Comparison

Decibel X vs Tailscale

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Decibel X

This tool transforms your device into a professional sound level meter, offering precise measurements of ambient noise. It features advanced calibration, frequency analysis, and data management for various applications, from personal curiosity to professional use.

Highlights
  • Pre-calibrated sound pressure level (SPL) measurements
  • Frequency weighting filters (dBA, dBC, ITU-R 468)
  • Apple Watch and Health App integration
  • History data management with export options
  • Dosimeter with NIOSH, OSHA standards
  • FFT and BAR graphs for real-time frequency analysis
  • InstaDecibel for sharing dB reports on photos
Features
Read full description

"Decibel X" is one of very few noise meter apps on the market that has highly reliable, pre-calibrated measurements and supports dBA, dBC. It turns your iOS device into a professional sound level meter, precisely measures the sound pressure level (SPL) all around you. This extremely useful and beautiful tool will not only be a great tool for many uses but also bring you a lot of fun. Have you wondered how quiet is your room or how loud is a rock concert or sport event? "Decibel X" will help you answer all of those. WHAT MAKE IT GREAT AND STAND OUT FROM OTHER APPS: - Trusted accuracy: the app is tested and pre calibrated for all Apple devices. The precision is matching with real SPL devices - Apple Watch support: see noise level right from your wrist - Health App integration: export noise levels directly into Health app - Frequency weighting filters: ITU-R 468, A, B, C, Z - Powerful, smart history data management: + Recording data can be saved into a list of history records for future access and analysis + Each record can be exported as hi-res PNG graph or CSV text via sharing services + iCloud support which synchronize all history records across your Apple devices + Fullscreen mode to give overview the whole history of an record - Dosimeter with NIOSH, OSHA standards - Powerful calibration: Linear, Octave 1/1, 1/3, Load/save profile - FFT and BAR graphs to display real time FFT. Those are very useful for frequency analysis and musical tests. Real time predominant frequency is also displayed. - InstaDecibel to capture your dB report overlaid on photos and easily shared via popular social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Messages, etc.). - Support Live Activity, Dynamic Island - Support both Portrait and Landscape layouts - Beautiful, intuitive and carefully crafted UI design. Themes: LIGHT, DARK and CLASSIC OTHER GREAT FEATURES: - Standard time weightings (Response Time): SLOW (500 milliseconds), FAST (200 milliseconds) AND IMPULSE (50 milliseconds) - MIC Gain Offset from -50 dB to 50 dB - Standard measurement range from 30 dBA up to 130 dBA - HISTO graph for plotted history of the recorded values - WAVE graph with 2 display modes: Rolling & Buffer - SPECTROGRAPH - Real time scale level chart - Display Current, Average/Leq, and Max values with both nice and clear digital and analog layouts - Quick reference text to help you compare with real-life examples NOTES: - Please do not expect a quiet room reading will be 0 dBA. The range 30-130 dBA is the standard usable range and an average quiet room will be about 30 dBA. - Although all devices are pre-calibrated, custom calibration is suggested for serious purposes requiring higher precision and accuracy. You will need a real external device or calibrated sound meter as a reference, then adjust the trimming calibration until the reading matches with the reference. * Privacy Policy: http://www.skypaw.com/decibelx/privacy_policy.html * EULA: http://www.skypaw.com/decibelx/terms.html

About

Tailscale

Securely connect devices, workloads, and users to any internet resource. This platform uses identity to control access, creating a modern mesh network that enhances security and performance. It's hardware-agnostic and integrates with numerous technologies.

Highlights
  • Identity-based access control
  • Mesh networking architecture
  • Zero Trust security
  • Hardware-agnostic deployment
  • Integrates with 100+ technologies
  • Supports multiple environments
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Securely connect people, workloads, and even AI agents to anything on the internet with Tailscale, the secure connectivity platform built on WireGuard®. Tailscale brings identity to the network layer so you can control access based on users, groups, tags, and devices instead of IP addresses, applying Zero Trust principles end-to-end across every environment. Tailscale transforms your existing network from a legacy hub and spoke model to a modern, lightweight, and responsive mesh networking architecture that eliminates single points of failure and delivers better performance, scalability, and security for your end users, devices, and remote resources. Tailscale can be used for your Homelab VPN and connectivity, Business VPN, Workload Connectivity across clouds, Kubernetes clusters, regions, and environments, Privileged Access Management (PAM), Edge & IoT, CI/CD, and Securing AI – all on the same platform. Replace legacy VPNs, connect workloads across on-prem and cloud infrastructure providers, power Zero Trust initiatives, and make remote access secure by simplifying software-defined networking and security operations. Modernize your home, your organization, and your enterprise networking at scale with Tailscale. Tailscale is hardware-agnostic, so you can make decisions about your hardware independently from decisions about your network. Tailscale creates an overlay network, using your existing network, so you can incrementally deploy Tailscale without needing new network switches or to change your network architecture. Tailscale integrates with 100+ technologies and dozens of identity providers, and is available on a wide range of platforms — including Apple’s macOS, iOS, and tvOS — so you can securely connect from wherever you work.

Screenshots

Decibel X4 screens
Tailscale3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tailscale at none against Decibel X's 5. Tailscale also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and chart position (#57 vs unranked). Decibel X's advantage is ratings volume (164K vs 778) and rating (4.6 vs 4.4). On price, review sentiment, ads 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

Both are free to download. Decibel X sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Tailscale asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Decibel X holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Decibel X has 164K ratings behind it against 778, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Decibel X's written reviews are positive against 61% of Tailscale's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Decibel X ships an update every 3 months, Tailscale fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Decibel X versus Tailscale: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDecibel XTailscale
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (164K ratings) — better4.4 (778 ratings)
Positive reviews66.3% of reviews — better60.7% of reviews
Number of ratings164K — better778
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
Best chart rank—#57 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS17.016.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size90 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSkyPaw Co., LimitedTailscale Inc.

Customer experience

Decibel X

All ratings163,488 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral3.5%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews1,925 reviews
Positive66.3%
Neutral5.5%
Negative28.2%

Tailscale

All ratings772 ratings
Positive83.9%
Neutral3.1%
Negative13.0%
Written reviews453 reviews
Positive60.7%
Neutral10.8%
Negative28.5%

User reviews

Decibel X

From 164K App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐ Excellent app
  • 👍 Easy to use and understand
  • 🔍 Useful for various applications
  • 🎓 Helpful for hearing protection
  • 🔧 Accurate and reliable

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🔒 Misleading free trial
  • 📢 Intrusive ads
  • 🤖 Inaccurate readings compared to professional meters
  • 🤔 Confusing interface

Tailscale

From 778 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to set up and use
  • 🔒 Secure remote access
  • 👍 Convenient for accessing home network
  • 👍 Seamless connectivity between devices
  • 🚀 Powerful networking features

Room to improve

  • 🔋 Significant battery drain
  • 🐛 Connectivity issues and bugs
  • 🐛 Unreliable performance
  • 🐛 Broken functionality after updates

Bugs and requests

Decibel X

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes when deleting recordings
  • Microphone issues on certain devices
  • Saved files not accessible after updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add GPS coordinates to recordings
  • Improve reporting and data export
  • Provide more weighting options
  • Extend frequency range
  • Allow music playback while using the app

Tailscale

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to connect or authenticate
  • Exit node feature not working as expected
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching networks
  • App getting stuck in a loading state

Requested features

5 requests
  • On-demand VPN connection
  • Ability to switch between multiple accounts
  • More granular control over exit nodes
  • Integration with other networking tools
  • Dark mode option

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Decibel X

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Membership$1.997 Days
  • Monthly Membership$5.991 Month
  • Annual Membership3 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time2
  • ITU-R 468, A, B, C Weightings$1.99
  • Data Export$2.99
None

Tailscale

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Decibel X free?
Decibel X is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tailscale free?
Tailscale is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Decibel X or Tailscale?
Decibel X is rated higher. Decibel X averages 4.6 out of 5 from 164K ratings, while Tailscale averages 4.4 from 778 ratings.
Do Decibel X or Tailscale have ads?
Neither Decibel X nor Tailscale shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Decibel X or Tailscale?
Decibel X ships an update every 3 months, and Tailscale fortnightly. Most recently, Decibel X was updated on November 5, 2026 and Tailscale on November 3, 2026.

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