Decibel vs dBMeter
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Decibel
Transform your device into a professional sound meter to accurately measure ambient noise levels. Understand how loud your surroundings are, from quiet rooms to loud events, and learn about potential hearing risks.
- Accurate sound pressure level measurement
- Measures decibels (dB)
- Provides real-time sound intensity readings
- Useful for understanding noise pollution
- Helps identify potential hearing hazards
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This tool is absolutely free. Decibel Meter turns your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch into a professional accurate sound meter, precisely measures the sound pressure level all around you. This extremely useful tool. Have you wondered how quiet is your room or how loud is a rock concert or sport event? Decibel Meter will help you answer all those right now. A decibel meter is a device which measures sound pressure to determine how intense sounds are, measuring in decibels. Decibels are a logarithmic scale based on the sensitivity of the human ear. Prolonged exposure to sounds over 85 decibels can lead to hearing loss, making measurement of decibel levels important for people who work in noisy environments so that they know when they need to protect their ears. For a frame of reference, normal conversation occurs between around 40 and 60 decibels, depending on who is talking. A firecracker is about 140 decibels, and a jackhammer runs at around 100 decibels. Musicians, mechanics, construction workers, and other people who work in loud environments can endanger their hearing, especially if they work in environments with explosives, which can generate sound waves intense enough to cause pain and immediate hearing damage. A decibel meter can indicate when sound has reached the danger zone. The decibel meter measures the sound pressure and provides a reading in decibels for the convenience of the user. Some may also provide readings in other units of measurement, depending on the uses they are intended for. Decibel meters are often designed to be portable so that people can move them around as needed, and are often hand held, although sometimes they can be part of a permanent instrument array which is designed to take continuous measurements in a given area. One application in which a decibel meter can be used is in the reinforcement of municipal codes. Many municipalities bar sounds above a certain decibel level for safety and comfort, and may have restrictions on noise during certain hours. Police officers can carry decibel meters to determine whether or not a sound is violating the noise ordinance. These devices are also used in noise pollution studies which are used to determine the impact of passing vehicles, aircraft, and other sound-generating objects on a community. The decibel meter is also used in the music industry, during recording and setting up for concerns as well as monitoring of conditions in a concert. Similarly, meters may be installed in noisy workplaces to monitor conditions, and may be designed to send out alerts when people need to wear ear protection or take other precautions to protect their hearing. These devices are also utilized in testing of hearing protection such as ear plugs and headphones, with such products coming with a decibel ratings to provide an indicator as to which settings they can and should be used in.
dBMeter
This application precisely measures sound intensity in real time using your device's microphone. It displays minimum, maximum, and average decibel levels, offers a noise-time graph, and allows for microphone calibration. The tool is ideal for monitoring ambient noise in various environments and exporting data for analysis.
- Real-time decibel measurement
- Min, max, and average values
- Noise-time graph
- Microphone calibration
- Background operation
- CSV data export
- Timer option
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dBMeter is a powerful and precise noise level meter (decibel meter) that measures sound intensity in real time using your iPhone’s microphone. - Main features • Real-time sound level measurement (dB). • Displays min, max, and average values. • Noise-time graph for detailed analysis. • Microphone calibration for accurate readings. • Works in background or screen-off mode. • CSV export for reports and data analysis. • Timer option. • Light and dark themes. • Optimized for iPhone and iPad. - Ideal for: • Monitoring ambient noise at home, work, or events. • Checking traffic, music, or machinery noise levels. • Musicians, engineers, teachers, and professionals. - Reliable, simple, and accurate — monitor your sound environment anywhere.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Decibel at none against dBMeter's shown. Decibel also leads on ratings volume (475 vs 8) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). dBMeter's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 18 months) and review sentiment (67% vs 45%). On price, rating, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.5 for Decibel against 3.6 for dBMeter. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Decibel has 475 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 45% of Decibel's written reviews are positive against 67% of dBMeter's.
Decibel ships an update every 18 months, dBMeter every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | Decibel | dBMeter |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (475 ratings) | 3.6 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 45.3% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 475 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 18 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 祥祎 刘 | Ramon Palacios Saez |
Customer experience
Decibel
dBMeter
Bugs and requests
Decibel
Reported bugs
3 issues- App shows high decibel readings even in silent environments
- Microphone issues causing inaccurate measurements
- App freezes or stops working
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to calibrate the app
- Option to record and save measurement history
- Add peak hold feature
- Improve spelling and grammar
dBMeter
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Decibel
No in-app purchases
dBMeter
No in-app purchases






