SpectrumView vs BirdNET Live
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SpectrumView
This app provides real-time audio analysis with a dynamic spectrogram and spectrum analyzer. Visualize audible and inaudible frequencies, measure tones, get feedback on speech, identify sounds, and calibrate instruments. Access recordings and snapshots easily.
- Real-time spectrogram and spectrum analyzer
- Configurable sample rate and frequency resolution
- Record, pause, and playback audio files
- Generate snapshots of spectrum data
- Web file transfer
- Tap data cursor for precise frequency and level
- Musical notes or frequency display on tap
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SPECTRUMVIEW Visualise, in real time, the frequencies that you can hear around you and even those you cannot with SpectrumView, your dynamic audio companion for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. SpectrumView provides a high-quality, real-time spectrogram and spectrum analyser display, with a configurable sample rate and frequency resolution. You can use this application to measure the highest tones you can sing, obtain visual feedback of the frequencies in your speech, identify an annoying sound, calibrate musical instruments and all sorts of acoustic analysis. Here's what it can do for you: · Refresh Spectrogram. Allows users to refresh the spectrogram so that it clears the spectrogram that had already been displayed. · Change min and max scale. Allows users to set their own minimum and maximum scale value on the spectrogram and spectrum analyser view, in both linear and log scale. · Set Recording filename. Recording filenames are editable and the suffix can be set to have an incremental value or date/time. · Generate snapshot of the spectrum data from playback and live recordings. [IAP] · Access recordings and snapshots using the "Files" app. All the data can be easily accessible using the "Files" app that is available from iOS 11. · Web File Transfer. Allows you to access your files from another device using a web browser. [IAP] · Logarithmic scale. Allows you to set either linear or logarithmic frequency scales in the Spectrogram and Spectrum Analyser views. [IAP] · Peak hold. Allows you to freeze and hold the peaks of the frequency envelope (three holds in three distinct colours) in Spectrum Analyser mode. [IAP] · Save location. Never forget where a clip was recorded – uses the devices location services. · Auto lock disabled. During playback and recordings auto lock is disabled to prevent the device from automatically locking (if enabled), for uninterrupted recording/playback · Multiple selectable sample rates from 8,000 Hz to 48,000 Hz · High-frequency resolution with configurable signal analysis window lengths or Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) orders. · Sound intensity represented using a colour spectrum scale from -96 dBFS to 0 dBFS. · Frequency Pinch-to-Zoom. Allows you to zoom into the frequency space to look at a specific tone or frequency. [IAP] · Recording and Playback of Audio Files. Provides a fully functional audio recorder that allows you to record, pause and play back files in high-quality, uncompressed, wave format. · Tap Data Cursor. Allows taps on any part of the Spectrogram or Spectrum Analyser display to obtain the exact frequency in Hertz (Hz) and level in decibels (dB) at that point. · Musical Notes or Frequency Display on Tap. Selectable frequency or musical pitch notation to obtain the cent-accurate musical note e.g. A4 (22), when the display is tapped. · Live Spectrogram and Spectrum Analyser Views of Recorded Files. Files recorded can be played back and the Spectrogram and Spectrum Analyser modes can be used to review the audio. · Sharing Recorded Files by Email or iTunes File-sharing. · High Quality Screenshots. · *Improved* Soundcloud support. Audio files can be uploaded to or downloaded from Soundcloud as well as being able to post audio to Facebook. [IAP] · Playback from iTunes library. Files can now be analysed directly form the iTunes library. · *NEW* Import audio from videos in your device library. · Fullscreen mode. Hide the menu at the bottom of the screen to get even more of the screen dedicated to frequency analysis. · Selectable spectrogram colour scales. You can now select one of 7 colour scales for your spectrogram. · Selectable window functions. You can now see the window function options provided. · Apply gain. A maximum of 24dB gain can be applied to make ‘hard to see’ details easier to view. · Open In. Audio files can be directly opened in SpectrumView. View files sent by email directly in SpectrumView.
BirdNET Live
Identify bird species by their songs and calls directly on your device, even offline. This app provides real-time spectrograms, species detections, and tools for structured bioacoustic research and surveys. Manage your sound library and contribute to scientific understanding.
- Offline sound identification
- Real-time spectrogram
- Species detection
- Structured survey modes
- Audio file analysis
- Sound library management
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BirdNET Live runs our most sophisticated sound ID model directly on your device — no internet connection required. Watch a live scrolling spectrogram, view species detections in real time, and manage your growing library of animal sounds right from your phone. BirdNET Live supports bioacoustic research and structured acoustic surveys across multiple workflows: - Live Mode — Real-time species detections with a live spectrogram - Point Counts — Structured timed sessions with live detections - Surveys — Record longer transects while tracking detections along your route - File Analysis — Analyze audio files from local storage - Batch Analysis — Process multiple audio files in bulk - ARU Mode — Schedule longer acoustic recording deployments BirdNET Live is designed for researchers and citizen scientists alike and offers extensive configuration and detection review options. This app is a joint effort by the Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics and Chemnitz University of Technology, in partnership with the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin. Development of this app is supported by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt. For more information, consult our online user guide: https://birdnet-team.github.io/birdnet-live-app/user/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: BirdNET Live at 5.0 against SpectrumView's 3.1. BirdNET Live also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 63%) and in-app purchases (none vs 7). SpectrumView's advantage is ratings volume (74 vs 6) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 16.6). On price, 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
Both are free to download. SpectrumView sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. BirdNET Live asks for nothing beyond the download.
BirdNET Live holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SpectrumView has 74 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of SpectrumView's written reviews are positive against 100% of BirdNET Live's.
SpectrumView ships an update every 10 months, BirdNET Live weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SpectrumView | BirdNET Live |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.1 (74 ratings) | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 74 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 17 MB | 346 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Oxford Wave Research Ltd. | Stefan Kahl |
Customer experience
SpectrumView
BirdNET Live
Bugs and requests
SpectrumView
Reported bugs
11 issues- App crashes on startup after updates
- Crashes when attempting to zoom on spectrograms
- Crashes when playing files from iTunes library
- Microphone hijacking error messages
- Pinch-to-zoom and pan features not functioning properly
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- App freezes when backgrounded
- Spectrogram resets when rotating device orientation
- Audio plays through speaker instead of headphones
- Blank screen with no display output
- Incompatibility with older iOS versions
- Requires in-app purchase prompts for all features after iCloud restore
Requested features
13 requests- Logarithmic frequency scale for audio analysis
- Adjustable time scale/window for spectrograms
- Ability to analyze audio from music library/iTunes
- Longer-term averaging for spectrum analyzer
- A-weighting frequency selection
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- Batch delete option for recordings
- Real-time audio input from playing songs
- Metadata storage (timestamp, location) in WAV files
- SPL meter functionality
- 3D display option
- Adjustable color range for spectrogram
- Auto-readout of highest amplitude frequency
- Higher frequency range support (above 20kHz)
BirdNET Live
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SpectrumView
- Enable peak hold$0.99
- Access iTunes and SoundCould$0.99
- Generate data snapshot$0.99
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- Enable Log Scale$1.99
- Disable recording length limit$1.99
- Enable pinch to zoom$1.99
- Enable Web File Transfer$1.99
BirdNET Live
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SpectrumView free?
Is BirdNET Live free?
Which has better reviews, SpectrumView or BirdNET Live?
Do SpectrumView or BirdNET Live have ads?
Which is updated more often, SpectrumView or BirdNET Live?
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