Spectrolite vs Waver
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
Waver
Communicate with nearby devices using sound waves for text and file sharing. This app enables local messaging without an internet connection, utilizing your device's speaker and microphone.
- Text messaging via sound
- File sharing over local network
- Audible and ultrasound protocols
- No internet connection required
- Real-time audio spectrum analysis
- Adjustable volume and transmission settings
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Waver allows you to send and receive text messages from nearby devices through sound waves. This application can be useful for communicating with multiple nearby devices at once. Both audible and ultrasound communication protocols are available. The app does not connect to the internet and all information is transmitted only through sound. In order to receive incoming messages you only need to allow access to your device's microphone so that it can record nearby sounds. How to use: - Before starting - make sure the speaker of your device is enabled and disconnect/unplug any headphones. The app uses your device's speaker to emit sounds when sending a text message - To send a message - tap on "Messages", enter some text at the bottom of the screen and click "Send" - Any nearby device that is also running this application can capture the emitted sound and display the received message - In the settings menu, you can adjust the volume and the transmission protocol that will be used when sending messages. Make sure to adjust the volume level high enough, so the sounds can be picked up by other devices - Tap on "Spectrum" to see a real-time frequency spectrum of the currently captured audio by your device's microphone File sharing in a local network: As of v1.3.0 Waver supports file sharing. It works like this: - Add files that you would like to transmit by sharing them with Waver - In the "Files" menu, click on "Broadcast". This plays an audio message that contains a file broadcast offer - Nearby devices in the same local network can receive this offer and initiate a TCP/IP connection to your device - The files are transmitted over TCP/IP. The sound message is used only to initiate the network connections between the devices - Waver allows sharing multiple files to multiple devices at once
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Waver at none against Spectrolite's 1. Waver also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 8 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 83%). Spectrolite's advantage is ratings volume (51 vs 11). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. Spectrolite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Waver asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Spectrolite against 4.9 for Waver. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 51 and 11 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Spectrolite's written reviews are positive against 100% of Waver's.
Spectrolite ships an update every 8 months, Waver every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Spectrolite | Waver |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (51 ratings) | 4.9 (11 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 51 — better | 11 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Waxing Wave | Georgi Gerganov |
Customer experience
Spectrolite
Waver
In-app purchases
Spectrolite
- Pro$4.99
Waver
No in-app purchases









