dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer vs SignalScope Basic 2020
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.
SignalScope Basic 2020
This app provides essential tools for engineers, students, and hobbyists to analyze acoustics, audio, and electronics. It offers features like oscilloscopes, FFT analyzers, and spectrograms for detailed signal measurement and calibration.
- Signal analysis from audio input
- Engineering unit assignment and calibration
- Support for digital accelerometers and microphones
- Frequency response correction
- Adjustable audio sample rates
- Data saving to CSV, TXT, and MAT files
- Oscilloscope, FFT, Spectrogram, and XY Plotter tools
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NOTE: This app is no longer recommended for purchase. SignalScope X version 13+ offers perpetual license options as well as subscriptions. SignalScope Basic 2020 offers a basic tool set to meet your measurement and analysis needs as an engineer, consultant, educator, student, researcher, or savvy hobbyist in areas such as acoustics (sound and vibration), audio, electronics, and electroacoustics. Features: - Analyze signals coming from the Mac or iOS device’s current audio input device. - Assign engineering units to your input signals and calibrate external transducers for accurate measurements. - Assign input channel units and sensitivities for individual USB Audio devices. - Direct support for Digiducer digital accelerometers and 485B39 USB ICP signal conditioner from The Modal Shop. - Direct support for miniDSP UMIK-1 measurement microphone and EARS headphone/IEM measurement system. - Nominal acoustic sensitivities included for iPhone and iPad built-in microphones, voltage sensitivities for headset input (including the Lightning-to-headset adapter included with recent iPhone models) - Manually switch between available audio input sources. - Load microphone frequency response data (FRD) and apply frequency response correction (FRC) to FFT-based measurements. - Manually adjust audio sample rates, even up to 192 kHz, depending on input hardware. - Save acquired measurement data to CSV, tab-delimited ASCII text, or MAT files. - Save high-resolution analyzer display images to PDF files. - Retrieve your data files from your device via Files (iCloud Drive), iTunes File Sharing, or through a web browser on another device. Files may also be opened in other compatible apps (e.g. Mail, Notes, Numbers, Dropbox, etc). Basic Tools: - Oscilloscope - Basic oscilloscope and triggering functions. - FFT Analyzer - Spectrum analyzer with user-settable frequency limits and basic triggering - 2D Real-time Spectrogram Analyzer - XY Plotter - Create Lissajous curves on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad. Learn more about SignalScope Basic 2020 at FaberAcoustical.com. SignalScope Basic 2020 will receive major upgrades, consistent with those available in the SignalScope X Basic Tool Set subscription, through calendar year 2021, after which it will receive maintenance updates for a limited time. It can be used indefinitely thereafter on a compatible version of iOS.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer at $29.99 against SignalScope Basic 2020's $59.99. dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer also leads on ratings volume (865 vs 1) and iOS requirement (11.3 vs 13.2). SignalScope Basic 2020's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (100% vs 66%). On 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 SignalScope Basic 2020 $59.99 up front. dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SignalScope Basic 2020 asks for nothing beyond the download.
SignalScope Basic 2020 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer has 865 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer's written reviews are positive against 100% of SignalScope Basic 2020's.
dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer ships an update every 4 months, SignalScope Basic 2020 every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and August 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer | SignalScope Basic 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $29.99 — better | $59.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (865 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 65.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 865 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 11.3 — better | 13.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 88 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Vlad Polyanskiy | Faber Acoustical, LLC |
Customer experience
dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer
SignalScope Basic 2020
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
SignalScope Basic 2020
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer
- Spectrum Analyzer Pro$14.99
SignalScope Basic 2020
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer free?
Is SignalScope Basic 2020 free?
Which has better reviews, dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer or SignalScope Basic 2020?
Do dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer or SignalScope Basic 2020 have ads?
Which is updated more often, dB Meter & Spectrum Analyzer or SignalScope Basic 2020?
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