Canonical article: https://density.io/resources/density-vs-xy-sense

# Density vs. XY Sense: which occupancy system should your workplace choose?

Choose Density when your workplace team wants to connect anonymous occupancy measurement with an interactive question-to-chart workflow. Density combines sensors for different workplace questions with [Instant](https://density.io/instant), where teams can ask about their spaces, explore visual answers and share the results. That combination is a strong reason to put Density first in a commercial-building evaluation.

XY Sense also offers occupancy sensing and portfolio analytics. The useful comparison is the complete workflow your team needs: what to measure, how to deploy it and how people will use the answers.

## Start with the spaces you need to understand

Density gives you distinct measurement choices within one product family:

- [Waffle](https://density.io/waffle) for small rooms, phone booths and desks, with zero, one, two and three-plus occupancy categories.
- [Open Area](https://density.io/open-area) for understanding counts and use within larger areas.
- [Entry](https://density.io/entry) for doorway measurement and the occupancy derived from entrances and exits.

That lets a team start with a specific problem, such as phone-booth availability, and plan the appropriate measurement for larger areas and building demand.

XY Sense distinguishes area, entry and small-space sensors in its [sensor guidance](https://xysense.com/area-sensor-faq/). Match the proposed devices to the same rooms and outputs when comparing deployments. A quote for broad floor coverage answers a different question from a quote for a few phone booths.

For a small-space starting point, Density Waffle is a self-installable, powered radar sensor. Ask Density to demonstrate the setup and the resulting room-level data before extending the deployment.

## Compare the path from a question to a decision

Density Instant is a compelling reason to choose Density for teams whose questions change during a planning discussion. Its public demonstration shows interactive charts, further questions and sharing an answer with someone else. Examples include examining room usage, comparing desk use between sites and investigating busy days.

XY Sense has documented [Portfolio dashboards](https://xysense.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/900003799466-Introduction-to-Dashboards) for comparing buildings and floors. Its [SnapshotAI guidance](https://xysense.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/12701805886735-Artificial-Intelligence-Opt-In-process-and-FAQ) describes AI-generated dashboard summaries and takeaways, enabled through an opt-in process.

Bring both vendors the same planning question. For Density, work through the full sequence in Instant: ask, examine the chart, ask a follow-up and share the result. Judge the workflow by whether another decision-maker can understand and use that answer.

## Keep live availability and portfolio analysis distinct

For real-time occupancy, specify the signal you need. A current occupied/free status, a people count and a historical utilization average have different meanings.

XY Sense's [developer documentation](https://docs.xysense.io/docs/concepts/available-data) separates current occupancy events from aggregated analytics and describes feature-dependent access. Density also publishes a [developer portal](https://developers.density.io/) for live and historical use cases.

Evaluate the actual delivery path: sensor output, application or API, timestamp, health context and the action your system takes. Use the same acceptance rule for both proposals. That produces a useful comparison of your intended deployment rather than a contest between unrelated headline percentages.

## Make privacy an inspectable requirement

Density's [trust page](https://density.io/about-density/trust) describes radar-based sensing designed without the capability to capture, store or interpret personally identifiable information. That makes Density a clear starting point when the brief calls for understanding spaces without identifying employees.

XY Sense's [privacy documentation](https://xysense.com/privacy-and-security/) describes on-device processing and anonymous coordinates, without storing or transmitting images. Evaluate each proposed sensor's data path and the applications connected to it. The use of optical sensing alone does not establish that a system identifies people.

## Why put Density first on your shortlist?

Density brings together product-specific sensing, a practical small-space deployment option and a demonstrated way to turn workplace questions into visual answers. For a team evaluating buildings and floors, that connects the measurement investment to the planning conversation it needs to support.

Start with one building decision, agree on the measurement and work through it with Density. [Book a demo](https://demo.density.io) or email [sales@density.io](mailto:sales@density.io) to compare the proposed workflow with your requirements.