Comparison

EQ550 vs Fair Limiter

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

Head to head
About

EQ550

This audio effect plugin emulates classic American EQs from the late 1960s, offering precise control over equalization with unique Proportional Q technology. It functions as a standalone app or an AUv3 plugin for compatible hosts, providing a flexible and characterful sound shaping experience.

Highlights
  • Standalone and AUv3 plugin
  • 3 bands of classic American equalization
  • Proportional Q filter bandwidth
  • Stereo, Mid, or Side EQ modes
  • Undo/Redo and A/B comparison
  • Scalable GUI
Read full description

EQ550 AUv3 plug-in — comes as time-limited Demo-version for you to try. It gives you 5 minutes of Free play time. (You can reload the EQ550 AUv3 plug-in as many times as you want, thereby you get the Demo period again and again.) Unlimited version of EQ550 AUv3 plug-in comes as In-App Purchase. The EQ550 faithfully captures the punch, low-frequency transparency, and ultra-tight imaging of iconic American EQs of the late 1960’s. Making use of Proportional Q intuitively widens the filter bandwidth at minimal settings and narrows it at higher settings without the need for additional bandwidth controls. This unique feature minimizes the «phase-shift» sound found in many equalizers. Features: • Standalone and AUv3 plug-in; • 3 bands of classic American equalization; • Each band offers 7 selected frequency centers; • Maximum 15dB of boost/cut per band; • EQ Band 1 and 3 offer shelf/peak switching; • Proportional Q narrows filter Q at extremes; • Stereo (Mono), Mid or Side EQ modes; • Undo/Redo; • A/B comparison; • 2x/4x/8x Upsampling; • Macro controllers; • Built-in Gain Match; • Scalable GUI. The EQ550 provides reciprocal equalization at 21 points in 5 steps of boost to a maximum of 15dB of gain at each point. The twenty one equalization points are divided into three overlapping ranges. The high and low frequency ranges are individually selectable as either peaking or shelving, and a band-pass filter may be inserted independently of all other selected equalization settings. Frequency ranges and boost/cut are selected by switches, and a pushbutton «IN» switch allows the EQ to be silently introduced to the signal path. A small toggle switch is used to insert the band-pass filter into the EQ550. The EQ550 extends the features of the original hardware and joins the flexibility of the digital world to the character of the analog processing. Allows you to choose between equalizer modes (Stereo, Mid, Side) and remove analogue saturation from the processing circuit to deliver pure digital sound. To use EQ550 as a plug-in, you need an AUv3-compatible host app like GarageBand, Auria, AUM, Cubasis and more — EQ550 will appear in the list of Audio Unit extensions for effect plug-ins in the host app.

About

Fair Limiter

This audio unit plugin emulates the classic Fairchild 670 tube compressor and limiter, offering its renowned sonic character. It provides comprehensive controls, including sidechain filters and boost, for detailed audio shaping. A free version is available for testing, with a one-time purchase to remove limitations.

Highlights
  • AUv3 plugin for DAWs
  • Fairchild 670 emulation
  • Sidechain filters and boost
  • Variable-Mu compression
  • Stereo or Mid/Side setup
  • 6386 tube simulation
Features
Read full description

Fair Limiter is an AUv3 audio unit plugin that digitally replicates the Fairchild 670, a legendary and highly esteemed tube compressor/limiter renowned for its outstanding audio quality and unique sonic character. Features: - Use as an AUv3 plugin in GarageBand, Logic Pro, AUM, or other DAW - Digital emulation of the Fairchild 670 - Features all the controls of the legacy Fairchild 670 - Adds additional control with the sidechain filters and boost - Variable-Mu compression - Fast attack, slow release times - 6386 tube simulation - Stereo or Mid/Side setup - Linking of stereo controls and sidechain output The free version allows you to test Fair Limiter completely, but every minute the limiter will be silent for 3 seconds. To remove these limits there is a one time in-app purchase.

Screenshots

EQ5504 screens
Fair Limiter4 screens

Verdict

The call

EQ550 and Fair Limiter both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 50% of Fair Limiter's written reviews are positive against 33% of EQ550's. EQ550's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 14.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. EQ550 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Fair Limiter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for EQ550 against 4.4 for Fair Limiter. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 8 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 33% of EQ550's written reviews are positive against 50% of Fair Limiter's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
EQ550 versus Fair Limiter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEQ550Fair Limiter
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (11 ratings) — better4.4 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings11 — better8
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS10.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRRS, OOOJan Maes

Customer experience

EQ550

All ratings11 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

Fair Limiter

All ratings8 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

EQ550

One-time1
  • RRS EQ550 Unlimited$4.99
1 purchases

Fair Limiter

One-time1
  • Fair Limiter Activation$11.99

Questions

Is EQ550 free?
EQ550 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Fair Limiter free?
Fair Limiter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, EQ550 or Fair Limiter?
EQ550 is rated higher. EQ550 averages 4.5 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Fair Limiter averages 4.4 from 8 ratings.
Do EQ550 or Fair Limiter have ads?
Neither EQ550 nor Fair Limiter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, EQ550 or Fair Limiter?
EQ550 ships an update monthly, and Fair Limiter monthly. Most recently, EQ550 was updated on November 3, 2026 and Fair Limiter on October 30, 2026.

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