# Decibels vs dBMeter

The clearest difference is rating: Decibels at 4.6 against dBMeter's 3.6. Decibels also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). dBMeter's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, review sentiment, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Decibels sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. dBMeter asks for nothing beyond the download.

Decibels holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Decibels has 265 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 67% and 67% positive.

Decibels ships an update weekly, dBMeter every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Decibels | dBMeter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (265 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/decibels-db-sound-level-meter/id383207286/reviews)** | [3.6 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dbmeter-decibelmeter/id1466056567/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **265** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | **66.9% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 18 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [David Bannach](https://appshunter.io/developer/286310199) | [Ramon Palacios Saez](https://appshunter.io/developer/1177436233) |

## What reviewers say

### Decibels

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/decibels-db-sound-level-meter/id383207286)

Measure and analyze ambient noise levels with a stylish interface. Capture photos with sound level data, and share or print your findings. Enhance analysis with advanced features like frequency weighting and chart recording through an in-app purchase.

**Highlights:** Analog dB(A) display, Photo with sound level, Share/print/store photos, Select frequency weightings (A, C, Z), Record decibels on strip charts, Annotate strip charts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Professional Controls | $1.99 | one-time |
| Beautiful Strip Chart Recorder | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and straightforward
- 📏 Effective for measuring sound levels
- 🔍 Useful for various applications (e.g. home, construction)
- 🎨 Clean and elegant interface
- 💡 Ability to take photos with readings

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 🔢 Limited measurement range (max 100 dB)
- 🔍 Questionable accuracy, especially at lower levels
- 📊 Lack of advanced features (e.g. digital readout, data logging)

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when trying to save images
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Needle getting stuck at certain levels

**Requested features**

- Digital readout in addition to analog meter
- Ability to save/export measurement history
- Support for different weighting scales (A, C, Z)
- Landscape mode support
- Customizable appearance options


### dBMeter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dbmeter-decibelmeter/id1466056567)

This application precisely measures sound intensity in real time using your device's microphone. It displays minimum, maximum, and average decibel levels, offers a noise-time graph, and allows for microphone calibration. The tool is ideal for monitoring ambient noise in various environments and exporting data for analysis.

**Highlights:** Real-time decibel measurement, Min, max, and average values, Noise-time graph, Microphone calibration, Background operation, CSV data export, Timer option

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Decibels free?

Decibels is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is dBMeter free?

dBMeter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Decibels or dBMeter?

Decibels is rated higher. Decibels averages 4.6 out of 5 from 265 ratings, while dBMeter averages 3.6 from 8 ratings.

### Do Decibels or dBMeter have ads?

dBMeter shows ads; Decibels does not.

### Which is updated more often, Decibels or dBMeter?

Decibels ships an update weekly, and dBMeter every 3 months. Most recently, Decibels was updated on October 22, 2026 and dBMeter on October 20, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*