services such as Qualtrics, Google Forms, or SurveyMonkey and pass participant identifiers through URL parameters. RealEye says webcam image and sound processing happens in the browser, and that it stores gaze-point predictions rather than webcam images or sound. It states that it is GDPR compliant and runs on AWS data centers in the United States. Participants using a researcher's own link need a laptop or PC with a webcam; smartphone tests are also offered. Basic costs $325 a month billed annually or $390 a month. Standard costs $825 a month billed annually or $990 a month.