Beacon (Flare) vs Level
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Beacon (Flare)
Read full descriptionHide full description
beacon turns your screen into a signal. show a message. flash a color. strobe the room. no words spoken, no data sent, no account required. just your phone, saying what you need it to say. -- text display -- type anything or tap a preset. full screen, maximum brightness, landscape locked. toggle between white-on-black and black-on-white. Face ID / Touch ID authentication before every display — nothing shows by accident. -- color display -- slide across the full color spectrum to pick your color. preview updates live. lift your finger to confirm, authenticate to display. your message — if you have one — renders automatically in contrast-optimized text over whatever color you chose. -- strobe -- neon colors cycle across your screen in rapid succession. adjustable speed — hold the strobe button to open settings, slide to dial it in from a slow pulse to a full meltdown. get attention from across any room. -- preset messages -- eight messages preloaded: meet me outside. hey. follow me. 5 min. be right back. wait. sos. come here. hold the beacon logo to edit them — replace, rewrite, or add up to ten total. yours when you need them, gone from the device when you don't. -- pulse -- a breathing brightness effect that applies to any display mode. subtle. makes any signal feel alive. -- the rest -- quad-tap the display to exit. brightness maxes automatically. screen stays awake while displaying. locks to landscape for distance reading. -- privacy -- zero data collected. the only permission beacon asks for is Face ID / Touch ID authentication. messages live in memory and disappear when you close the app. nothing stored, nothing sent, nothing shared.
Level
This app provides a live sound-level meter and a pink-noise generator to help you set speaker levels, match channels, and verify system balance. It's designed for precise audio calibration without needing multiple tools.
- Live decibel reading
- Built-in pink-noise generator
- Peak-hold maximum marker
- A, C, & Z frequency weighting
- Manual calibration offset
- Multiple color themes
Read full descriptionHide full description
Level is a fast, honest sound-level meter for iPhone. A big live decibel reading, plus Leq, Min, L90, and Peak alongside it — toggle on only what you need. A built-in reference generator and calibrated-mic support are there for speaker work or true SPL. One clean instrument, not a busy suite. FEATURES Big decibel reading — A/C/Z weighting, Fast (125 ms) or Slow (1 s) response Four toggleable stats in a 2×2 grid: Leq (energy-average), Min (quietest moment), L90 (background level — exceeded 90% of the time), Peak (true instantaneous peak). Always computed; show only what you need Peak-hold "Max" — a marker holds the loudest moment; tap to reset Reference signals: pink noise, white noise, ten octave tones (31.5 Hz–16 kHz), level-matched. 1 kHz tone pairs with a 94 dB calibrator Play any output — iPhone speaker, AirPlay, Bluetooth, or USB — while the meter keeps reading Calibrated-mic support: Dayton iMM-6C, miniDSP UMIK-1/UMIK-2/EARS, Behringer ECM8000, REW. Frequency correction plus a true-SPL anchor from the file's 1 kHz sensitivity Manual calibration offset Share card — current reading, your enabled stats, and the level bar Full VoiceOver support No account, no analytics, no third-party SDKs, no in-app purchases, no network connections HOW IT WORKS Open Level, allow the microphone, and read the room. Turn on Leq, Min, L90, and/or Peak in Settings → Readings to see them beside the live number in a 2×2 grid. Tap the meter to reset Max and every stat. For speaker work, tap play to send a reference signal to any output — pink noise for level-setting, white noise for tweeters, an octave tone for room modes, or the 1 kHz tone against a 94 dB calibrator. Long-press play (or use Settings) to switch. With the built-in mic, readings are approximate but honest and well-behaved. A calibrated USB mic and its cal file give true SPL. Either way, Level is a measurement tool, not a certified Type 1/2 instrument. GREAT FOR Checking if a room, party, nursery, or workspace is too loud Home theater/hi-fi — matching channels, setting levels, dialing in a subwoofer Car audio — matching and balancing components Live-sound hobbyists and DIY speaker builders Anyone who wants an honest number, without a pro measurement suite PRIVACY Audio is measured live only — never recorded, written to disk, or transmitted. No account, no analytics, no in-app purchases, no network connection at all. QUICK START Open Level, allow the microphone Read the big number (A-weighted by default) Settings → Readings: turn on Leq/Min/L90/Peak to add them to the grid Tap the meter to reset Max and every stat For speaker work: tap play to send a reference to any output; long-press to switch signals IMPORTANT Level is a general-purpose meter, not a certified Type 1/Type 2 instrument. Built-in mic readings are approximate; a calibrated USB mic with a cal file gives true SPL.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is device support: Beacon (Flare) at 3 against Level's 1. Beacon (Flare) also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Beacon (Flare) | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | — | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dustin Parmenter | Carl Sieber |
In-app purchases
Beacon (Flare)
No in-app purchases
Level
No in-app purchases









