Comparison

SPL Meter vs Youlean Loudness Meter Lite

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

Head to head
About

SPL Meter

This application functions as a professional-grade sound level meter, measuring decibels (dB) with advanced DSP algorithms. It offers adjustable filters, decay rates, and ranges, and can be calibrated for accuracy. It supports both internal and external microphones for versatile sound measurement.

Highlights
  • A and C weighting filters
  • ANSI Fast or Slow decay
  • 40dB to 120dB ranges
  • Adjustable calibration
  • Internal/External mic support
  • Universal app
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

SPL Meter is a professional-grade sound level meter, also known as a decibel or dB meter, for your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Modeled after a traditional analog SPL meter, we have faithfully reproduced all the characteristics and qualities found in those meters, including the ballistics, ranges, filters, and decay rates. Under the hood we have advanced DSP-based algorithms that meet or exceed ANSI / IEC Type 1 standards. And starting with iOS 6, we can disable the mic filters and limiters, to get the real world performance of a hand-held SPL meter. And now, upgrade SPL Meter with iTestMic, our pro-grade test & measurement mic, made specifically for iOS devices. Using iTestMic with SPL Meter, you get a calibrated, accurate SPL Meter, that meets industry standards for Type 2 performance. See our website for more information. But don't compare us to a Radio Shack meter, ours is much more accurate! We have also included a digital LCD display, as shown in the image, to make this the best SPL meter available for iPhone or iPad. And this is something that the old analog meters never had! The screen will flip when you flip the phone over, so that you can point the iPhone mic directly at the sound source. (iPhone X does not support upside down mode) SPL Meter is a universal app -- buy once, and use on all of your iOS devices. SPL Meter is built by the same team that created the other great professional audio and acoustics apps on the store, Studio Six Digital. Built on the engine of our more expensive "SPL" app, SPL Meter's filters and decay rates meet or exceed ANSI type 1. This app is not a toy or a game. SPL Meter is the one audio app that everyone who works in audio must have on their phone! Not only have we made the best one, but we've priced it so you can't afford not to get it. *** FEATURES: FILTERS -- A and C weighting filters are provided. DECAY -- Choose ANSI Fast or Slow. RANGES -- 40dB to 120dB in 9 ranges. CALIBRATION -- Comes pre-calibrated for the typical iPhone or iPad built-in and headset mic, but you can adjust the calibration if you have a professional, calibrated meter to compare it to. Accesses our cloud-based iOS device calibration database, which we updates as new devices are released. INTERNAL / EXTERNAL MIC -- Select Internal to activate the included compensation filter, which is designed to flatten the frequency response of the built-in or headset mic. External will work with our iPhone Measurement Mic, to be released later this summer. See our website for more details. SPL Meter is bargain-priced to make it easy for anyone to check out one of our professional, accurate apps. Studio Six Digital is dedicated to making the iPhone and Touch a professional audio and acoustics test device. Check out our full line of professional-grade audio and acoustics apps: SPL, the professional digital iPhone sound level meter, SPL Graph, for recording SPL over time, RTA, a 1/3 octave real-time analyzer, FFT, for detailed acoustic analysis, ETC, the energy-time curve function, RT60, for automated octave-band decay time measurement, Speaker Pop, to test speaker polarity, and Generator, the iPhone signal generator. Also, if you are looking for more great acoustical and audio test apps, have a look at AudioTools, our premier app for audio professionals.

About

Youlean Loudness Meter Lite

This app provides professional audio analysis tools, including LUFS, True Peak, Spectrum, and Vectorscope. It can be used as a standalone application or as an AUv3 plugin within other music production apps. Analyze audio from your device or stream it wirelessly from a desktop DAW.

Highlights
  • LUFS and True Peak analysis
  • Spectrum and Vectorscope graphs
  • Standalone app and AUv3 plugin
  • Wi-Fi audio streaming from desktop DAW
  • Record and export audio
  • Online streaming presets
Features
Read full description

Use it as a standalone APP or as an AUv3 plugin inside your favorite hosts like GarageBand, LumaFusion, or Cubasis. Youlean Loudness Meter Lite is a professional meter that will help you analyze LUFS and True Peak units, Spectrum, and Vectorscope. You can also analyze audio via a local Wi-Fi network coming from a desktop DAW like a Logic Pro. The app can record audio from the internal microphone or connected audio interface. Recorded audio can be exported as a WAV 32-bit float audio file. The FREE version will have everything you need to get the job done. You can also upgrade to the PRO version to get some extra features. PRO features: - LUFS, true-peak, spectrum, and vectorscope graphs. - Online streaming presets, and custom presets. - Custom settings Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

SPL Meter3 screens
Youlean Loudness Meter Lite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Youlean Loudness Meter Lite at Free against SPL Meter's $0.99. Youlean Loudness Meter Lite also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months). SPL Meter's advantage is review sentiment (73% vs 47%) and rating (4.0 vs 3.8). On ratings volume, 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

Youlean Loudness Meter Lite is free to download; SPL Meter costs $0.99 up front. SPL Meter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Youlean Loudness Meter Lite sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SPL Meter holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 29 and 20 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of SPL Meter's written reviews are positive against 47% of Youlean Loudness Meter Lite's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SPL Meter ships an update every 3 months, Youlean Loudness Meter Lite every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
SPL Meter versus Youlean Loudness Meter Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSPL MeterYoulean Loudness Meter Lite
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (29 ratings) — better3.8 (20 ratings)
Positive reviews72.9% of reviews — better47.4% of reviews
Number of ratings29 — better20
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
Best chart rank#57 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better16
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndrew SmithJulijan Nikolic

Customer experience

SPL Meter

All ratings29 ratings
Positive75.9%
Neutral3.4%
Negative20.7%
Written reviews170 reviews
Positive72.9%
Neutral10.6%
Negative16.5%

Youlean Loudness Meter Lite

All ratings20 ratings
Positive70.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive47.4%
Neutral10.5%
Negative42.1%

Bugs and requests

SPL Meter

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • Meter readings change completely and are not stable
  • App crashes on iPhone 6s Plus with jumbled screen display
  • Screen scaling issues on iPad models
  • Display glitches when rotating device between portrait and landscape
  • Greyed out settings after installation
Show 6 more
  • Blurry UI and low resolution after updates
  • App fails to respond or shows 999dB reading
  • Incompatibility with iOS 8 and iOS 10.3.2
  • Screen only fills bottom-left corner of display
  • Microphone not responding with external mics
  • Feedback/screeching with certain external microphones

Requested features

12 requests
  • Larger meter display in landscape mode
  • Digital-only display option without analog meter face
  • Peak hold and min/max reading indicators
  • Time-based decibel graph visualization
  • Linear response visual option in addition to logarithmic
Show 7 more
  • Lighter display theme for outdoor readability
  • Larger digital numbers for better visibility
  • Data capture and note-tagging functionality
  • Three-point calibration system
  • Octave band analysis
  • Automatic range selection
  • Improved knob/dial controls (less touchy)

Youlean Loudness Meter Lite

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SPL Meter

One-time1
  • Controls & Ad-Free$0.99
3 purchases

Youlean Loudness Meter Lite

Subscriptions1
  • Yearly Subscription3 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime Access$17.99
  • Lifetime Access Original$29.99

Questions

Is SPL Meter free?
SPL Meter costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Youlean Loudness Meter Lite free?
Youlean Loudness Meter Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SPL Meter or Youlean Loudness Meter Lite?
SPL Meter is rated higher. SPL Meter averages 4.0 out of 5 from 29 ratings, while Youlean Loudness Meter Lite averages 3.8 from 20 ratings.
Do SPL Meter or Youlean Loudness Meter Lite have ads?
Neither SPL Meter nor Youlean Loudness Meter Lite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SPL Meter or Youlean Loudness Meter Lite?
SPL Meter ships an update every 3 months, and Youlean Loudness Meter Lite every 6 weeks. Most recently, SPL Meter was updated on October 24, 2026 and Youlean Loudness Meter Lite on October 24, 2026.

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