dB Calc vs Resistor Brain
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
dB Calc
This app simplifies RF signal measurement conversions. It handles decibel, neper, power, and voltage ratios, along with RMS waveform calculations for sine, square, and triangle waves. Easily convert between various units like dBmW, dBuV, and watts.
- Decibel/Neper/Ratio Conversions
- Decibel/Power/Voltage Calculations
- Multiple Unit Support (dBmW, dBuV, Watts, Volts)
- RMS Waveform Conversions
- Sine, Square, Triangle Waveform Support
- Resistance Input for Calculations
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Need to quickly convert between various RF signal measurement units? dB Calc performs lots of decibel related conversions: Decibel / Neper / Ratio Conversions: Enter in either the dB, Np (nepers), power or voltage ratio, and the other values will be calculated. Decibel / Power / Voltage Calculations: Enter in the one known value, and the others will be calculated. Select the correct units before entering in the value. You can change the units of the displayed (calculated values) by selecting the new units. Enter in the resistance before entering in the known value. The following units are available: dBmW - dB ref to 1 mW power dBuV - dB ref to 1 uV dBu - dB ref to 0.7746 V (audio) dBV - dB ref to 1 V uW - microwatts mW - milliwatts W - watts uV - microvolts mV - millivolts V - volts RMS Waveforms Conversions: Conversion between rms, peak, peak-peak voltage and current values for a user entered resistance. Sine, square, and triangle waveforms are supported. Get your copy of dB Calc today, and take the hassle out of dB related conversions.
Resistor Brain
This app uses your device's camera and a neural network to identify resistors and decode their resistance values from color bands. It offers a unique perspective on electronic components and includes an "Inside Brain" feature to visualize the neural network's processing.
- Resistor detection via camera
- Color stripe decoding
- Neural network processing
- 3- and 4-stripe resistor recognition
- "Inside Brain" visualization
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Join the Resistance - "Resistor Brain" changes the way you look at resistors! #1 Lifestyle app in the alternate universe ruled by electrical engineers! But seriously, the application just detects resistors and decodes their resistance from color stripes using camera and a specially trained neural network. In case the detection is not always accurate you also get some special effects to convince you it is a cool app after all. Have fun :-) Detection accuracy depends on the lighting conditions and the background environment. Flashlight is better than low light but diffused light is usually better than flashlight. Currently the application is trained to recognize 3- and 4-stripe resistors. "Inside Brain" does not do anything productive but is included as a curiosity. Here you can see how the input information changes while traveling through various processing stages in the neural network.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Resistor Brain at Free against dB Calc's $0.99. Resistor Brain also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 20 months) and iOS requirement (11.2 vs 15.6). dB Calc's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). On ratings volume, ads 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
Resistor Brain is free to download; dB Calc costs $0.99 up front. Resistor Brain sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. dB Calc asks for nothing beyond the download.
dB Calc holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of dB Calc's written reviews are positive against 67% of Resistor Brain's.
dB Calc ships an update every 20 months, Resistor Brain daily. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | dB Calc | Resistor Brain |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better | 3.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 20 months | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #200 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 11.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Black Cat Systems | TOYSPRING |
Customer experience
dB Calc
Resistor Brain
In-app purchases
dB Calc
No in-app purchases
Resistor Brain
- Small Tip$0.99
- Generous Tip$2.99
- Enormous Tip$6.99





