Comparison

SPL vs moForte Guitar

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

moForte Guitar

This virtual guitar app uses physical modeling to replicate the expressive sound and performance techniques of a real electric guitar. It offers a vast chord library, customizable effects, and recording capabilities for musicians.

Highlights
  • Physical modeling sound engine
  • Strumming and PowerChord modes
  • Modeled feedback and distortion
  • 9,500+ chords
  • Customizable effects chain
  • Recording and sharing performances
  • Chart creation tool
Features
Read full description

The Classic moForte Guitar, introduced in 2012, is the first virtual guitar based on modeling the physics and performance techniques of the guitar. Because the moForte Guitar is modeled rather than based on playing back samples, the performance experience is uniquely expressive and interactive. Based on based on the Physical Modeling research of Dr. Julius O. Smith III of Stanford/CCRMA. Features include: - Strumming and PowerChord modes. - Modeled feedback and distortion like a real metal guitar. - A selection of models for popular types of electric guitars. - Recording and sharing of performances. - 9,500+ chords. - Powerful authoring tool for chart creation - supports custom chords and effect presets. - Modeled guitar articulations including: harmonics, pinch harmonics, slides, palm muting, string scraping, damping and auto-strum. - Fully programmable effects chain including: distortion, compression, wah, auto wah, 4-band parametric EQ, phaser, flanger, reverb and amplifier. iOS/iPadOS 13.7 or better

Screenshots

SPL1 screens
moForte Guitar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: moForte Guitar at 5.0 against SPL's 3.0. moForte Guitar also leads on price ($3.99 vs $8.99) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). SPL's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On ads, monetization model 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

SPL costs $8.99 and moForte Guitar $3.99 up front. moForte Guitar sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. SPL asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

moForte Guitar holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of SPL's written reviews are positive against 76% of moForte Guitar's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SPL ships an update every 6 months, moForte Guitar every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
SPL versus moForte Guitar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSPLmoForte Guitar
Price$8.99$3.99 — better
Rating3.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.6% of reviews76.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.7 — better
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB57 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndrew SmithmoForte.com

Customer experience

SPL

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews34 reviews
Positive67.6%
Neutral8.8%
Negative23.5%

moForte Guitar

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive76.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative20.0%

In-app purchases

None

SPL

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

moForte Guitar

One-time7
  • Rising Sun Blues2 variantsFree
  • Mountain Aire2 variantsFree
  • Thor's Hammer2 variantsFree
Show 4 more
  • Loki's LamentFree
  • Odious OdinFree
  • Star Spangled Banner Pack$1.99
  • Bourrée in E minor$1.99

Questions

Is SPL free?
SPL costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is moForte Guitar free?
moForte Guitar costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SPL or moForte Guitar?
moForte Guitar is rated higher. SPL averages 3.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while moForte Guitar averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do SPL or moForte Guitar have ads?
Neither SPL nor moForte Guitar shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SPL or moForte Guitar?
SPL ships an update every 6 months, and moForte Guitar every 2 months. Most recently, SPL was updated on October 19, 2026 and moForte Guitar on October 11, 2026.

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