Comparison

Spectrum Lab vs Spectrum

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

Head to head
About

Spectrum Lab

Features
Read full description

A real-time audio spectrum analyzer with a fast, responsive display. Monitor live frequencies from any input source, including built-in microphones, USB devices, and Bluetooth audio. Peak detection helps you track signal changes instantly and see how your signal evolves over time. Use it to analyze music, inspect mixes, and understand the frequency balance of tracks in real time. Check how different environments affect sound, identify noise or unwanted frequencies, and get a clear view of what your microphone is actually capturing. Test speakers, headphones, and audio equipment to see how they respond across the frequency range. Useful for quick checks, setup validation, and comparing different devices or signal paths. Also helpful during development and debugging - visualize audio output, verify signal presence, and monitor changes instantly without needing complex tools. Designed to be simple and direct: no manual configuration, no unnecessary controls. Just open the app, select your input, and start analyzing. No setup required. Everything runs automatically.

About

Spectrum

Features
Read full description

Spectrum turns your phone into a modern real-time audio analyzer - the clean, fast tool that older spectrum apps never gave you. See sound the moment it happens: a live FFT frequency spectrum and a scrolling spectrogram (waterfall), with automatic peak detection and the matching musical note. Built for a phone screen, with a beautiful dark and light theme - not a cramped desktop port. WHY SPECTRUM β€’ Modern, readable interface - designed for touch, dark & light themes β€’ Save your measurements and revisit them anytime (most analyzers forget everything the moment you close them) β€’ Export the spectrogram as a high-resolution image, or your data as CSV β€’ Works on both iPhone and iPad β€’ Real peak frequency + musical note readout, in cents FEATURES β€’ Real-time FFT spectrum, log or linear frequency axis β€’ Spectrogram (waterfall) view β€’ Tap the chart for a frequency cursor with dB and musical note β€’ Peak hold and peak-frequency tracking β€’ Musical note detection (A4 = 440 Hz) β€’ A-weighting for perceived loudness β€’ Adjustable FFT size (2048 / 4096 / 8192) β€’ Save, name and organize measurements β€’ Image & CSV export β€’ 8 languages SPECTRUM PRO - one-time purchase, no subscription β€’ 1/3 octave RTA view with per-band peak hold - the classic real-time analyzer used for live sound and room tuning β€’ Tone generator: sine tones, 20 Hz-20 kHz logarithmic sweep, white & pink noise for testing speakers and room acoustics β€’ Peak list: the strongest peaks with harmonics tagged β€’ Up to 4 frequency markers on the chart β€’ Calibration offset (Β±20 dB) to match a reference meter β€’ Extra-high resolution 16384 FFT β€’ High-resolution image export and no ads, forever Everything is processed on your device - no audio is ever uploaded. Microphone access is the only permission needed. Perfect for musicians, audio engineers, students, DIY speaker builders, hum & noise hunters, and anyone curious about the sounds around them.

Screenshots

Spectrum Lab3 screens
Spectrum4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Spectrum Lab at none against Spectrum's 1. Spectrum Lab also leads on ads (none vs shown). Spectrum's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price and device support 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. Spectrum sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Spectrum Lab asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 3 level
Spectrum Lab versus Spectrum: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpectrum LabSpectrum
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyβ€”Every 8 days
AdsNo β€” betterYes
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” better
Requires iOS18.015.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size3 MB89 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperG-UnitedSEONYONG LEE

In-app purchases

None

Spectrum Lab

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Spectrum

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$4.99

Questions

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

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