Comparison

dB Pulse vs AudioSpectrumWaterfall

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

Head to head
About

dB Pulse

Features
Read full description

dB Pulse turns your device into a precise sound meter. Measure ambient noise, record sessions and analyze results with clear waveform graphs. Key features: β€’ Real‑time dB meter with waveform and numeric readout β€’ Record sessions and save time‑series data β€’ Session summary with peak/avg stats and export to CSV β€’ Share snapshots (unlock via rewarded ad) and export reports β€’ Calibration options for improved accuracy β€’ Upgrade to Pro: ad‑free experience and advanced export Download dB Pulse and start measuring noise instantly.

About

AudioSpectrumWaterfall

Features
Read full description

A real-time audio analyzer for iPhone and iPad. Five panes cover spectrum, waterfall, oscilloscope, peak list, and note/chord detection β€” pick any combination and arrange them in a custom layout. PANES Spectrum β€” live magnitude spectrum in three drawing styles (Trace, Line, Bars), peak-hold trace, peak markers, and a drag-anywhere cursor showing frequency, level, and nearest note. Waterfall β€” scrolling spectrogram with six color maps and adjustable scroll speed. Time Domain β€” oscilloscope with rising-edge trigger, automatic vertical gain, and min/max envelope drawing. Notes & Chords β€” detected fundamentals with cents-accurate tuning meters and chord name readout. Peak List β€” top N interpolated spectral peaks with frequency, level, nearest note, and cents offset. Panes stack vertically and split into two columns on wide, short windows (iPad landscape, phone landscape). Five built-in layout presets are included: Spectrum + Waterfall, Scope + Spectrum, Musician, Analyser, and Everything. ANALYSIS CONTROLS FFT size from 256 to 32768 points. Window functions: rectangular, Bartlett, Hann, Hamming, Blackman, Blackman-Harris, flat top, Kaiser. Exponential averaging and adjustable refresh rate. Live readout of frequency resolution (Hz/bin) and window length (ms). Amplitude scale: linear or dBFS, with adjustable level range. Frequency scale: linear or logarithmic, with adjustable frequency range. Spectrum style: Trace (every FFT bin plotted individually, no resampling) or Line/Bars (per-pixel peak or average detector). NOTE AND CHORD DETECTION Harmonic-comb analysis with iterative spectral subtraction identifies fundamental frequencies and matches them against 19 chord templates across all 12 roots, including slash-chord naming. A spectral-flatness gate skips pitch detection on broadband, non-tonal input (percussion, breath, room noise), with an adjustable sensitivity threshold. The spectrum, waterfall, and peak list always display the raw, unmodified spectrum β€” harmonic reduction is applied only to the note and chord readout. AUDIO INPUT Works with any input source exposed by the system: built-in microphone (including individual top/bottom/front/back elements where supported), wired headsets, USB audio interfaces, and Bluetooth headsets. Sample rate can follow the hardware or be fixed at 8, 16, 22.05, 32, 44.1, 48, or 96 kHz. Automatically handles route changes (headphones unplugged, Bluetooth reconnects) and interruptions (phone calls). SIGNAL GENERATOR Built-in generator produces sine, sawtooth, square, triangle, white noise, pink noise, a logarithmic sweep, or a major triad β€” useful for testing scale settings and window behavior without external audio. Nothing is routed to the speaker. DISPLAY CONTROLS Freeze the live display at any point, and start or stop capture manually. A status bar shows RMS/peak level with a clipping indicator, the current audio route, sample rate, FFT size, Hz/bin resolution, and window length. PRIVACY Audio is analyzed in real time on-device only. It is never recorded or transmitted. REQUIREMENTS iPhone and iPad, iOS 17.0 or later. Microphone access required for live audio capture. English only.

Screenshots

dB Pulse4 screens
AudioSpectrumWaterfall4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: AudioSpectrumWaterfall at none against dB Pulse's 1. AudioSpectrumWaterfall also leads on ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. dB Pulse sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. AudioSpectrumWaterfall asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 3 level
dB Pulse versus AudioSpectrumWaterfall: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterdB PulseAudioSpectrumWaterfall
PriceFreeFree
AdsYesNo β€” better
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size12 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSilas Hayri晓址 周

In-app purchases

1 purchases

dB Pulse

One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$9.99
None

AudioSpectrumWaterfall

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is dB Pulse free?
dB Pulse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is AudioSpectrumWaterfall free?
AudioSpectrumWaterfall is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do dB Pulse or AudioSpectrumWaterfall have ads?
dB Pulse shows ads; AudioSpectrumWaterfall does not.

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