dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer vs AudioToolsMax
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer
Measure ambient noise levels with professional-quality accuracy. This app offers a spectrum analyzer, hearing test, and the ability to save and share measurements with location data. It's a powerful, cost-effective tool for personal sound monitoring.
- Professional-quality sound level measurement
- Integrated spectrum analyzer
- Noise dosimeter (NIOSH/OSHA)
- Photo & video with noise overlay
- Hearing test
- Save and export measurements (CSV/Audio)
- Health App integration
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"The best way to meter sound levels" - AppAdvice Decibel Meter is full of features sound level meter with exclusive accuracy of measurements and integrated spectrum analyzer. Calibrated with professional dB meter. The world is a noisy place: cars, power tools, crowds, machinery, and other common sources produce amounts of noise that can, with continued exposure, lead to permanent hearing loss. Sound level meters are useful for anyone who wants to avoid exposing their ears to harmful noise levels, but who wants to spend hundreds of dollars on one? dB Meter is free app which provides professional-quality measurement results, calibrated using an actual Nor140 high-precision decibel meter. With dB Meter, you can measure ambient noise levels, save your measurements and their locations, and share your measurements with others. dB Meter couples utility with stylish design and a polished user experience: a powerful tool in a sleek package, and at a tiny fraction of the cost of professional sound level meters. (Please note that dB Meter soundmeter app is not a replacement for professional devices and should be used for personal purposes only.) FEATURES: ● Health App integration. Export measured noise levels and audiogram directly to Health app. ● Noise dosimeter regarding NIOSH and OSHA standards ● Photo & video with the noise overlay ● Powerful hearing test ● Saves location data for each measurement. ● Save measurements with custom names and rename existing measurements. ● Export measurements in CSV or Audio format. ● Allows you to save, export and play back recorded measurements. ● Highly accurate measurements. ● Integrated Fully Functional Spectrum Analyzer ● Octave Band Real Time Analyzer ● FFT Plot (Fast Fourier Transform) ● Spectrogram ● Linear and logarithm scales ● Up to 16384 FFT size ● A lot of available window functions ● Tracking for max value ● Max and Min for any selected frequency ● Stunned graphics You can enable or disable noise levels data exporting to Health app in dB Meter Pro app settings. Have any questions or suggestions? Write to us: support@dbmeterpro.com DB Chart 150-160 dB = Eardrum rupture 140 decibel = Aircraft carrier deck. 130 dB = Jet take-off (100 meters), gun blast at close range. 120 dB= Human pain threshold, loud rock concert. 110 decibel = Serious hearing damage if sustained for more than 1 hour. 100 dB = Serious hearing damage if sustained for more than 8 hours. 90 decibel = Likely hearing damage if sustained for more than 8 hours. 80 decibel = Potential but unlikely hearing damage if sustained for more than 8 hours. 70 dB = Just annoying, but probably safe. 60 dB= Typical conversational volume. 50 dB = A quiet, library conversation. 40 decibel = A whisper. 30 dB= Barely audible sound. 20 decibel= Threshold of human hearing.
AudioToolsMax
This comprehensive audio testing application provides a suite of professional measurement tools for acoustic analysis. It includes advanced features like SPL metering, real-time analysis, FFT, and impulse response, all unlocked and ready for use.
- SPL Meter
- Real Time Analyzer (RTA)
- FFT Analysis
- Speaker Polarity Checker
- Delay Finder
- Audio Oscilloscope
- Audio Calculators
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AudioToolsMax is the complete professional audio test & measurement app with every tool completely unlocked and ready to use. Educational discounts are available under the Apple Educational Discount program. AudioToolsMax includes all of the additional optional modules, like SoundSource, SPL Graph, SPL Traffic Light, LARSA, Transfer Function, STIPA, Impulse Response, and more. It's the full package. We test every iOS device and calibrate the microphone level and frequency response for the best results. We have the ability to turn off the Apple low frequency filters, and on many devices we can measure up to 120 dB SPL. Add iTestMic, iPrecisionMic, or iAudioInterface2 for a complete professional audio and acoustic test and measurement platform. Actual reviews: “...AudioTools is a “how did I ever live without it” app”. “I think this application is the best I EVER purchased.” “I have used many thousands of dollars of complicated test equipment that doesn’t measure up to this app suite.” ***** Included in the app price ***** * SPL Meter A faithful reproduction of a classic analog SPL meter. Includes A and C weighting, and Fast and Slow ANSI decay modes. All filters meet or exceed ANSI type 1. * RTA A 1/3 and octave band Real Time Analyzer. Includes touch-GUI range control, a cursor, max/min bars, and noise curve overlays. * FFT Detailed acoustic analysis, up to 32876 points. View full detail or smooth to 1/24, 1/6, 1/3 or octave. Includes cursor, scalable graphics, and peak tracking. * Polarity Speaker polarity checker. Route the test signal to a speaker, and read the polarity of the speaker on the screen. * Delay Finder Measures the time it takes for a pulse to return from a speaker. * Generator Generates sine waves, square waves, white and pink noise. * Line Level Tests A line level measurement function and frequency counter. * Audio Scope A dual-channel audio oscilloscope that includes auto-triggering, variable gain and sweep rate, and storage of scope images. * Recorder A mono/stereo audio recorder with WAV and compressed formats and 8k-48k sample rate. Transfer files via WIFI. * File transfer of results via wifi to PC / Mac. * Audio Calculators * Smaart® Tools - Single channel module. The power of Smaart® on a mobile platform. Includes RTA graphs to 1/48th octave and Spectrograph. Split-screen on iPad. * Transfer Function -- Requires 2-channel interface. Two-channel FFT-based measurement. Allows you to analyze sound system performance with music or pink noise as the signal source. * ETC Energy Time Curve. Plot decay of an impulse over time, and compute RT60 time. Internal or External trigger. * Impulse Response Record and analyze an impulse or sine sweep, compute octave and 1/3 octave ETC, T30, C50, C80, CT, Definition. * LARSA Fast and accurate sine-sweep measurement of loudspeakers and rooms. * SPL Pro Digital SPL meter with ANSI Slow, Fast, Peak, and Impulse mode, along with LEQ. Includes A and C weighting, and all 10 octave band filters. * SPL Graph Plot second-by-second SPL level for up to 24 hours, and optionally record the audio. Also, add the optional Octave Band Logging upgrade to elevate this tool to rival any professional logging SPL Meter. * SPL Traffic Light Monitor live sound levels SPL and Leq and see status in a simple green-yellow-red display. * STIPA Speech Intelligibility Meets the current NFPA code standards for testing evac systems and schools. * Speaker Distortion Measure THD+n of any driver. * THD+n (requires iAudioInterface) * Impedance Meter and Plot (requires iAudioInterface) * Phase Meter * Amplitude Sweep
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer at $29.99 against AudioToolsMax's $399.99. dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer also leads on ratings volume (866 vs 8) and iOS requirement (11.3 vs 15.0). AudioToolsMax's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On rating, update cadence, ads and device support 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
dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer costs $29.99 and AudioToolsMax $399.99 up front. dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. AudioToolsMax asks for nothing beyond the download.
AudioToolsMax holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer has 866 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two.
dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer ships an update every 4 months, AudioToolsMax every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer | AudioToolsMax |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $29.99 — better | $399.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (866 ratings) | 4.9 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 65.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 866 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.3 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 88 MB | 95 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Vlad Polyanskiy | Andrew Smith |
Customer experience
dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer
AudioToolsMax
Bugs and requests
dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer
Reported bugs
7 issues- Crash with iOS 26
- App failed to open on iPad Pro 11
- Will not run
- Video is recorded without sound
- Failing to restore purchase
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- Incompatible with iOS 11
- Filters don't make sense
Requested features
4 requests- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Ability to export recorded audio clips
- Frequency display on RTA bar
AudioToolsMax
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer
- Spectrum Analyzer Pro$14.99
AudioToolsMax
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer free?
Is AudioToolsMax free?
Which has better reviews, dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer or AudioToolsMax?
Do dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer or AudioToolsMax have ads?
Which is updated more often, dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer or AudioToolsMax?
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