Comparison

Generator vs Spectre

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

Head to head
About

Generator

Generate professional-grade audio signals like sine waves, square waves, and various noise types. Offers precise frequency control and remote operation via WiFi. Ideal for audio testing and production.

Highlights
  • Sine, square, white noise, and pink noise generation
  • Precise frequency control (20Hz-20kHz)
  • Octave, 1/3 octave, and fine frequency resolution
  • Remote control over WiFi via AudioTools app
  • Warble-tone signal generation
  • Stereo or mono output options
Features
Read full description

A high-quality audio Signal Generator for the iPhone. Now you can have a professional grade signal generator for your iPhone. Create sine waves, square waves, white noise, and pink noise. Don't let the well-worn look of this classic audio must-have fool you, Generator is accurate, reliable, precise, and clean. ** NEW! Now supports remote control over WiFi from our AudioTools app. Connect an iOS device running Generator to your audio system, link to AudioTools on another device, and control Generator from AudioTools as you are free to move around. Requires that both devices be on the same LAN. In sine and square wave mode, you can select between 20Hz and 20kHz using a controller that has three resolutions: octave, 1/3 octave, and fine. Frequency selection is controlled by smooth-gliding interlocking control wheels. Just spin to change frequency, by octaves, 1/3 octaves, or select fine mode to sweep through any value. *** NEW: Tap the frequency screen to pop up a keyboard so that you can enter any exact frequency. *** NEW: Tap the Wobble button to create a warble-tone signal for acoustics work. Doubles as an emergency siren! When you are generating pink noise and white noise, you can select full band (20Hz-20kHz), or octave band limited noise for acoustical testing. All waveforms are laboratory accurate, and use ANSI / IEC spec filters where appropriate. The frequency sweeps smoothly, with no glitches. The mute is soft, to prevent loud impulses when mute or turning on a lower-frequency signal. This signal can be sent to both channels (stereo), just the right or left channel, or the right channel output phase can be inverted for pseudo-balanced mode. This mode can be used with our iPhone Balanced Cable Adapter to get a balanced signal from your iPhone. See our web site for more information. On an iPhone 3G, we have measured distortion at .006% THD at 1000Hz at full volume (+6.5dBu balanced). See our web site for more level details. Note that digital square waves suffer from aliasing problems, and sound very strange above about 1500Hz. Future versions will have options to select different skins. Check out out other great professional-grade audio and acoustics apps: SPL, the iPhone professional-grade sound level meter, SPL Graph, for recording SPL over time, RTA, a 1/3 octave real time analyzer, FFT, for detailed audio analysis, ETC, the iPhone energy-time curve and decay app, RT60, for automated octave-band decay measurement, and Speaker Pop, the speaker polarity tester. Email us within any questions, problems, or suggestions, we answer all emails promptly.

About

Spectre

This audio analysis utility provides real-time FFT and oscilloscope views for sound input. Customize waveform display, control sample rates, and zoom in for detailed analysis on iOS devices.

Highlights
  • FFT Analysis
  • Oscilloscope
  • Customizable Waveform
  • Linear & Logarithmic Forms
  • Pause/Play Controls
  • Zoom Functionality
Features
Read full description

Spectre is an iOS audio analysis utility designed to be useful and visually appealing, making use of retina displays. Feature Highlights: • FFT(Fast Fourier Transform) Analysis • Oscilloscope • Customizable Features: Wave Amplitude, Sample/Time Control, Line Width • Linear & Logarithmic Wave Forms • Pause/Play Controls • Zoom in/out on the Waveform! • Optimized for iPhone 3,4,5 and iOS 7 Currently this app takes input from standard input, and external mics. Cross-app sound analysis coming soon! Waveform recording also coming soon!

Screenshots

Generator2 screens
Spectre4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Spectre at $0.99 against Generator's $8.99. Spectre also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Generator's advantage is update cadence (every 5 months vs every 96 months) and rating (3.3 vs 3.0). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Generator costs $8.99 and Spectre $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Generator holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Generator's written reviews are positive against 40% of Spectre's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Generator ships an update every 5 months, Spectre every 96 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Generator versus Spectre: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGeneratorSpectre
Price$8.99$0.99 — better
Rating3.3 (3 ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews55.6% of reviews — better40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings3 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 months — betterEvery 96 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndrew SmithMichael Hand

Customer experience

Generator

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive55.6%
Neutral22.2%
Negative22.2%

Spectre

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

In-app purchases

None

Generator

No in-app purchases

None

Spectre

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Generator free?
Generator costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Spectre free?
Spectre costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Generator or Spectre?
Generator is rated higher. Generator averages 3.3 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Spectre averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Generator or Spectre have ads?
Neither Generator nor Spectre shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Generator or Spectre?
Generator ships an update every 5 months, and Spectre every 96 months. Most recently, Generator was updated on October 7, 2026 and Spectre on October 13, 2026.

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