SPL vs dB Volume
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SPL
This professional-grade digital sound level meter measures decibels with advanced modes and filters meeting ANSI Type 1 standards. It allows storing, exporting, and calibrating measurements, and can be used with external calibrated microphones for precise results.
- Professional-grade digital sound level meter
- ANSI/IEC Type 1 standards compliant filters and modes
- Store, recall, and export GPS/time-stamped results
- Supports external calibrated microphones
- Adjustable calibration for accuracy
- Internal mic compensation filter
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SPL is a professional-grade digital sound level meter (decibel meter) for your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. It includes all of the modes, filters, and features that you would expect from a professional ANSI or IEC Sound Level Meter. All filters and averaging modes meet or exceed the criteria for ANSI Type 1 standards or better. SPL is created from the same team who brought you the Audio Toolbox and ATB Plus. Store Results -- Uses the same powerful Save / Recall engine as our premier app, AudioTools. Allows storing GPS and time-stamped results, and exporting them to your computer. You can also use SPL with our calibrated iPhone measurement mic, iTestMic, or iAudioInterface. The screen flips if you turn the phone upside down, so that you can point the built-in iPhone mic directly at the sound source. *** Modes: Slow, Fast, Impulse, Peak, and Leq. *** Filters: A and C weighting, and 10 octave band filters. *** Includes a resettable Max field to track the highest reading. *** Includes a reference field (except in Leq mode) so that you can set a reference level and do seat-to-seat comparisons. The SPL meter can be fully calibrated. It comes preset with the calibration for a typical iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Most iOS devices will be within a few dB of this reading. If you have access, even temporarily, to a calibrated sound level meter, just use the calibration field on the settings scree to match the meter, and you will be accurately calibrated. Also, see our other professional-grade audio apps: AudioTools, our premier suite of professional-caliber audio and acoustics test apps, Speaker Pop, to test speaker polarity, and RTA, a real-time analyzer for the iPhone. And, we have a group of calibrated, accurate measurement microphones, including iTestMic,iTestMic2, and iAudioInterface2, that allows full professional results for Type 1 or Type 2 measurements. This will allow measuring a range from approximately 30 dB SPL to 130 dB SPL. Each mic will include a calibration factor that you will enter into the SPL app for calibrated measurements. This mic will also work with Speaker Pop, our speaker polarity tester, FFT, RTA, ETC, and other acoustical measurement apps in our AudioTools app that is available now. Also, see our iAudioInterface2 system, which supports any pro test and measurement mic. Now includes an iPhone internal mic compensation filter, to cancel out the low-frequency roll-off present in the iPhone and other iOS devices. See our other audio apps, including AudioTools.
dB Volume
Transform your iPhone into a Sound Pressure Level (SPL) meter. Measure environmental noises with adjustable weighting curves and response times, including Leq measurement. Ideal for understanding ambient sound levels.
- Sound Pressure Level (SPL) Meter
- Adjustable weighting curves (A, B, C, Z)
- Adjustable response times (Impulse, Slow, Fast)
- Leq measurement
- Peak hold function
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With dB Volume you turn your iPhone into a Sound Pressure Level (SPL) Meter. You can choose between the industry standard weighting curves and response times. Use dB Volume for measuring environmental noises - it offers now Leq measurement! dB Volume features: - response time modes: impulse, slow, fast - weighting functions: A B C Z (unweighted) - peak hold function - Leq measurement We calibrated dB Volume as carefully as possible for all available devices. But: keep in mind, that due to manufacturing tolerances this calibration does not necessarily apply to your device – it’s still an iPhone and not a calibrated measuring instrument!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: dB Volume at Free against SPL's $8.99. dB Volume also leads on rating (3.8 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). SPL's advantage is review sentiment (68% vs 44%). On ads, in-app purchases 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
dB Volume is free to download; SPL costs $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
dB Volume holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 13 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of SPL's written reviews are positive against 44% of dB Volume's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
SPL ships an update every 6 months, dB Volume every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and August 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SPL | dB Volume |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $8.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.0 (4 ratings) | 3.8 (13 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 67.6% of reviews — better | 44.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 13 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Andrew Smith | DSP Mobile |
Customer experience
SPL
dB Volume
Bugs and requests
SPL
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
dB Volume
Reported bugs
21 issues- Does not open anymore
- No audio signal
- Shows "0db"
- Freezes every time
- Non responsive
Show 16 moreShow fewer
- Registers as zero
- Doesn't receive any sound
- Displays -2147
- Starts in negative db
- Locks up after a minute or two
- App loads, gets one reading, then never updates
- Fails to respond to sounds
- No sound level registering
- Does absolutely nothing
- Reads 0db at a rock concert
- Doesn't seem to work with iOS 9
- Reads about 40db at silence
- Inaccurate readings compared to professional meter
- Tries to force in-app upgrade
- Different readings on same device/room
- Half the time does not open
Requested features
7 requests- Update for newer iOS versions
- Improve accuracy
- Add calibration feature
- Explain settings/buttons
- Improve user interface
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Add max or average values
- Make pro version less expensive
In-app purchases
SPL
No in-app purchases
dB Volume
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SPL free?
Is dB Volume free?
Which has better reviews, SPL or dB Volume?
Do SPL or dB Volume have ads?
Which is updated more often, SPL or dB Volume?
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