Comparison

BFM vs VU Meter Pro

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

Head to head
About

BFM

This audio metering plugin offers a large, highly readable interface for monitoring audio levels across various modes like RMS, LUFS, and Peak. It provides multiple visual representations including text, bars, waveforms, VU meters, and spectrum analysis to help users keep their audio signals under control and avoid clipping.

Highlights
  • Large, readable interface
  • Multiple metering modes (RMS, LUFS, Peak)
  • Visualizations: Text, Bars, Waves, VU, Spectrum
  • Adjustable sensitivity and peak hold
  • Stereo image and phase response meters
  • Frequency spectrum analysis
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

BFM or Big F*ing Meters is a macOS, Windows, and soon to be iOS compatible Metering plug-in designed exactly how the name sounds... really f*ing big. With the main goal of readability we wanted to bring a meter that you can see from across the studio and keep your records clip-free. BFM currently offers 6 Modes with RMS, LUFs, Peak, and Peak Hold values, to give you a variety of views to keep your signal under control. The Text, Bars, Waves, VU Meters, Spectrum, & Time  let you decide how you want to keep track of your signal with multiple fonts/formats to view them in. Text gives you a quick look at just the values easy to see from across the room. This view offers the most values with RMS, Peak, Peak Hold, and LUFs (Short Term & Momentary with Maximum values and LUFS range) values available. Controllable sensitivity & peak hold time for all pages. Reset Peak Hold with a click off the value. Bar offers a more traditional meter for seeing the range of values showing RMS, Peak, Peak Hold, and LUFS. Correlation & Balance meters included to set your stereo image and phase response. Peak Hold resets on value click. Sensitivity changes on bar click. LUFS readings select on click. Included reference points for -24 (EBU), -16 (Apple Music), & -7 as a suggested maximum for most genres. Wave view gives you a look at your waveform after your channel effects with the ability to quickly mark in dB where you want to see your signals peak. To freeze click the waveform. To reset Peak Hold click the value. VU Meter Designed for a quick look at your overall levels. Featuring controllable Attack, Release, Minimum, and Maximum value control. Left/Right, Mid/Side, PPM, and LUFS options available. Click VU to enter dark mode. Spectrum is a simplified frequency spectrum view with 3 quality modes. Great for getting an overall look at where your frequencies are when mixing or editing. Tap to freeze and inspect. There is also the PEAK value displayed on this page. To reset Peak Hold click the value.

About

VU Meter Pro

This professional audio metering app provides a comprehensive suite of tools for broadcast, streaming, and live sound. It offers VU, loudness, phase, LED bar, and waveform displays, configurable to your workflow. Connect external audio interfaces via USB for accurate measurements anywhere.

Highlights
  • VU meter
  • Loudness meter
  • Phase meter
  • LED bar meter
  • Waveform display
  • Configurable meter layout
  • USB audio interface support
Features
Read full description

VU Meter Pro is a professional audio metering app for broadcast, streaming, and live sound. It combines an analog VU meter with a loudness meter, phase meter, LED bar meter, and waveform display. Arrange the meters you need on screen to match each on-site workflow. Connect any USB class-compliant device (audio interface, mixer, recorder, or the audio output of a camera or switcher) with a single USB cable and start measuring right away. Use it as a portable meter in the field, or as a fixed tool in the studio. Works on both iPhone and iPad. What it measures · Audio level (analog VU meter / LED bar) · Loudness (Momentary / Short-term / Integrated / True Peak / LRA) · Loudness history (graph display, up to 24 hours) · Waveform (Waveform Scope, up to 30-minute history, pinch-to-zoom) · Phase (Lissajous + correlation meter) Standards-based measurement Loudness measurement follows ITU-R BS.1770 and conforms to EBU R128 / EBU Mode (Tech 3341 and 3342) and ARIB TR-B32, at 48 and 96 kHz. Measurements are verified against reference signals. ITU-R BS.1770 is the measurement standard widely adopted by national broadcast loudness practices such as ATSC A/85 (US) and OP-59 (Australia), which target −24 LKFS. Loudness presets set the target and the True Peak limit in one tap: ARIB TR-B32, EBU R128, ATSC A/85 and OP-59 for broadcast, plus Spotify, YouTube and Apple Podcasts for streaming. Built for the field · Responsive, real-time metering · Standard and wide-range VU scales (−20 to +3 / −40 to +10) · Seven meter themes for different lighting conditions and preferences · LED bar colors: four presets, or set your own three zone colors · Peak Indicator with an adjustable True Peak threshold, so you can tell at a glance whether a peak occurred · Input Trim (±5 dB) for level calibration · Peak-hold readouts for easy reading at a glance Launch and measure. No setup required. This app is built and maintained by a working engineer in radio, audio, and video production, for use in the field. Visibility and operational reliability are the top priorities. Use with an external audio interface. The built-in microphone is not suitable for accurate measurement.

Screenshots

BFM4 screens
VU Meter Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: VU Meter Pro at every 3 weeks against BFM's every 5 months. VU Meter Pro also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6). BFM's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $9.99) and chart position (#199 vs unranked). On review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

BFM costs $4.99 and VU Meter Pro $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

VU Meter Pro holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BFM has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BFM ships an update every 5 months, VU Meter Pro every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
BFM versus VU Meter Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBFMVU Meter Pro
Price$4.99 — better$9.99
Rating4.6 (5 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings5 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#199 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size158 MB4 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperOSC AudioTomoaki Shimizu

Customer experience

BFM

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

VU Meter Pro

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

BFM

No in-app purchases

None

VU Meter Pro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BFM free?
BFM costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is VU Meter Pro free?
VU Meter Pro costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BFM or VU Meter Pro?
VU Meter Pro is rated higher. BFM averages 4.6 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while VU Meter Pro averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do BFM or VU Meter Pro have ads?
Neither BFM nor VU Meter Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BFM or VU Meter Pro?
BFM ships an update every 5 months, and VU Meter Pro every 3 weeks. Most recently, BFM was updated on September 7, 2026 and VU Meter Pro on September 12, 2026.

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