# Decibels vs dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer

The clearest difference is price: Decibels at Free against dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer's $29.99. Decibels also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months). dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and ratings volume (866 vs 265). On rating, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Decibels is free to download; dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer costs $29.99 up front. Decibels sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Decibels against 4.7 for dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 265 and 866 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Decibels's written reviews are positive against 66% of dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer's.

Decibels ships an update weekly, dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Decibels | dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $29.99 |
| Rating | [4.6 (265 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/decibels-db-sound-level-meter/id383207286/reviews) | **[4.7 (866 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/db-meter-and-spectrum-analyzer/id733773616/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 265 | **866** |
| Positive reviews | **66.9% of reviews** | 65.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 18 MB | 88 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 11.3 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [David Bannach](https://appshunter.io/developer/286310199) | [Vlad Polyanskiy](https://appshunter.io/developer/438646985) |

## 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


### dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/db-meter-and-spectrum-analyzer/id733773616)

Measure ambient noise levels with professional-quality accuracy. This app offers a spectrum analyzer, hearing test, and the ability to save and share measurements with location data. It's a powerful, cost-effective tool for personal sound monitoring.

**Highlights:** Professional-quality sound level measurement, Integrated spectrum analyzer, Noise dosimeter (NIOSH/OSHA), Photo & video with noise overlay, Hearing test, Save and export measurements (CSV/Audio), Health App integration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Spectrum Analyzer Pro | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent
- 👍 Simple, precise and excellent
- 👍 Great app!!!!
- 👍 Well around app for monitoring noise
- 👍 Nice proof

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crash with iOS 26
- 🐛 Paid for and it stopped working
- 🐛 App failed to open on iPad Pro 11
- 🐛 Will not run
- 🐛 Ok for DB but not for actually recording sound

**Reported bugs**

- Crash with iOS 26
- App failed to open on iPad Pro 11
- Will not run
- Video is recorded without sound
- Failing to restore purchase

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Ability to export recorded audio clips
- Frequency display on RTA bar


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Decibels free?

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

### Is dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer free?

dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer costs $29.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Decibels or dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer?

dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer is rated higher. Decibels averages 4.6 out of 5 from 265 ratings, while dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer averages 4.7 from 866 ratings.

### Do Decibels or dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer have ads?

Neither Decibels nor dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Decibels or dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer?

Decibels ships an update weekly, and dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer every 4 months. Most recently, Decibels was updated on November 1, 2026 and dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer on November 11, 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.*