Comparison

Frank Energy vs SPL Reference

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

Head to head
About

Frank Energy

Monitor your home energy usage and receive notifications about electricity price fluctuations. Optimize your consumption to take advantage of cheaper hours and save money on your bill. Supports smart charging for electric cars and home battery management, all powered by 100% renewable energy.

Highlights
  • Monitor energy consumption
  • Real-time electricity price alerts
  • Optimize usage for savings
  • Smart electric car charging
  • Home battery management
  • 100% renewable energy sources
Features
Read full description

SMART ENERGY With Frank's app, you have control over your home energy consumption and can instantly see your energy usage. You also receive a daily notification to inform you when energy prices are low or high. With that information, you can adjust your consumption to take advantage of cheaper hours and save a lot of money on your electricity bill. SMART SERVICES With an indexed contract, you make the most of dynamic prices. Through intelligent energy management, you save automatically and effortlessly on the costs of the devices that consume the most electricity. Smart charging takes care of your electric car, and smart electricity storage handles your home battery. 100% GREEN ENERGY The electricity comes from 100% renewable sources. By consuming when demand is low and production is high, you help relieve the electric grid, use green and affordable energy, and contribute to the energy transition and sustainability. - Save on your energy bill - Check your consumption and electricity prices - 100% green - Transparent

About

SPL Reference

Read full description

Hear your system. See your room. SPL Reference combines sound-level measurement with Room Map, a new way for Hi-Fi enthusiasts to explore how bass changes across a listening room. Measure at several positions and see areas of relatively high and low sound pressure at the selected frequency, helping you investigate uneven bass and make more informed speaker and listening-position choices. EXPLORE YOUR LISTENING ROOM • Create a rectangular room and follow a guided 9- or 12-point survey, or customise your measurement positions. • Explore frequency-selectable heatmaps with 1/12- or 1/3-octave bands. • Use generated bass pink noise through your playback system, or a stable external pink-noise source. • Review individual points, capture-quality notes and a repeat measurement at the reference position. • Save maps in Sessions, organise them in projects and export the survey data. A COMPANION TO ROOM REFERENCE Use SPL Reference alongside the separately available Room Reference app to add measured spatial bass comparisons to your room investigation. We are working to integrate the two apps; direct integration is not included in this release. MEASURE WITH CONTEXT • Live A-, C- and Z-weighted measurements • Fast, Slow and Impulse time responses • LAeq, LAFmax, LCpeak and time-history views • Pause, resume, event markers and integrity evidence • Clear distinction between indicative readings and reference-calibrated chains ANALYSE AND DOCUMENT • 1/1- and 1/3-octave frequency analysis, spectrum and spectrogram history • Statistical exceedance levels from L1 to L99 • Noise-exposure assessment using NIOSH, OSHA and configurable models • Projects, notes, photographs and optional location evidence • Microphone profiles, acoustic calibration records and drift checks • Professional PDF reports for ordinary sound-level measurements Browse the public measurement archive from inside the app. Measurements are never uploaded automatically. START FREE. UPGRADE ONCE. The free tier includes the built-in microphone, five active measurement minutes per calendar month, two saved measurements and one project. Room Map and advanced features require Lifetime Professional Unlock, which removes the free limits with one purchase and no subscription. Room Map is included for existing Lifetime Professional owners. ABOUT YOUR RESULTS Room maps show the combined response of your speakers and room at one microphone height. Colours compare the selected frequency across measured positions. Uncalibrated maps display relative levels in dBFS. Results depend on the microphone, calibration, playback setup and measurement conditions. SPL Reference distinguishes indicative and calibrated workflows and does not claim that an unvalidated device is a certified sound-level meter. Occupational-noise results support assessment and documentation; they do not replace professional judgement or applicable legal requirements.

Screenshots

Frank Energy4 screens
SPL Reference4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Frank Energy at none against SPL Reference's 1. Frank Energy also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, 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. SPL Reference sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Frank Energy asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Frank Energy ships an update fortnightly, SPL Reference every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Frank Energy versus SPL Reference: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFrank EnergySPL Reference
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size104 MB6 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperFrank Energie B.V.Direct Sound Records Ltd

In-app purchases

None

Frank Energy

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

SPL Reference

One-time1
  • Lifetime Professional Unlock$39.99

Questions

Is Frank Energy free?
Frank Energy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SPL Reference free?
SPL Reference is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Frank Energy or SPL Reference have ads?
Neither Frank Energy nor SPL Reference shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Frank Energy or SPL Reference?
Frank Energy ships an update fortnightly, and SPL Reference every 2 weeks. Most recently, Frank Energy was updated on November 3, 2026 and SPL Reference on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons