Comparison

RTA vs Spectrum Analyzer RTA

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

Spectrum Analyzer RTA

This real-time audio analysis app provides precision measurement and visualization for sound frequencies. It's designed for musicians and recording engineers, offering tools for room and speaker tuning, and can be used with built-in or external microphones.

Highlights
  • Octave Band Real Time Analyzer
  • FFT Plot
  • Spectrograph module
  • Test Tone Generator
  • White/Pink Noise Generator
Features
Read full description

***** "As a former IEEE Technical Committee Chair for Signal Processing, I find this app amazingly flexible and useful. Works very well with its proper designed-in control selections." - Roblake Spectrum Analyzer for iOS is a powerful real-time audio analysis app. Designed with musicians and recording engineers in mind, it can also be used by anyone interested in the world of sound. Ideal for room tuning or speaker tuning, the app enables portable, precision audio measurement and visualization. Feature Highlights: ● Octave Band Real Time Analyzer ● FFT Plot (Fast Fourier Transform) ● Spectrograph module ● Test Tone and White/Pink Noise Generator ● Native iPhone X graphics >>> Check out the demo videos at SpectrumAnalyzerApp.com Audio input may be acquired via the built-in microphone or an external measurement microphone. For best results we recommend using a calibrated measurement microphone connected via USB audio interface or iPhone dock connector. This allows for high precision and flat frequency response, as well as for stereo input. Audio credits: "Basement Floor" and "Enchanted Journey" by Kevin MacLeod "Evening Birdsong" and "Cuckoo" by Benboncan

Screenshots

RTA4 screens
Spectrum Analyzer RTA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: RTA at $4.99 against Spectrum Analyzer RTA's $19.99. RTA also leads on chart position (#99 vs unranked). Spectrum Analyzer RTA's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (74% vs 61%). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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 Spectrum Analyzer RTA $19.99 up front. RTA sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Spectrum Analyzer RTA asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Spectrum Analyzer RTA holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 26 and 67 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of RTA's written reviews are positive against 74% of Spectrum Analyzer RTA's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RTA ships an update every 3 months, Spectrum Analyzer RTA every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
RTA versus Spectrum Analyzer RTA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRTASpectrum Analyzer RTA
Price$4.99 — better$19.99
Rating4.0 (26 ratings)4.2 (67 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.0% of reviews73.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2667 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#99 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndrew SmithONYX Apps

Customer experience

RTA

All ratings26 ratings
Positive73.1%
Neutral11.5%
Negative15.4%
Written reviews118 reviews
Positive61.0%
Neutral11.0%
Negative28.0%

Spectrum Analyzer RTA

All ratings67 ratings
Positive77.6%
Neutral7.5%
Negative14.9%
Written reviews99 reviews
Positive73.7%
Neutral6.1%
Negative20.2%

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

Spectrum Analyzer RTA

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

Spectrum Analyzer RTA

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RTA free?
RTA costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Spectrum Analyzer RTA free?
Spectrum Analyzer RTA costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RTA or Spectrum Analyzer RTA?
Spectrum Analyzer RTA is rated higher. RTA averages 4.0 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while Spectrum Analyzer RTA averages 4.2 from 67 ratings.
Do RTA or Spectrum Analyzer RTA have ads?
Neither RTA nor Spectrum Analyzer RTA shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RTA or Spectrum Analyzer RTA?
RTA ships an update every 3 months, and Spectrum Analyzer RTA every 6 months. Most recently, RTA was updated on October 22, 2026 and Spectrum Analyzer RTA on October 20, 2026.

Other comparisons