# Decibel Shield vs Sound Meter

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sound Meter at none against Decibel Shield's 4. Sound Meter also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Decibel Shield's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (639 vs 1). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Decibel Shield sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Sound Meter asks for nothing beyond the download.

Sound Meter holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Decibel Shield has 639 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Decibel Shield ships an update daily, Sound Meter every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Decibel Shield | Sound Meter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (639 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/decibel-shield-db-meter/id6461600902/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sound-meter-db-level-check/id6746741261/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **639** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 76.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Daily** | Every 11 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 43 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 16.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [APPSTACK LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1454414263) | [Chang Keun Jung](https://appshunter.io/developer/1813307401) |

## What reviewers say

### Decibel Shield

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/decibel-shield-db-meter/id6461600902)

Measure and track sound levels in real-time with this user-friendly decibel meter. Log historical data, integrate with Apple Health, and gain insights into your sound environment. Includes a white noise generator for focused listening.

**Highlights:** Real-time decibel monitoring, Historical data tracking, Apple Health integration, White noise generator, iCloud sync, Location tagging, Background processing

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Weekly | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Annual Membership | $44.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $49.99 | per year |


### Sound Meter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sound-meter-db-level-check/id6746741261)

Measure and record environmental noise levels in real-time. Tag recordings with GPS, view sound history with min/max/average values, and analyze the sound spectrum. Export data as CSV or audio files, with offline functionality.

**Highlights:** Real-time dB measurement, GPS tagging for recordings, Local log management, Min, max, and average values, FFT spectrum analysis, CSV and audio export, Offline functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Decibel Shield free?

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

### Is Sound Meter free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Decibel Shield or Sound Meter?

Sound Meter is rated higher. Decibel Shield averages 4.7 out of 5 from 639 ratings, while Sound Meter averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Decibel Shield or Sound Meter have ads?

Neither Decibel Shield nor Sound Meter shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Decibel Shield or Sound Meter?

Decibel Shield ships an update daily, and Sound Meter every 11 months. Most recently, Decibel Shield was updated on October 27, 2026 and Sound Meter on October 12, 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.*