Comparison

dB Calc vs Resistor Brain

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Resistor detection via camera
  • Color stripe decoding
  • Neural network processing
  • 3- and 4-stripe resistor recognition
  • "Inside Brain" visualization
Features
Read full description

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

dB Calc4 screens
Resistor Brain4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
dB Calc versus Resistor Brain: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterdB CalcResistor Brain
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (5 ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings5 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 20 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#200 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.611.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB27 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperBlack Cat SystemsTOYSPRING

Customer experience

dB Calc

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

Resistor Brain

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

dB Calc

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Resistor Brain

One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Generous Tip$2.99
  • Enormous Tip$6.99

Questions

Is dB Calc free?
dB Calc costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Resistor Brain free?
Resistor Brain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, dB Calc or Resistor Brain?
dB Calc is rated higher. dB Calc averages 5.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Resistor Brain averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do dB Calc or Resistor Brain have ads?
Neither dB Calc nor Resistor Brain shows ads.
Which is updated more often, dB Calc or Resistor Brain?
dB Calc ships an update every 20 months, and Resistor Brain daily. Most recently, dB Calc was updated on October 4, 2026 and Resistor Brain on October 8, 2026.

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