SPL Meter vs AudioTools, dB, Sound & Audio
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- A and C weighting filters
- ANSI Fast or Slow decay
- 40dB to 120dB ranges
- Adjustable calibration
- Internal/External mic support
- Universal app
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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.
AudioTools, dB, Sound & Audio
This professional audio analysis app offers a comprehensive suite of tools for acoustic measurements, including SPL, RTA, and FFT. It calibrates device microphones for accurate results and allows for the addition of powerful optional modules for advanced analysis.
- SPL Meter with A/C weighting
- Real Time Analyzer (RTA)
- Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis
- Speaker Polarity Test
- Audio Oscilloscope
- Signal Generator
- Audio Recorder
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AudioTools from Studio Six Digital is a suite of professional-grade audio and acoustic analysis apps. Included in the price of this app is a great collection of professional tools -- SPL, RTA, FFT, Speaker Polarity Test, Generator, Audio Scope, CLF Viewer, and Recorder, and the framework to add more powerful modules as you need them. Customize AudioTools for your needs by buying any of the additional optional modules, like Smaart Tools I, SPL Graph, or Impulse Response, at any time right from your iOS device. We test every iOS device and calibrate the microphone level and frequency response for the best results. We have the ability to turn off the Apple low frequency filters, and on many devices we can measure up to 120 dB SPL. Add iTestMic, iPrecisionMic, or iAudioInterface2 for a complete professional audio and acoustic test and measurement platform. Actual reviews: “...AudioTools is a “how did I ever live without it” app”. “I think this application is the best I EVER purchased.” “I have used many thousands of dollars of complicated test equipment that doesn’t measure up to this app suite.” ***** Included in the app price ***** * SPL Meter A faithful reproduction of a classic analog SPL meter. Includes A and C weighting, and Fast and Slow ANSI decay modes. All filters meet or exceed ANSI type 1. * RTA A 1/3 and octave band Real Time Analyzer. Includes touch-GUI range control, a cursor, max/min bars, and noise curve overlays. * FFT Detailed acoustic analysis, up to 32876 points. View full detail or smooth to 1/24, 1/6, 1/3 or octave. Includes cursor, scalable graphics, and peak tracking. * Polarity Speaker polarity checker. Route the test signal to a speaker, and read the polarity of the speaker on the screen. * CLF Viewer Show loudspeaker data, including plots for impedance, axial response, sensitivity, polar response, and 6dB coverage, and a 3D color balloon plot. * Delay Finder Measures the time it takes for a pulse to return from a speaker. * Generator Generates sine waves, square waves, white and pink noise. * Line Level Tests A line level measurement function and frequency counter. * Audio Scope A dual-channel audio oscilloscope that includes auto-triggering, variable gain and sweep rate, and storage of scope images. * Recorder A mono/stereo audio recorder with WAV and compressed formats and 8k-48k sample rate. Transfer files via WIFI. * File transfer of results via wifi to PC / Mac. * Audio Calculators ***** Optional modules available for purchase from within AudioTools ***** * SoundScope VR - FFT-based audio analyzer with VR. The powerful acoustical analysis module. Includes RTA graphs to 1/48th octave and Spectrograph, and can display VR. * Transfer Function -- Requires 2-channel interface. Two-channel FFT-based measurement. Allows you to analyze sound system performance with music or pink noise as the signal source. * ETC Energy Time Curve. Plot decay of an impulse over time, and compute RT60 time. Internal or External trigger. * Impulse Response Record and analyze an impulse or sine sweep, compute octave and 1/3 octave ETC, T30, C50, C80, CT, Definition. * LARSA Fast and accurate sine-sweep measurement of loudspeakers and rooms. * SPL Pro Digital SPL meter with ANSI Slow, Fast, Peak, and Impulse mode, along with LEQ. Includes A and C weighting, and all 10 octave band filters. * SPL Graph Plot second-by-second SPL level for up to 24 hours, and optionally record the audio. Also, add the optional Octave Band Logging upgrade to elevate this tool to rival any professional logging SPL Meter. * SPL Traffic Light Monitor live sound levels SPL and Leq and see status in a simple green-yellow-red display. * STIPA Speech Intelligibility Meets the current NFPA code standards for testing evac systems and schools. * Speaker Distortion Measure THD+n of any driver. * THD+n (requires iAudioInterface) * Impedance Meter and Plot (requires iAudioInterface) * Phase Meter * Amplitude Sweep
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: SPL Meter at $0.99 against AudioTools, dB, Sound & Audio's $19.99. AudioTools, dB, Sound & Audio's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.1) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months). On review sentiment, 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
SPL Meter costs $0.99 and AudioTools, dB, Sound & Audio $19.99 up front. SPL Meter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and AudioTools, dB, Sound & Audio sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
AudioTools, dB, Sound & Audio holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AudioTools, dB, Sound & Audio has 5.1K ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of SPL Meter's written reviews are positive against 75% of AudioTools, dB, Sound & Audio's.
SPL Meter ships an update every 4 months, AudioTools, dB, Sound & Audio fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SPL Meter | AudioTools, dB, Sound & Audio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 — better | $19.99 |
| Rating | 4.1 (28 ratings) | 4.8 (5.1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 72.9% of reviews | 74.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 28 | 5.1K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | — | #46 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 94 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Andrew Smith | Andrew Smith |
Customer experience
SPL Meter
AudioTools, dB, Sound & Audio
User reviews
SPL Meter
From 28 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✅ Accurate sound level measurements when calibrated
- 💰 Excellent value at $0.99 price point
- 📱 Works across multiple Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod)
- 🎯 Simple and intuitive user interface
- 🔧 Analog meter design looks professional and authentic
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inconsistent and unstable meter readings
- 💳 Pricing discrepancies (advertised as $0.99 but charged $6.99)
- 📐 UI scaling issues on various screen sizes and orientations
- 🔍 Text and meter display too small to read easily
- 🖼️ Outdated retro interface design
AudioTools, dB, Sound & Audio
From 5.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Useful audio tools
- 🚀 Regularly updated
- 💡 Industry-standard features
- 👍 Accurate measurements
- 👍 Great support
Room to improve
- 🔒 Many features locked behind paywall
- 🐛 Buggy iOS port
- 🔒 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🐛 Inconsistent functionality
- 🐛 Microphone issues
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
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- 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
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- 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)
AudioTools, dB, Sound & Audio
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes on launch
- Inaccurate SPL and frequency measurements
- Compatibility issues with iOS updates
Requested features
4 requests- Add manual
- Improve file export and sharing
- Improve user interface
- Add support for external microphones
In-app purchases
SPL Meter
- Controls & Ad-Free$0.99
AudioTools, dB, Sound & Audio
- All-In Module Access7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- VU Meter$2.99
- Polarity Test Module$3.99
- ETC Module$5.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Speaker Distortion$5.99
- SPL Pro Module$7.99
- SPL Graph Module$9.99
- SPL Traffic Light$9.99
- SoundScope VR$24.99
- LARSA$29.99
- IR Module$49.99
Questions
Is SPL Meter free?
Is AudioTools, dB, Sound & Audio free?
Which has better reviews, SPL Meter or AudioTools, dB, Sound & Audio?
Do SPL Meter or AudioTools, dB, Sound & Audio have ads?
Which is updated more often, SPL Meter or AudioTools, dB, Sound & Audio?
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