Comparison

SPL Meter vs Decibel meter for personal use

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
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

Decibel meter for personal use

This app measures ambient noise levels and offers features to suppress unwanted sounds like traffic and conversations. It provides real-time analysis, background operation, and historical data for a comprehensive understanding of your sound environment.

Highlights
  • Noise level measurement
  • Background noise suppression
  • Background measurement operation
  • Peak and average noise level calculation
  • Spectral noise analysis
  • Measurement history access
  • UI design for beginners and pros
Features
Read full description

Hello! Have you ever wondered what a noisy place this world is? Even at night, in a quiet room, it can actually be quite noisy. By the way, regular exposure to sound above 100 decibels lead to hear damage and even permanent hearing loss. This is not a list of facts for a horror movie, but reasons why you, like us, might once need a sound level meter. Our application is one of the very few on the market that can not only measure the level of noise around, but also help to suppress unwanted sounds: traffic, conversations, the general environment. We wanted to make an application that would determine the level of noise around. Minimalistic, not overloaded with extra features, but with everything you need: - Not only measuring the noise level, but also hints when to protect yourself from it 
- Work in the background, which allows you to take measurements without even taking out your phone - Determination of peak values ​​of the sound level and calculation of the average noise level - Simple and clear spectral noise analysis - Access to the history of your measurements for further analysis - Carefully crafted UI design that will be clear to both beginners and pros We like the result and regularly use the application for our purposes. But if you have any comments, ideas and suggestions, we will be very happy to receive your feedback. ************************************************************* • Subscription Decibel Meter Plus get access to all functions of the application. • You can turn off the auto-renewal at any time: you'll find the option to do this change to a different payment plan in the settings of your iTunes and App Store account. • The first time you can try the free trial for 3 days. After that, your account will be automatically charged for the subscription if you will not stop it before the end of the free trial. • The length of the subscription is 1 month, this subscription is auto-renewing. You can stop the subscription at any moment; • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and is identical to the cost of the renewal. • Removing the app doesn’t automatically cancel the subscription. ATTENTION: before you subscribe please read: Privacy Policy(https://rabosh.kz/privacy) Terms Of Use(https://rabosh.kz/tos/noize)

Screenshots

SPL Meter3 screens
Decibel meter for personal use4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Decibel meter for personal use at Free against SPL Meter's $0.99. Decibel meter for personal use also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.1) and review sentiment (100% vs 73%). 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

Decibel meter for personal use is free to download; SPL Meter costs $0.99 up front. SPL Meter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Decibel meter for personal use sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Decibel meter for personal use holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 28 and 28 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of SPL Meter's written reviews are positive against 100% of Decibel meter for personal use's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SPL Meter ships an update every 4 months, Decibel meter for personal use every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
SPL Meter versus Decibel meter for personal use: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSPL MeterDecibel meter for personal use
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (28 ratings)4.5 (28 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2828
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndrew SmithSvetlana Rabosh

Customer experience

SPL Meter

All ratings28 ratings
Positive78.6%
Neutral3.6%
Negative17.9%
Written reviews170 reviews
Positive72.9%
Neutral10.6%
Negative16.5%

Decibel meter for personal use

All ratings28 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral7.1%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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)

Decibel meter for personal use

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SPL Meter

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

Decibel meter for personal use

Subscriptions1
  • Decibel Meter+3 Days trial$9.991 Month

Questions

Is SPL Meter free?
SPL Meter costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Decibel meter for personal use free?
Decibel meter for personal use is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SPL Meter or Decibel meter for personal use?
Decibel meter for personal use is rated higher. SPL Meter averages 4.1 out of 5 from 28 ratings, while Decibel meter for personal use averages 4.5 from 28 ratings.
Do SPL Meter or Decibel meter for personal use have ads?
Neither SPL Meter nor Decibel meter for personal use shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SPL Meter or Decibel meter for personal use?
SPL Meter ships an update every 4 months, and Decibel meter for personal use every 5 weeks. Most recently, SPL Meter was updated on September 22, 2026 and Decibel meter for personal use on September 16, 2026.

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