Comparison

Decibels vs M

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

Head to head
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/

About

M

This app offers comprehensive control over guitar effects pedals. Users can manage impulse responses (IRs), reverb, delay, modulation, amplifier simulations, and noise gates to shape their sound.

Highlights
  • IR switching for cabinet simulation
  • Extensive reverb effects
  • Customizable delay settings
  • Various modulation effects
  • Amplifier sound simulation
  • Noise gate for clean sound
Read full description

专门为效果器的用户打造,我们提供了对效果器的全面控制,包括以下参数: IR:利用我们的应用,您可以轻松切换不同的IR,模拟各种音箱和空间,使您的音乐在任何场景中都表现卓越。 REVERB(混响):探索各种混响效果,从清晰的室内吉他声音到宏大的音响效果,让您的音乐充满深度和氛围。 DELAY(延迟):定制音乐中的延迟效果,创造从微妙的回声到令人着迷的空间声音。 MOD(调制效果):创造令人难忘的声音,包括和声、混音和更多令人惊叹的声音效果。 AMP(放大器):模拟各种放大器声音,从温暖的管子声音到坚实的晶体声音。 GATE(噪声门控):消除不必要的噪音,使您的音乐保持干净而清晰。

Screenshots

Decibels4 screens
M4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Decibels at 4.3 against M's 2.3. M's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 30 months). On price, ratings volume and ads 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. M asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Decibels holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 22 and 19 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 22% of Decibels's written reviews are positive against 38% of M's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Decibels ships an update every 30 months, M every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Decibels versus M: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDecibelsM
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (22 ratings) — better2.3 (19 ratings)
Positive reviews22.2% of reviews38.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings22 — better19
Update frequencyEvery 30 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB237 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperReal Vision LtdSinco Audio

Customer experience

Decibels

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

M

All ratings19 ratings
Positive26.3%
Neutral5.3%
Negative68.4%
Written reviews71 reviews
Positive38.0%
Neutral11.3%
Negative50.7%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Decibels

Subscriptions1
  • dB Meter Full App Access$3.991 Month
None

M

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Decibels free?
Decibels is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is M free?
M is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Decibels or M?
Decibels is rated higher. Decibels averages 4.3 out of 5 from 22 ratings, while M averages 2.3 from 19 ratings.
Do Decibels or M have ads?
Neither Decibels nor M shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Decibels or M?
Decibels ships an update every 30 months, and M every 2 weeks. Most recently, Decibels was updated on September 26, 2026 and M on September 23, 2026.

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