Comparison

RTA vs SW array

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

Head to head
About

RTA

Analyze audio frequencies, test speakers, and tune rooms with this professional-grade acoustical analysis tool. It offers octave and 1/3 octave modes, peak hold, and averaging, with automatic microphone compensation for accurate results.

Highlights
  • Real-time acoustical analysis
  • Octave and 1/3 Octave modes
  • Peak Hold and Average modes
  • Automatic microphone compensation
  • Save, recall, and export graphs
  • Interactive touch GUI
  • Noise curve overlays
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

A Real Time Analyzer for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Test your speakers, tune your room, do acoustical analysis work or just have a better understanding of audio frequencies. RTA is a professional-grade acoustical analysis tool. All filters meet or exceed ANSI and IEC Class 1 specifications. Includes Octave and 1/3 Octave modes, with selectable decay times, as well as Peak Hold and true linear Average mode. *** iOS Microphones We have analyzied every iOS device, including all of the iPads, all iPhones, and iPod touches, and have created microphone compensation files that are applied automatically. You can trust the results you are getting, often within just a few dB of a far more expensive analyzer. Calibration is updated regularly, automatically, from our cloud-based calibration database. Upgrade to our iTestMic or iAudioInterface2 to bring your system up to full professional specs. *** Save and Recall Graphs You can save and recall graphs, marked with the GPS location, date & time, and your comment, as well as store the image to your photo roll. Export the data as an XLS formatted file to your computer for inclusion in reports or further analysis. *** Max and Min Bars You can also turn on resettable Max/Min bars (see image #4) to capture peaks. Double-tap to reset the bars. *** Specifications and Devices The internal iPhone mic has a noise floor near 30 dB, and if your are running iOS 6, clips around 120 dB. *** Touch GUI Fully interactive touch GUI features includes scroll up/down, pinch to zoom or compress the vertical dB scale, or swipe horizontally to get a cursor that reads out the exact dB level and frequency across the screen. To make the cursor disappear, swipe it off the graph to the left. The landscape-mode display flips 180 degrees so that you can face the internal mic in either direction. *** Overlay Curves Also included are optional noise curve overlays, in NCB, RC, PNC, NC, X-Curve and NR mode. See picture #2 for an example. Use this feature to get a quick reading on the noise levels in a room. Also includes the cinema large-room X-curve overlay. *** Calibration RTA can be fully calibrated, whether you are using it with the internal iOS microphone, or one of our professional test & measurement mic solutions. And, if you are using iTestMic, the mic calibration is transmitted directly to the app, so you are always calibrated. *** RTA or FFT? If you are wondering if you should download this app or our FFT app, check out our website, we have a page devoted to this topic. See our other acoustics and audio apps, including AudioTools.

About

SW array

This tool simplifies calculations for speaker arrangements, offering guidance for various configurations like Cardioide, End Fire, and Arc Delay. It processes data internally without exporting user information, ensuring privacy.

Highlights
  • Cardioide arrangement calculations
  • End Fire array configurations
  • Straigth array setups
  • Arc Delay with coverage angles
  • Internal data processing
  • No user data export
Features
Read full description

O Subwofer Array (SW array) é uma ferramenta para facilitar os cálculos dos arranjos. Usa como referência caixas “omnidirecionais” e indica os dados para auxiliar montagens dos arranjos: -Cardioide (com caixas opostas e caixas em mesma direção) -End Fire (1/4 λ até 4 caixas) -Straigth (2/3 λ 4,6,8,12 caixas) -Arc Delay (Delay/Físico com cobertura aproximada: 15o, 30o, 45o, 60o, 90o, 120o Aviso “O SW array é uma ferramenta para facilitar os cálculos, portanto, não tem o objetivo de ensinar as técnicas e não se responsabiliza por danos aos equipamentos. ” Os dados inseridos no aplicativo são processados internamente. Não há qualquer exportação de informações do usuário ou mesmo dos dados inseridos. Não há acesso externo.

Screenshots

RTA4 screens
SW array4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: SW array at 5.0 against RTA's 3.9. SW array also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 61%) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). RTA's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 88 months) and price ($4.99 vs $8.99). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

RTA costs $4.99 and SW array $8.99 up front. RTA sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. SW array asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SW array holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RTA has 26 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of RTA's written reviews are positive against 100% of SW array's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RTA ships an update every 3 months, SW array every 88 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
RTA versus SW array: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRTASW array
Price$4.99 — better$8.99
Rating3.9 (26 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings26 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 88 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#82 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndrew SmithEbert Marques

Customer experience

RTA

All ratings26 ratings
Positive69.2%
Neutral11.5%
Negative19.2%
Written reviews117 reviews
Positive60.7%
Neutral11.1%
Negative28.2%

SW array

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

RTA

Reported bugs

18 issues
  • App crashes after iOS updates (iOS 13, 15, 16, 17, 18)
  • App freezes or crashes on startup
  • App only displays half the screen
  • App does not save analysis readings to photo roll
  • App stops working on older iPads after updates
Show 13 more
  • Accessory found/removed loop with iTestMic 2
  • App continues to run in background, draining battery
  • Calibration not supported for specific iPad models
  • App not installing after purchase/update
  • App not opening on iPhone 4 after update
  • dB/input level is useless after update
  • Screen not expanding after updates
  • App not compatible with iOS 7
  • App crashes when saving screen
  • App not working with iMM-6 microphone
  • App overcompensates for low frequencies
  • App crashes on 3G S after update
  • Low frequency response cut due to voice recognition

Requested features

8 requests
  • Add German language support
  • Add NC and NR curves
  • Make background mode optional
  • Improve compatibility with newer iOS versions
  • Add option to overlay readings
Show 3 more
  • Add zoom functionality for frequencies
  • Improve calibration for external mics
  • Add pink noise output

SW array

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

RTA

One-time2
  • STC -- Transmission Loss$9.99
  • Reference Curve Files$9.99
None

SW array

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RTA free?
RTA costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is SW array free?
SW array costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RTA or SW array?
SW array is rated higher. RTA averages 3.9 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while SW array averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do RTA or SW array have ads?
Neither RTA nor SW array shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RTA or SW array?
RTA ships an update every 3 months, and SW array every 88 months. Most recently, RTA was updated on September 24, 2026 and SW array on September 19, 2026.

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