Data Sources +
▶ sensor_data.csv
temperature
humidity
pressure
▶ metrics.parquet
latency_ms
throughput
▶ recording.wav
channel_L
channel_R
▶ Serial /dev/cu.usbmodem
Connected — 115200 baud
accel_x
accel_y
accel_z
Track 1
temperature
humidity
pressure
100 75 50 25 0
temperature
x: 3.40   y: 76.0
humidity
x: 3.40   y: 27.0
pressure
x: 3.40   y: 56.5
Track 2
accel_x
accel_y
accel_z
2.0 1.0 0.0 -1.0 -2.0
PRESETS
Serial / CSV
TCP / Arrow IPC
BLE / Binary
HID / Binary
Arduino IMU
TRANSPORT
TCP
Serial
HID
BLE
Refract
/dev/cu.usbmodem14201
115200
DECODE
Text
Binary
, (comma)
Cancel Save As… Start

One format. Every format.

Your data, one place

Open CSV from a script, Parquet from analytics, Arrow IPC from a stream, or drop in audio—no conversion, no extra tools.

Refract brings it all into one window. Stack traces on tracks, organize sources in the sidebar, and line up everything on the same time axis.

  • CSV & TSV
  • Apache Parquet
  • Arrow IPC
  • WAV & CAF audio

Zoom & inspect

Crosshair, zoom, and snap to data

Enable the crosshair to snap to nearby data points and read precise values. Box-zoom by click-dragging to jump into a region of interest, or shift-drag for axis-specific zoom.

Double-click to reset. Scroll-wheel zoom centers on your cursor. Built for fast, precise navigation through large datasets.

Live streams

See data the moment it's produced

Connect over TCP, serial port, Bluetooth LE, or USB HID and watch signals arrive in real time. Decode incoming data as delimited text, fixed-frame binary, or Arrow IPC.

Save and recall connection presets so you can reconnect in one click. Turn on Follow Live to stay locked to the latest samples.

  • TCP
  • Serial
  • BLE
  • USB HID
  • RefractIO

Custom x-axis

Align any signal to any axis

Drag any trace onto another to use it as a custom x-axis. Apply scale, offset, and unit transforms to align signals from different sources or convert between units.

Audio files automatically get time-based transforms from their sample rate. Edit transforms anytime with the x-axis popover.

Connection config

Every transport, every decoder

Configure framing with delimiters, length prefixes, fixed sizes, or sync patterns—whatever your device sends. Decode as CSV, binary with typed fields, or Arrow IPC.

Save connection profiles as presets. Pick a built-in preset or create your own for one-click reconnection.

Ready to visualize?

Refract is coming soon to the Mac App Store. One app for every format and every stream.

Coming soon to the Mac App Store