Comparison

SignalScope Basic 2022 vs EMWaver

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

Head to head
About

SignalScope Basic 2022

Features
Read full description

NOTE: This app is no longer recommended for purchase. SignalScope X version 13+ offers perpetual license options as well as subscriptions. SignalScope Basic 2022 offers a basic tool set to meet your measurement and analysis needs as an engineer, consultant, educator, student, researcher, or savvy hobbyist in areas such as acoustics (sound and vibration), audio, electronics, and electroacoustics. Features: - Analyze signals coming from the Mac or iOS device’s current audio input device. - Assign engineering units to your input signals and calibrate external transducers for accurate measurements. - Assign input channel units and sensitivities for individual USB Audio devices. - Connect lab-grade microphones and sensors to your Mac, iPad, or iPhone with suitable interface hardware for precise measurements. - SignalScope offers enhanced support for select hardware from Digiducer, The Modal Shop, and miniDSP. - Nominal acoustic sensitivities included for iPhone and iPad built-in microphones, voltage sensitivities for headset input (including the standard Lightning-to-headset adapter). - Manually switch between available audio input sources. - Load microphone frequency response data (FRD) and apply frequency response correction (FRC) to FFT-based measurements. - Manually adjust audio sample rates, even up to 768 kHz, depending on input hardware. - Save acquired measurement data to CSV, tab-delimited ASCII text, or MAT files. - Save high-resolution analyzer display images to PDF files. - Retrieve your data files from your device via Files (iCloud Drive), iTunes File Sharing, or through a web browser on another device. Files may also be opened in other compatible apps (e.g. Mail, Notes, Numbers, Dropbox, etc). Basic Tools: - Oscilloscope - Basic oscilloscope and triggering functions. - FFT Analyzer - Spectrum analyzer with user-settable frequency limits and basic triggering - 2D Real-time Spectrogram Analyzer - XY Plotter - Analyze a stereo mix, or create Lissajous curves on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad. - Stereo Signal Generator Learn more about SignalScope Basic 2022 at FaberAcoustical.com. SignalScope Basic 2022 will receive major upgrades, consistent with those available in the SignalScope X Basic Tool Set subscription, through calendar year 2023, after which it will receive maintenance updates through 2025. It can be used indefinitely thereafter on a compatible version of macOS or iOS.

About

EMWaver

Features
Read full description

EMWaver is a local-first electronics lab for iPhone and iPad. Connect a supported ESP32-S3 or STM32-based board, run JavaScript scripts, inspect device signals, manage bundled firmware, and use optional Agent assistance with your own API key. Local hardware control does not require an EMWaver account, cloud activation, hosted relay, subscription, or device ownership check. Scripts and core device workflows stay on your device by default. Use EMWaver to: β€’ Run local scripts against supported microcontroller boards β€’ Inspect device state and hardware signals from a mobile-first interface β€’ Manage app-bundled firmware workflows for supported targets β€’ Keep script-first hardware experiments out of the compile/flash/debug loop β€’ Ask the optional Agent for script and troubleshooting help when you provide an API key EMWaver is open-source and built by Continual MI.

Screenshots

SignalScope Basic 20224 screens
EMWaver3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: EMWaver at Free against SignalScope Basic 2022's $59.99. SignalScope Basic 2022's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 12 months) and device support (4 vs 2). On ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

EMWaver is free to download; SignalScope Basic 2022 costs $59.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SignalScope Basic 2022 ships an update every 2 months, EMWaver every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on August 27, 2026 and May 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences Β· 2 level
SignalScope Basic 2022 versus EMWaver: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSignalScope Basic 2022EMWaver
Price$59.99Free β€” better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months β€” betterEvery 12 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac β€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 β€” better17.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size10 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFaber Acoustical, LLCLuis Lopes

In-app purchases

None

SignalScope Basic 2022

No in-app purchases

None

EMWaver

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SignalScope Basic 2022 free?
SignalScope Basic 2022 costs $59.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is EMWaver free?
EMWaver is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SignalScope Basic 2022 or EMWaver have ads?
Neither SignalScope Basic 2022 nor EMWaver shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SignalScope Basic 2022 or EMWaver?
SignalScope Basic 2022 ships an update every 2 months, and EMWaver every 12 months. Most recently, SignalScope Basic 2022 was updated on August 27, 2026 and EMWaver on May 31, 2026.

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