Spectrolite vs CavernSeer
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.
CavernSeer
This app uses LiDAR scanners to create detailed 3D models of real-world spaces like caves and shelters. It offers various viewing modes, including 3D, top-down, and side-view projections, with export options for generated meshes.
- LiDAR-powered 3D mesh generation
- Multiple viewing modes (3D, plan, elevation)
- Export scan files (.OBJ)
- High-resolution screenshot capture
- Unit conversion (meters/feet)
- Debugging overlays
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Designed for cave and shelter surveying, CavernSeer leverages the LiDAR scanner of the 2020 iPad Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro, and RealityKit's scene reconstruction, to generate relatively-accurate 3D meshes of real-world spaces and render them in various convenient ways. ### App Usage ### All iOS/iPadOS 14 devices can run the app and view existing scans shared by others, but devices with a LiDAR scanner (currently iPhone 12 Pros and newer iPad Pros) can capture new scans. ### Viewing ### Scans created by the user or imported from elsewhere will appear in the "Scan List" tab, which lists out the names and the starting photo of the scan. Selecting a scan displays the start and end photos (if available), *export* options for the scan file as well as a plaintext .OBJ render, as well as the following: * Advanced - underlying information about the scan. * 3D Render - a 3D perspective rendering view navigable based on the setting "3D render interaction mode". * Plan Projected Render - a "top-down" orthographic projection complete with scale bar. Defaults to north-up. The height control allows for raising or lowering the camera to show or hide obstructions. * Elevation Projected Render - a "side-view" orthographic projection with scale bar, compass, and various controls. The angle controls change the direction the camera is facing relative to magnetic-north. The depth control is similar to the plan-projected height control, allowing for pushing the camera through obstructions. * Cross Section Render - an elevation projection (see above) with an inset plan-projection indicating the position and size of the camera, and a switch for making the camera "depth-of-field" 1-meter deep to create a cross-section slice. All of the renders support high-resolution screenshots scaled to higher detail than the device itself. ### Scanning ### Devices with a LiDAR scanner can capture new scans in the "Scanner" tab. Pressing the center button starts a scan, after which you can enable Apple's debugging overlays, either showing _Debug_ information or a _Mesh_ preview which displays the currently captured mesh on screen, as well as enabling the device's flashlight. Clicking the center button again will complete and save the scan, which will appear in the scan list. ### Settings ### * Three settings for mesh color change the way that the meshes in the various viewers are displayed. * Switch for changing between meters and decimal-feet in any distance contexts. * Setting for changing the interaction mode in the 3d Render view. The recommended option is "Orbit angle mapping". * Debugging options where appropriate.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CavernSeer at none against Spectrolite's 1. CavernSeer also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 83%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Spectrolite's advantage is ratings volume (51 vs 3). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. CavernSeer asks for nothing beyond the download.
CavernSeer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spectrolite has 51 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Spectrolite's written reviews are positive against 100% of CavernSeer's.
Spectrolite ships an update every 8 months, CavernSeer every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Spectrolite | CavernSeer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (51 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 51 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 3 months — 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 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Waxing Wave | Samuel Grush |
Customer experience
Spectrolite
CavernSeer
In-app purchases
Spectrolite
- Pro$4.99
CavernSeer
No in-app purchases









