Comparison

Decibel vs Tailscale

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Decibel

Transform your device into a professional sound level meter and audio analyzer. Measure ambient noise, monitor decibel levels, and visualize sound frequencies in real time. It also offers advanced sleep tracking with sound recognition to identify disruptions.

Highlights
  • Real-time decibel (dB) sound level monitoring
  • Integrated Spectrum Analyzer (FFT, spectrogram)
  • Sleep tracking with sound recognition
  • Noise exposure data export to Health app
  • Add sound level overlays to photos/videos
  • Save, export, and playback sound measurements
Features
Read full description

Decibel turns your device into a powerful sound level meter without any extra hardware. Measure ambient noise in real time, monitor sound levels (dB), and explore frequencies with the built-in Spectrum Analyzer. Capture reliable sound and noise data wherever you are. Designed for casual users, audio enthusiasts, and sound engineers, Decibel works as a portable sound meter for quick sound checks or deeper audio analysis. Use it to easily check noise levels, test room acoustics, monitor workplace noise, or fine-tune audio equipment. Decibel has various advanced features, including saving and exporting noise measurement data, live sound level overlays for photos and videos, and exporting data to the Health app to track noise exposure over time. “The best way to meter sound levels” — AppAdvice SLEEP TRACKING AND SOUND RECOGNITION Decibel’s sleep tracking and smart sound recognition help you understand your sleep environment and nighttime noise. While sleep tracking is active, the app can detect common sleep sounds such as snoring, coughing, talking, and other household or environmental noise that may affect sleep quality. Each detected sound appears on a detailed sleep timeline, so you can see exactly when disruptions occurred and play back the related audio. This makes it easier to identify snoring patterns, sleep disturbances, and noise events that impact your rest. All sleep sound recognition and audio analysis are performed entirely on your device using advanced on-device machine learning. Recordings stay private, are processed locally, and never leave your device. KEY FEATURES - Visualize ambient sound levels and decibel (dB) readings in real time - Sync with the Health app to track and export noise exposure data - Add live sound level overlays to photos and videos - Save sound measurements with location data and custom labels - Record, store, export, and play back sound measurements - Export sound and noise data in CSV or audio formats SPECTRUM ANALYZER - Integrated Spectrum Analyzer with FFT and spectrogram modes - Multiple FFT sizes up to 16,384 points with selectable window functions - Flexible visualization modes and graph styles - Octave Band Real-Time Analyzer (RTA) for detailed frequency analysis EXTERNAL MICROPHONES AND CALIBRATION - Support for external microphones - Calibrate connected microphones directly in the app - Create and manage custom profiles for different microphones REPORTING AND EXPORT - Generate detailed noise measurement reports, including LAeq values - Batch export multiple measurements in supported formats Decibel app is not a replacement for professional devices and should be used for personal purposes only. By using this app, you acknowledge and agree that the developers and publishers are not liable for any decisions made based on the information provided by the app. SUBSCRIPTIONS Decibel offers optional subscriptions that unlock advanced tools and ongoing feature enhancements. With a subscription, you get access to an expanding set of professional Spectrum Analyzer features, advanced sound level weighting modes, and continued updates for compatibility with new devices and hardware. Subscriptions also include support for external microphones, unlimited saving and exporting of measurements, batch export tools, and audio and video exports with sound level overlays. Payment will be charged to your Apple account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or disable auto-renewal at any time in your Apple ID account settings. By downloading and using the app, you agree to the following: Terms of Use: https://www.iubenda.com/terms-and-conditions/94359518 Privacy Policy: https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/94359518 Disclaimer: http://dbmeterpro.com/disclaimer.html Questions or feedback? Contact us at support@decibelpro.app

About

Tailscale

Securely connect devices, workloads, and users to any internet resource. This platform uses identity to control access, creating a modern mesh network that enhances security and performance. It's hardware-agnostic and integrates with numerous technologies.

Highlights
  • Identity-based access control
  • Mesh networking architecture
  • Zero Trust security
  • Hardware-agnostic deployment
  • Integrates with 100+ technologies
  • Supports multiple environments
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Securely connect people, workloads, and even AI agents to anything on the internet with Tailscale, the secure connectivity platform built on WireGuard®. Tailscale brings identity to the network layer so you can control access based on users, groups, tags, and devices instead of IP addresses, applying Zero Trust principles end-to-end across every environment. Tailscale transforms your existing network from a legacy hub and spoke model to a modern, lightweight, and responsive mesh networking architecture that eliminates single points of failure and delivers better performance, scalability, and security for your end users, devices, and remote resources. Tailscale can be used for your Homelab VPN and connectivity, Business VPN, Workload Connectivity across clouds, Kubernetes clusters, regions, and environments, Privileged Access Management (PAM), Edge & IoT, CI/CD, and Securing AI – all on the same platform. Replace legacy VPNs, connect workloads across on-prem and cloud infrastructure providers, power Zero Trust initiatives, and make remote access secure by simplifying software-defined networking and security operations. Modernize your home, your organization, and your enterprise networking at scale with Tailscale. Tailscale is hardware-agnostic, so you can make decisions about your hardware independently from decisions about your network. Tailscale creates an overlay network, using your existing network, so you can incrementally deploy Tailscale without needing new network switches or to change your network architecture. Tailscale integrates with 100+ technologies and dozens of identity providers, and is available on a wide range of platforms — including Apple’s macOS, iOS, and tvOS — so you can securely connect from wherever you work.

Screenshots

Decibel4 screens
Tailscale3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tailscale at none against Decibel's 10. Tailscale also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and chart position (#55 vs unranked). Decibel's advantage is ratings volume (36K vs 772) and rating (4.6 vs 4.4). On price, review sentiment, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Decibel sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Tailscale asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Decibel holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Decibel has 36K ratings behind it against 772, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Decibel's written reviews are positive against 61% of Tailscale's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Decibel ships an update every 2 months, Tailscale fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Decibel versus Tailscale: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDecibelTailscale
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (36K ratings) — better4.4 (772 ratings)
Positive reviews65.9% of reviews — better60.7% of reviews
Number of ratings36K — better772
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
Best chart rank—#55 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVlad PolyanskiyTailscale Inc.

Customer experience

Decibel

All ratings36,118 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral3.8%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews511 reviews
Positive65.9%
Neutral3.7%
Negative30.3%

Tailscale

All ratings772 ratings
Positive83.9%
Neutral3.1%
Negative13.0%
Written reviews453 reviews
Positive60.7%
Neutral10.8%
Negative28.5%

User reviews

Decibel

From 36K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Useful for monitoring noise levels
  • 🔍 Accurate for a phone app
  • 🔧 Good for calibrating audio equipment
  • 💡 Helpful for hearing protection
  • 📊 Provides detailed measurements

Room to improve

  • 💰 Aggressive upselling tactics
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns around data collection
  • 🕹️ Confusing free vs paid options
  • 🔁 Recurring subscription issues
  • 🔢 Inconsistent/inaccurate readings

Tailscale

From 772 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to set up and use
  • 🔒 Secure remote access
  • 👍 Convenient for accessing home network
  • 👍 Seamless connectivity between devices
  • 🚀 Powerful networking features

Room to improve

  • 🔋 Significant battery drain
  • 🐛 Connectivity issues and bugs
  • 🐛 Unreliable performance
  • 🐛 Broken functionality after updates

Bugs and requests

Decibel

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes or freezes during use
  • Subscription issues and unwanted charges
  • Microphone compatibility problems

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add option to set noise level alerts
  • Improve geolocation and recording features
  • Allow audio playback while using the app
  • Provide more calibration options

Tailscale

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to connect or authenticate
  • Exit node feature not working as expected
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching networks
  • App getting stuck in a loading state

Requested features

5 requests
  • On-demand VPN connection
  • Ability to switch between multiple accounts
  • More granular control over exit nodes
  • Integration with other networking tools
  • Dark mode option

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Decibel

Subscriptions5
  • Premium Mode3 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Premium Plus7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Premium Mode3 Days trial$7.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Premium Mode Subscription$9.991 Month
  • Premium Mode7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time5
  • dB Meter Pro$4.99
  • Noise Dosimeter Pro$9.99
  • Decibel Meter Pro$19.99
Show 2 more
  • Spectrum Analyzer Pack$24.99
  • dB Meter Premium Pack$49.99
None

Tailscale

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Decibel free?
Decibel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tailscale free?
Tailscale is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Decibel or Tailscale?
Decibel is rated higher. Decibel averages 4.6 out of 5 from 36K ratings, while Tailscale averages 4.4 from 772 ratings.
Do Decibel or Tailscale have ads?
Neither Decibel nor Tailscale shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Decibel or Tailscale?
Decibel ships an update every 2 months, and Tailscale fortnightly. Most recently, Decibel was updated on October 30, 2026 and Tailscale on October 30, 2026.

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