Comparison

Sonitus vs Decibels

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

Head to head
About

Sonitus

Generate audio frequencies from 20Hz to 20kHz. Test your hearing, tune instruments, or analyze audio equipment with fixed frequencies or sweeps. Input frequencies precisely via keyboard or dial.

Highlights
  • Generate audio frequencies (20Hz-20kHz)
  • Hearing test functionality
  • Instrument tuning aid
  • Audio equipment testing
  • Fixed frequency selection
  • Logarithmic frequency sweep
Features
Read full description

Generate frequencies in the audio range from 20Hz up to 20kHz. Test your hearing and compare with your friends. Use it to tune your instrument or simply annoy your neighbour's dog. Test audio equipment using a fixed frequency or a frequency sweep that sweeps the frequency in a logarithmic scale from 20Hz to 20kHz. The frequency can be selected by turning the knob or by entering the exact desired frequency using the keyboard.

About

Decibels

Measure sound levels in decibels using your device's microphone. View real-time graphs and historical data to detect noise pollution and protect your hearing. Calibrate for accurate readings across various environments.

Highlights
  • Measures sound in decibels (dB)
  • Displays sound samples on a graph
  • Detects loud and low environmental noise
  • Calibrated for accuracy
  • Shows min/avg/max decibel values
  • Saves data and view history
  • Calibrates decibel for each device
Features
Read full description

How loud is it, really? The neighbor's bass at 2 a.m. The workshop that leaves your ears ringing. Decibels gives you a number you can trust — and, when you need it, the evidence to back it up. Decibels is a precision sound level meter built like a real instrument: the IEC 61672 mathematics professionals use, per-device calibration verified against a laboratory-validated reference, and a design that shows what the noise is doing, not just how loud it is. A · C · Z WEIGHTING · FAST · SLOW · IMPULSE · Leq · LCpeak · SEL THE REAL MATHS, IN A REAL METER. MEASURE LIKE AN INSTRUMENT Every reading is a true IEC-weighted level. Choose A, C or Z weighting and Fast, Slow or Impulse response. Sessions record the energy-averaged Leq, the loudest moment, the C-weighted peak, sound exposure level (SEL) and the L10, L50 and L90 statistical levels used in environmental noise reports. An overload lamp shows when the microphone is clipping, and readings below the microphone's own floor are flagged, not faked. Fine-tune against any reference meter with the built-in guide. SEE WHAT THE NOISE IS A number says it's loud; the spectrum says it's a fridge compressor, a bass line or a siren. Switch the meter to a live FFT spectrum analyzer, 1/3-octave bands, or a scrolling spectrogram waterfall that paints frequency against time and identifies a sound by its shape. NIGHT MODE Start it at bedtime, set your wake-up time, and put the phone down. In the morning a quiet-hours report shows your night hour by hour: how quiet it was, when the loud moments happened, and how loud they were. Light on battery. KEEP THE EVIDENCE Set a threshold and get notified when noise crosses it. Turn on Evidence Clips and Decibels saves a 30-second recording around each event — 10 seconds before, 20 after — stored only on your phone, playable from the session, and shared only when you choose. Built for noise complaints. PROTECT YOUR HEARING An exposure dosimeter tracks your daily noise dose against NIOSH, OSHA and EU 2003/10/EC limits: dose percentage, time-weighted average and safe time remaining at the current level. Export sessions to Apple Health as environmental audio exposure. ALWAYS WITHIN REACH A Live Activity keeps the meter on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island while you record, Stop button included. Widgets show your last reading and today's dose. Share a session card in one tap, or export CSV data and PDF reports. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No ads. No tracking. No analytics. Audio is analysed on your device and never leaves it unless you share a clip or card yourself. Evidence Clips are off by default and require explicit consent. FREE - Live meter with A/C/Z weighting, Fast/Slow/Impulse response - Leq, Max, Min, C-weighted peak and overload indicator - Calibration trim and reference-meter guide - Sessions with chart, notes, tags and location (last 10) - One threshold alert - Live Activity, widgets, light and dark themes DECIBELS PRO - Unlimited session history - Spectrum analyzer, 1/3-octave bands and spectrogram waterfall - Night mode with quiet-hours reports - Evidence Clips - Exposure dosimeter (NIOSH · OSHA · EU) and Apple Health export - CSV and PDF export, share cards Decibels Pro is available as a yearly subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel subscriptions in your Apple ID account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when purchasing a subscription. Privacy Policy: https://realvision.app/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Sonitus3 screens
Decibels4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Decibels at 4.3 against Sonitus's 3.0. Decibels also leads on ratings volume (22 vs 4). Sonitus's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). 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. Decibels sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month. Sonitus asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Decibels holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Decibels has 22 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 25% of Sonitus's written reviews are positive against 22% of Decibels's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Sonitus versus Decibels: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSonitusDecibels
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (4 ratings)4.3 (22 ratings) — better
Positive reviews25.0% of reviews — better22.2% of reviews
Number of ratings422 — better
Update frequency—Every 30 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBastiaan VerreijtReal Vision Ltd

Customer experience

Sonitus

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%

Decibels

All ratings22 ratings
Positive77.3%
Neutral13.6%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive22.2%
Neutral11.1%
Negative66.7%

In-app purchases

None

Sonitus

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Decibels

Subscriptions1
  • dB Meter Full App Access$3.991 Month

Questions

Is Sonitus free?
Sonitus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Decibels free?
Decibels is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sonitus or Decibels?
Decibels is rated higher. Sonitus averages 3.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Decibels averages 4.3 from 22 ratings.
Do Sonitus or Decibels have ads?
Neither Sonitus nor Decibels shows ads.

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