SoundLevel vs SmarterNoise Pro
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SoundLevel
Measure ambient noise levels with calibrated dBA readings that mimic human hearing. Compare current sound levels to familiar benchmarks and review historical data with intuitive graphs. Export your findings for further analysis with optional pro features.
- Quick sound level measurements
- Calibrated dBA readings
- Comparison values
- Historical graphing
- Peak and max volume count
- CSV export (Pro)
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Sound Level is a simple but powerful tool for getting a quick sound reading of the current environment. The readings have been calibrated to dBA, which is a weighting that matches the human ear, and Sound Level provides comparison values so you know what the sound is equal to. All results are graphed so you can go back in time and take a look. If you have the pro features (a one time in-app purchase), you even have the ability to export your results as a CSV file! Key features: * Quick sound level measurements * Beautiful, intuitive UI * Peak and max volume count * Baseline sound comparisons Sound Level is that must have app for quick and painless sound measurements.
SmarterNoise Pro
This advanced sound level meter app offers detailed audio analysis with features like frequency spectrum display and data export. It allows for precise sound measurements in both video and audio recording modes, with options for A-, C-, or no weighting.
- Sound level measurement in video/audio modes
- Frequency spectrum display
- Export measurement data (CSV)
- Sound level activated audio recording
- Calibration tool
- Full HD video recording (paid)
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SmarterNoise Pro is the most advanced edition of the SmarterNoise recording sound level meters. SmarterNoise Pro edition is developed especially with more advanced measurements in mind, and includes many requested features such as a frequency spectrum display, export of measurement data, A-, C- or no weighting for sound level measurement, and full screen audio mode. SmarterNoise Pro edition does not contain any advertising, and performs accurately and fast. Features: • Sound level measurement in video mode • Sound level measurement in audio mode • Sound meter snapshot camera • Record video and audio files (paid function) • Recording timer • Sound level activated audio recording • Frequency spectrum display (paid function) • Peak frequency detection • A-, C- or no frequency weighting • Export of measurement data in CSV format • Full HD (paid function), HD and VGA video resolution • Three video quality settings • Archive for saved files • Sharing of saved files • Calibration • Save location of measurement (optional) • Time and date • Continuous Leq, LAeq, LCeq value • 10 second sound level average (Leq, LAeq, LCeq) • 60 second sound level average (Leq, LAeq, LCeq) • Maximum and minimum decibel level About decibels and sound level measurement The unit for measuring sound is called a decibel. Because the decibel scale is logarithmic, a sound with an intensity that is twice that of a reference sound corresponds to an increase of about 3 decibels. The reference point of 0 decibel is set at the intensity of the least perceptible sound, the threshold of hearing. On such a scale a 10-decibel sound is 10 times the intensity of the reference sound. Highlighting this is important as already a few decibels higher or lower makes a noticeable difference in how noise is perceived. The preferred method to describe sound levels that vary over time, resulting in a single decibel value measuring the total sound energy over the period, is called Leq. It is however common practice to measure sound levels using A-weighting, which attenuates lower and higher frequencies that the average person cannot hear. In this case the value is called LAeq. A- and C-weighting The A-weighting is a standard, commonly used filter that attempts to alter the measured sound pressure levels to more closely match the perception of the human ear. A-weighting makes the sound level meter less sensitive to very high (over 8000 Hz) and low frequencies (below 1000 Hz). C-weighting also attenuates low and high frequencies, but the attenuation of low frequencies is much less severe compared to A-weighting. Calibrate: Calibrate the application using the calibration tool found in the settings menu. Phones and their components vary in quality and setup so you need to calibrate the app in order for the results to be relatively comparable. One suggestion is that you close the window and door to your bedroom or bathroom, turn off appliances, and once its very quiet calibrate the app so the reading is about 30 decibel.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SmarterNoise Pro at 4.3 against SoundLevel's 3.0. SmarterNoise Pro also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 22 months) and ratings volume (33 vs 4). SoundLevel's advantage is review sentiment (39% vs 29%) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. SoundLevel sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and SmarterNoise Pro sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
SmarterNoise Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SmarterNoise Pro has 33 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 39% of SoundLevel's written reviews are positive against 29% of SmarterNoise Pro's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
SoundLevel ships an update every 22 months, SmarterNoise Pro monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SoundLevel | SmarterNoise Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (4 ratings) | 4.3 (33 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 38.8% of reviews — better | 28.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 33 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 22 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Smudge Apps Ltd | Johan Rogard |
Customer experience
SoundLevel
SmarterNoise Pro
Bugs and requests
SoundLevel
Reported bugs
8 issues- Crashes on export to CSV
- Crashes immediately on opening (latest version)
- Inaccurate readings (consistently 70db, breathing at 70db, talking at 90db)
- App doesn't work for many users
- Freezes or blocks at certain dB levels (e.g., 70db, 90db)
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- Doesn't work on iPod Touch without a microphone
- Ad banner is annoying
- Requests to upgrade to paid version are intrusive
Requested features
9 requests- Digital display for readings
- Peak hold function
- Ability to capture or pause readings
- More advanced features in Pro version
- Display Max value reached
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- Provide analytical graphs over time
- Allow testing Pro version for a day
- Add averaging and recent history features
- Larger scale display
SmarterNoise Pro
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SoundLevel
- Premium Version$2.99
- Premium Version$4.99
SmarterNoise Pro
- Camera upgrade$0.99
- Frequency spectrum indicator$1.99
- Video and audio recording$1.99
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- Spectrogram display$1.99
Questions
Is SoundLevel free?
Is SmarterNoise Pro free?
Which has better reviews, SoundLevel or SmarterNoise Pro?
Do SoundLevel or SmarterNoise Pro have ads?
Which is updated more often, SoundLevel or SmarterNoise Pro?
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