Comparison

Fieldwork Recorder vs Sound dB detector

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

Head to head
About

Fieldwork Recorder

Features
Read full description

Record interviews and field observations. Preserve the context that makes them useful. Fieldwork Recorder is a private, local-first recorder and journal for research, interviews, and field observations. Keep audio, notes, photos, sketches, tags, time, and place together in one entry. RECORD WITH CONFIDENCE • Choose high, medium, low, or custom audio quality. • Continue recording in the background when your device allows it. • Follow live recording status and clear saving progress during long sessions. CAPTURE THE WHOLE CONTEXT • Add a title, tags, formatted notes, photos, and hand-drawn sketches. • Use the simple formatting toolbar, or write directly in Markdown if you prefer. • Save no location, start and end positions, or a complete GPS track. • Browse entries on a calendar, search by title or notes, and filter by tag. LISTEN, MAP, AND SHAPE THE STORY • Play recordings with a responsive waveform, precise seeking, playback-speed controls, and file-size details. • Follow GPS-tracked recordings on the map as the audio plays. • Trim unwanted audio, remove a selection, extract a clip, or split a recording into separate diary entries. • Keep the original recording or save the edited result as a copy. BACK UP ON YOUR TERMS • Export a single entry or your entire diary as an archive. • Optionally sync with iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, Box, or WebDAV. • Use widgets for Quick Record, Open Last Entry, and Today's Recordings. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Fieldwork Recorder stores your diary on your device. No ads. No data selling. We do not collect or analyze your recordings, notes, photos, drawings, or location data. Your diary leaves the device only when you choose to export it or connect a cloud provider. No Fieldwork Recorder account is required.

About

Sound dB detector

Features
Read full description

Is the noise around you actually dangerous? SoundGuard turns your phone's microphone into a real-time hearing-health monitor — so you know when to turn it down, step back, or grab hearing protection, before the damage is done. LIVE DECIBEL METER See your ambient sound level update in real time on a clear, color-coded gauge — from Safe (green) all the way to Instant Injury Risk (deep purple). No more guessing whether a concert, a job site, or your neighbor's power tools are actually harmful. KNOW YOUR SAFE EXPOSURE TIME Every reading comes with plain-language context: what the level is comparable to, and how long you can safely stay in it based on established occupational hearing-health guidance (OSHA-style exchange rate). At 100 dB, that might be 2 hours. At 120 dB, it's seconds. TRACK YOUR NOISE DOSE SoundGuard doesn't just look at the instant reading — it accumulates your exposure over the session, the same way professional noise dosimeters do. Watch your daily "noise dose" build up, with clear warnings at 50%, 80%, 100%, and beyond. SESSION HISTORY & CHARTS Every session is saved locally, with peak dB, average dB, duration, and a dB-over-time chart so you can review exactly how loud your day really was. YOUR PRIVACY, PROTECTED SoundGuard never records or uploads audio. All analysis happens on your device in real time — only the calculated decibel value is ever stored. No accounts, no cloud, no ads. WHO IT'S FOR • Concertgoers and musicians protecting their hearing • Parents checking if a nursery, toy, or event is too loud for kids • Workers and hobbyists around power tools or machinery • Anyone curious (or concerned) about noise in daily life Please note: phone microphones aren't calibrated sound level meters. Sound dB detector readings are estimates that vary by device and should be used as a general guide, not a precise measurement — consult a professional audiologist for medical concerns. SoundGuard — because your hearing doesn't come back.

Screenshots

Fieldwork Recorder4 screens
Sound dB detector4 screens

Verdict

The call

Fieldwork Recorder and Sound dB detector are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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

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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Fieldwork Recorder versus Sound dB detector: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFieldwork RecorderSound dB detector
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWerner HertzogKere Tech

In-app purchases

None

Fieldwork Recorder

No in-app purchases

None

Sound dB detector

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Fieldwork Recorder free?
Fieldwork Recorder is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sound dB detector free?
Sound dB detector is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Fieldwork Recorder or Sound dB detector have ads?
Neither Fieldwork Recorder nor Sound dB detector shows ads.

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