Comparison

DTMF Decoder vs Blue Box

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

Head to head
About

DTMF Decoder

This utility transforms your iPhone into a DTMF tone decoder. It listens to DTMF tones through the microphone and displays the dialed numbers. Decoded digits can be easily copied to the clipboard for further use.

Highlights
  • DTMF tone decoding
  • Microphone input
  • Displays dialed numbers
  • Copy to clipboard
  • Source code available
Features
Read full description

Turns your iPhone into a simple DTMF decoder. Simply hold the iPhone's microphone near to a clear source of DTMF tones (telephone "Touch Tones") and it will display the numbers being dialed. The decoded digits are also placed into a text area from which you can copy them to the clipboard. See it in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_QD8KFCJPw Source code freely available: https://github.com/veghead/ios-dtmf-decoder

About

Blue Box

Encode and decode DTMF signals using your device's microphone or keypad. Play back tone sequences with adjustable settings, and save them for easy recall. Explore various tone systems, including trunk control and coin signals, for educational and utility purposes.

Highlights
  • Encode/decode DTMF signals
  • Adjustable tone, delay, and volume
  • US, UK, and European tone systems
  • Multi-frequency and trunk control tones
  • Coin tone sequences (Red Box mode)
  • Custom tone creation
  • Save and organize sequences
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Blue Box is utility for encoding and decoding DTMF (Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency) or Touch Tone signals. Generate tones by using the phone style keypad or decipher tones using the device’s microphone. Tone combinations can be played back with adjustable tone, delay and pause lengths and volume. Choose from US, UK and Europe based systems. Enable Multi-frequency tones, which were a precursor to DTMF. Additional trunk control signals will be available including KP, ST1, ST2, ST3, KP/ST2. Additional tones include the Dial Tone, Ring Back Tone, Busy Signal and 2600Hz. A comma can be used as a pause character to provide extra time between tones during playback. Save and organize any number of sequences for easy recall using the Favorites feature. Choose numbers from your contacts to display and play back tones. Share an encoded or decoded number with the Phone, FaceTime or Messages app. Use Red Box mode to play coin tone sequences, including 5¢, 10¢ and 25¢ for the US system and 10p and 50p for European systems. Create a custom tone with control over individual frequencies and volumes. The custom tone can consist of any number of on and off pulses and can optionally be continuous. Record interactions with the encoder and play them back with the same timing. The recording feature works with all tones, including the dial tone, busy signal, ring back tone, 2600Hz and coins and trunk control tones. A help manual is including, with step-by-step instructions for all features. When the app is first run, pop-ups will be displayed indicating what the controls are used for. Warning: Blue Box is designed as an educational tool and utility. Do not attempt to use Blue for any illegal or malicious purposes. Blue Box can be used to assist in dialing numbers, but can not be used to manipulate digital telephone utility services. Limitations: Blue Box is software based decoding and is processor intensive. Performance may vary between devices. Tones that are less than 100 ms with pauses that are less than 100 ms are difficult to process in software. Future versions and processors may increase the reliability of faster tone sequences. If you need touch tone decoding for higher speeds, a hardware solution is recommended. Blue Box can not play tones into the iPhone phone feature while in a call. Blue Box is useful for entering numbers into touch tone operated systems such as an answering machine passcode or a dial-up service that requires the entering of several touch tones to navigate a menu system. Simply enter the numbers once and then play back the numbers into the phone's microphone with a touch.

Screenshots

DTMF Decoder3 screens
Blue Box4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Blue Box at 5.0 against DTMF Decoder's 2.5. Blue Box also leads on review sentiment (56% vs 40%) and update cadence (every 7 months vs every 19 months). DTMF Decoder's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $4.99) and ratings volume (17 vs 3). On ads, in-app purchases 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

DTMF Decoder costs $0.99 and Blue Box $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Blue Box holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DTMF Decoder has 17 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of DTMF Decoder's written reviews are positive against 56% of Blue Box's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DTMF Decoder ships an update every 19 months, Blue Box every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
DTMF Decoder versus Blue Box: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDTMF DecoderBlue Box
Price$0.99 — better$4.99
Rating2.5 (17 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.4% of reviews55.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings17 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 19 monthsEvery 7 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#192 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerdreadtech.comSunshine Valley Systems

Customer experience

DTMF Decoder

All ratings17 ratings
Positive29.4%
Neutral11.8%
Negative58.8%
Written reviews57 reviews
Positive40.4%
Neutral5.3%
Negative54.4%

Blue Box

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive55.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative44.4%

In-app purchases

None

DTMF Decoder

No in-app purchases

None

Blue Box

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DTMF Decoder free?
DTMF Decoder costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Blue Box free?
Blue Box costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, DTMF Decoder or Blue Box?
Blue Box is rated higher. DTMF Decoder averages 2.5 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while Blue Box averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do DTMF Decoder or Blue Box have ads?
Neither DTMF Decoder nor Blue Box shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DTMF Decoder or Blue Box?
DTMF Decoder ships an update every 19 months, and Blue Box every 7 months. Most recently, DTMF Decoder was updated on September 23, 2026 and Blue Box on September 11, 2026.

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