Decibel vs Pointalk
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.
Pointalk
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Pointalk is a bedside communication board for people who cannot speak and the people caring for them. Use it when a patient is intubated, after a stroke or surgery, or when patient and staff do not share a language. It is designed for iPad in landscape and also runs on iPhone. Two languages on one screen The patient's language is shown large on top and the staff language small underneath. Choose each from Korean, English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish and French. Speak board Cards such as Water please, I need the toilet, It hurts and I'm scared. Tap a card to show it big and read it aloud with the device voice. Often used cards gather at the top. Pain Pick a level from 0 to 10, then tap where it hurts on the front or back of a body figure. Location and level are summarized in one line. Question sets Four built-in sets, Rounds, Needs, Before meals and Feelings, and you can write your own. The patient taps Yes or No and the next question appears. A Yes can lead to follow-ups such as how much it hurts and where. Bed rounds Register room and bed numbers, then ask bed by bed in order. Answers are saved automatically to each bed's records. When the round is done you get a per-bed summary you can share as text. Names are never entered. Board A screen to stand beside the bed: a large clock and date, hospital name and logo, today's schedule, visiting hours, how to call the nurse and short notes, all in the patient's language. When a scheduled time arrives a large popup announces it. Letter board Write with a finger on the handwriting board, or tap letters one at a time. For unsteady hands Turn on press and hold to select so brushing fingers do nothing. Flip the screen 180 degrees to show it to someone sitting across. Records and privacy Everything stays on the device and is never sent anywhere. No personal identifiers such as patient names are stored. You can erase everything in Settings, and export hospital settings and question sets as a file to move to another device. Ads appear only on the staff screens for choosing a set and editing, never on the screens the patient sees. This app is a communication aid and does not replace diagnosis or treatment. Contact: mall77@naver.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Decibel at none against Pointalk's shown. Decibel also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Pointalk's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 18 months). On price, 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.
Decibel ships an update every 18 months, Pointalk every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Decibel | Pointalk |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (475 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 45.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 475 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 18 months | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 祥祎 刘 | Bumjoon Lee |
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
Pointalk
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Decibel
No in-app purchases
Pointalk
No in-app purchases









