Sound Spectrum Analysis vs Spectrolite
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sound Spectrum Analysis
Analyze sound spectrums in real-time using your device's microphone. This tool offers detailed frequency and amplitude scales, various window functions, and octave band analysis. It can also function as a noise level meter and allows for data export and saving of measurements.
- Real-time sound spectrum analysis
- Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) with adjustable size
- Linear and logarithmic frequency/amplitude scales
- Octave band analysis (1/1, 1/3, 1/6, 1/12)
- Multiple window functions
- A- and C-Weightings
- Sound level meter (dB SPL)
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The application is designed for analysis of a sound spectrum in real time (with a microphone). Besides, the application can be used as a measuring instrument of noise level (not for exact measurements). • Sound wave. • Fast fourier transform (FFT). FFT size: 2048 (the accuracy of determining the frequency of ±12 Hz), 4096 (±6 Hz), 8192 (±3 Hz), 16384 (±2 Hz), 32768 (±1 Hz), 65536 (±0.5 Hz), 131072 (±0.2 Hz). • Linear and logarithmic frequency scale. • Linear frequency scale with maximum details (there is a choice for the displayed frequency range). • Linear and logarithmic amplitude scale. • Octave bands (1/1, 1/3, 1/6, 1/12). • Window functions (Blackman, Hamming, Hann (Hanning), Blackman–Nuttall, Gaussian, Flat top). • A- and C-Weightings. • Peak hold. • Exponential spectrum averaging. • Peak frequency detection. • Values of any point (for frequency scale and sound wave (at maximum detail)). • Sound level meter (dB SPL). You can calibrate your microphone by launching a signal generator with a sinusoid frequency of 1000 Hz on another device and making the volume very low. When the sound is almost inaudible, it is necessary to find the amplitude for the frequency of 1000 Hz on the spectrum (FFT size: 16384). This value should be multiplied by 1.2 (to compensate for spectral leakage). It will be the reference value for your microphone. ESTIMATE THE TOTAL NOISE LEVEL BY USING THE SOUND WAVE MODE AT THE MAXIMUM VALUE. • Sample rate: 48000 Hz. • Taking a screenshot by lightly touching the screen. • Export data to a WAV or text file ("Y=[y1 y2... yn]", "y1;y2;... yn", "x1;y1\nx2;y2;..."). Number of points is adjusted via "FFT size". • Automatic stop in the sound wave mode (when increasing or decreasing signal strength). • Automatic stop in the spectrum mode. Now you can stop data collection when the start of the fading signal reaches the end of the FFT buffer. The beginning of the signal is not calculated accurately (just like with an automatic stop in the sound wave mode). • Test wave. • Saving the measurement results in the application. Files with saved data (SavedData_[date]_[time].txt) can be copied to a desktop/laptop computer or transferred to another iPhone using iTunes. There are buttons for quick loading and comparing saved files. • Dark theme. • List of frequency peaks. If several peaks have a common base, then they are considered as one peak. The minimum height of the peak for octave bands is 2 dB. • Interpolation of frequencies in the list of peaks. To interpolate the frequency of the peak, select the Gaussian window (the accuracy of determining the frequency can increase by 10-100 times). The calculation is not done for the extreme bins or if the adjacent bin is zero. • Calculation of the amplitude (in the list of peaks) using neighboring bins (to compensate for spectral leakage and use of the window). The number of bins used for calculation is written in brackets. • Collecting recent data (last minute). You can move over all collected data. The amplitude of the waveform can be changed in the sound wave mode. • Calibration file. The app recognizes only files for the UMIK-1 microphone, but you can specify which microphones you need support for.
Spectrolite
This app visualizes sound in real-time using various spectrogram types. Explore detailed audio data with intuitive touch controls and adjustable parameters. An optional purchase unlocks advanced measurement tools.
- Real-time spectrogram visualization
- Constant-Q, linear, and mel frequency scales
- Full human hearing frequency range
- Intuitive touch panning and zooming
- Adjustable gain, Q, and other parameters
- Pro version: grids, scales, spectrum view, tap-to-measure
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Spectrolite visualizes sound as spectrograms in real time. Spectrolite supports constant-Q spectrograms, which use a logarithmic frequency scale for a display where musical notes are evenly spaced. Spectrograms based on linear and mel frequency scales are also supported. The display covers the full frequency range of human hearing. Intuitive touch panning and zooming lets you dive in and explore the spectrograms in detail. Gain, Q, and other parameters can be adjusted in real time and instantly apply to the display of past signals as well as future ones. The Pro in-app purchase adds grids and scales for time, frequency, and amplitude, as well as a spectrum view and a tap-to-measure function. This expands Spectrolite into an audio measurement tool that you can use to measure frequencies, musical pitches, amplitudes, and durations.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Spectrolite at 4.8 against Sound Spectrum Analysis's 3.6. Spectrolite also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 60%). Sound Spectrum Analysis's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 8 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Sound Spectrum Analysis sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Spectrolite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Spectrolite holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 42 and 64 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Sound Spectrum Analysis's written reviews are positive against 83% of Spectrolite's.
Sound Spectrum Analysis ships an update every 5 weeks, Spectrolite every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sound Spectrum Analysis | Spectrolite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (42 ratings) | 4.8 (64 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | 83.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 42 | 64 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 8 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dmitriy Kharutskiy | Waxing Wave |
Customer experience
Sound Spectrum Analysis
Spectrolite
In-app purchases
Sound Spectrum Analysis
- Full version$2.99
Spectrolite
- Pro$4.99
Questions
Is Sound Spectrum Analysis free?
Is Spectrolite free?
Which has better reviews, Sound Spectrum Analysis or Spectrolite?
Do Sound Spectrum Analysis or Spectrolite have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sound Spectrum Analysis or Spectrolite?
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