Decibel Meter & Sound Level dB vs Vindkollen
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Decibel Meter & Sound Level dB
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A decibel meter you can keep. Every measurement is saved with its own statistics, a context tag and a note, so you can compare two rooms next week and hand the numbers to someone who asks. LIVE READING Your phone's microphone drives a live dB reading from 30 to 120. It is labeled a phone estimate, because that is what it is. The app collects three valid samples before the first value, so it spends a moment stabilizing instead of throwing out a wild opening number. If the sound pushes the mic too hard, an overload warning appears and stays on the saved measurement. Pick a refresh of 50, 100 or 200 ms and smoothing of 3, 5 or 10 samples for the headline figure. MIN, Leq, MAX Leq is an energy average, not the arithmetic mean. A minute at 60 dB followed by a minute at 70 dB gives 67.4 dB, not 65, because the loud part dominates. That is the number worth quoting. A rolling 60-second chart draws the last minute with color bands at 70, 85 and 100 dB, and every level also gets a plain word: Quiet below 70, Moderate 70–84, Loud 85–99, Very loud from 100. SAVED MEASUREMENTS Measurements are stored on the device, newest first and grouped by date, up to 500 of them. Each keeps duration, MIN, Leq, MAX, the full sample series, calibration state, the overload flag, your alert threshold, one context tag — Home, Work, Appliance, Traffic, Event or Other — and a note of up to 240 characters. The today card totals the time you measured today, today's Leq and today's dose. Delete one, clear all, or switch saving off. INSIGHTS L10, L50 and L90 separate the loud, typical and quiet parts of one measurement. You get the time at or above your threshold in seconds and as a percentage, plus dose and TWA on the NIOSH criterion of 85 dB over 8 hours, an 80 dB threshold and a 3 dB exchange rate. Today exposure adds up only the measurements you actually took today — unmeasured minutes are never counted as quiet — and reads Safe, Caution or Danger. EXPORT Send one measurement as a CSV with the header block and every sample, or as a one-page PDF with the waveform, MIN/Leq/MAX, L10/L50/L90, dose, TWA and threshold time. Export the whole history as a 22-column CSV, one row per measurement, or as a PDF summary table. CALIBRATION With an external sound level meter on hand, a three-step wizard takes its value and stores an offset of up to ±50 dB. Later measurements are marked calibrated estimates, and the default returns in one tap. SOUNDS AND ALERT Fifteen everyday sounds run from breathing at 10 dB to fireworks at 140 dB, each with a short description and a health badge. Choose an alert at 70, 80, 90, 100 or 110 dB; crossing it gives you a haptic buzz — a vibration, nothing audible. WHERE IT GETS USED Two bedrooms in a new apartment. The open-plan office at 3 p.m. A window AC before and after a service call. Freeway noise from the balcony. Band practice, the gym, the leaf blower, a school cafeteria. PRIVACY Audio is processed on your device and is never uploaded; no recording is kept once a measurement ends. No account, no cloud sync. Measurements stay on the phone and leave only as the CSV or PDF you export. This is an everyday phone estimate, not an instrument for compliance or legal use. FREE AND SUBSCRIPTION Free gives you five measurements a day, up to 60 seconds each, and the full result appears every time. A subscription lifts both limits and opens history, insights, today exposure, calibration, a custom threshold and CSV/PDF export. Weekly or monthly, each with a three-day trial. Terms of Use: https://zeroplay.io/docs/legal/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://zeroplay.io/docs/legal/privacy-policy
Vindkollen
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Vindkollen lets you see what planned wind turbines could look like in the real world – directly through your iPhone camera. Using maps and augmented reality (AR), you can: • Explore planned wind power projects and your own projects across Sweden • Raise your phone and see turbines in the correct direction and at the correct distance using GPS and compass data • Place your own turbines at any location and compare different alternatives • View information about distance, direction and environmental surroundings • Work outdoors in the field using your device's camera, location and motion sensors Vindkollen is designed for anyone who wants to better understand how wind power may affect the landscape – including residents, landowners, officials and project developers. How AR works Open a project on the map or create your own turbine placement Allow access to the camera, location and motion sensors when requested by iOS Point your phone toward the horizon outdoors The turbines are displayed where they would appear in the landscape based on your position Data sources and technology Vindkollen uses open and publicly available data for wind power projects, maps and wind direction where available. The AR experience uses your device's GPS, compass/orientation sensors and camera – no WebXR is required. Please note The visualizations are intended to support understanding and discussion. They do not constitute legal, official or professional planning documentation and should not replace professional assessments. Actual conditions and decisions are determined through the relevant permitting processes. Vindkollen is an independent app and does not represent or act on behalf of any government authority or public organization. Contact: support@vindkollen.com Developed by Poyan Sandnell En sak jag verkligen rekommenderar: behåll sista stycket om att Vindkollen är en independent app. Med tanke på Googles tidigare policyanmärkning om myndighetsinformation är det en bra och tydlig friskrivning även i App Store-beskrivningen.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Vindkollen at none against Decibel Meter & Sound Level dB's 2. Vindkollen also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. Decibel Meter & Sound Level dB sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. Vindkollen asks for nothing beyond the download.
Decibel Meter & Sound Level dB ships an update every 2 months, Vindkollen every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Decibel Meter & Sound Level dB | Vindkollen |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 98 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ZeroPlay Ltd. | Catch Me AB (publ) |
In-app purchases
Decibel Meter & Sound Level dB
- Weekly3 Days trial$5.997 Days
- Monthly$14.991 Month
Vindkollen
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Decibel Meter & Sound Level dB free?
Is Vindkollen free?
Do Decibel Meter & Sound Level dB or Vindkollen have ads?
Which is updated more often, Decibel Meter & Sound Level dB or Vindkollen?
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