# RTA vs EQ550

The clearest difference is price: EQ550 at Free against RTA's $4.99. EQ550 also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.0) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). RTA's advantage is review sentiment (61% vs 33%) and chart position (#72 vs unranked). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

EQ550 is free to download; RTA costs $4.99 up front. RTA sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and EQ550 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

EQ550 holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 27 and 11 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 61% of RTA's written reviews are positive against 33% of EQ550's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

RTA ships an update every 3 months, EQ550 monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | RTA | EQ550 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.0 (27 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rta/id298839433/reviews) | **[4.5 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/eq550/id1507132030/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **27** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | **61.0% of reviews** | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#72** | — |
| Size | 30 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **10.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Andrew Smith](https://appshunter.io/developer/291822462) | [RRS, OOO](https://appshunter.io/developer/1486125568) |

## What reviewers say

### RTA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rta/id298839433)

**Currently charting:** #72 Top Paid · Music (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| STC -- Transmission Loss | $9.99 | one-time |
| Reference Curve Files | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Good for quick analysis
- 👍 Accurate for price
- 👍 Useful for tuning
- 👍 Professional tool

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Freezes often
- 🐛 Incompatible with iOS updates
- 🐛 Screen display issues
- 🐛 Battery drain

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Add German language support
- Add NC and NR curves
- Make background mode optional
- Improve compatibility with newer iOS versions
- Add option to overlay readings


### EQ550

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/eq550/id1507132030)

This audio effect plugin emulates classic American EQs from the late 1960s, offering precise control over equalization with unique Proportional Q technology. It functions as a standalone app or an AUv3 plugin for compatible hosts, providing a flexible and characterful sound shaping experience.

**Highlights:** Standalone and AUv3 plugin, 3 bands of classic American equalization, Proportional Q filter bandwidth, Stereo, Mid, or Side EQ modes, Undo/Redo and A/B comparison, Scalable GUI

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| RRS EQ550 Unlimited | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is RTA free?

RTA costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is EQ550 free?

EQ550 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, RTA or EQ550?

EQ550 is rated higher. RTA averages 4.0 out of 5 from 27 ratings, while EQ550 averages 4.5 from 11 ratings.

### Do RTA or EQ550 have ads?

Neither RTA nor EQ550 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, RTA or EQ550?

RTA ships an update every 3 months, and EQ550 monthly. Most recently, RTA was updated on October 27, 2026 and EQ550 on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*