Comparison

Quick Quake vs Vibration Meter, seismograph

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

Head to head
About

Quick Quake

This tool allows for rapid earthquake location and magnitude verification. It serves as an educational resource, demonstrating how seismic waves determine earthquake epicenters. Users can quickly analyze data to refine automatic event notifications.

Highlights
  • Rapid earthquake location
  • Magnitude verification
  • P and S wave analysis
  • Demo data for education
  • Seismic observatory data integration
  • Adjustable travel velocities and depth
Features
Read full description

Rapid earthquake location and magnitude verification has never been easier. Quick Quake is also a great educational tool – simply use the demo data to see how P (primary) and S (secondary) waves are used to determine the location of an earthquake. Quick Quake is an earthquake data analysis tool that allows users to quickly determine the epicentre and magnitude of an earthquake by simply picking a P wave and S wave arrival from a single seismograph, then moving the epicentre around a map until the seismograms from the other stations line up in time. The Seismology Research Centre has developed Quick Quake so that users of the Quake Server seismic observatory data management system can quickly verify the automatic event notifications that Quake Server sends out by email. The traditional method of locating earthquakes can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes, but with Quick Quake you can verify or refine the automatic eqServer location and magnitude in less than a minute. How to use Quick Quake with the demo data: • Select which station you wish to use to pick a P and S wave (the “key site”) and hit the target icon • Drag the P (primary wave) marker to the right until it aligns with the first signal that you can see above the background noise • Drag the S (secondary wave) marker to the left until it aligns with the significant increase in signal level (see the screenshots as a guide) • Pinch to zoom the time and amplitude scale if you need better resolution • Continue to the locating screen, where you can drag the target around the circle until the waveforms on the left of the screen roughly align with the P and S travel time guide lines It’s that simple. The solution should work no matter which station you choose, but the closer the station the easier the P and S wave arrival times will be to pick. If you have an Quake Server, just log in using your credentials and the server's IP address or domain name, then you can browse through recent (and past) automatic events and proceed as above. On the “Select a Key Site” screen, you can defer stations from your calculations using a left-swipe, or restore them with a right-swipe. You can also sort your stations in order of distance from the selected “key site”. On the “Locate Event” screen there is are options to adjust the P-wave and S-wave travel velocities to suit your local conditions, as well as the depth of the earthquake. The iPad version shows quick-adjustment buttons, and iPhone and iPad versions include three presets for P and S velocity “models” - now with a customisable magnitude formula. Contact the Seismology Research Centre to learn more about seismographs, Quake Server, and earthquake monitoring networks. Remember to follow the SRC on Facebook and Twitter.

About

Vibration Meter, seismograph

This application uses your phone's accelerometer to measure and record vibrations from various sources, including earthquakes and everyday objects. It displays ground motion on a graph and uses an instrumental intensity scale for analysis. You can also monitor and share your measurement results.

Highlights
  • Measures vibration strength
  • Detects seismic waves
  • Uses accelerometer for analysis
  • Displays ground motion graph
  • Utilizes instrumental intensity scale
  • Monitors and shares results
Features
Read full description

Vibration meter is an app called seismograph or seismometer, which measures the strength of vibration, quakes, earthquakes, vibrations of the human body or any other objects around you. Our app allows for detecting and recording of seismic waves generated by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, avalanches and other sources of vibration and shocks. Accelerometer in your mobile phone is used for detection of vibrations and measurement analysis. Graph presents a record of the ground motion at a measuring point. Ground movement or an object is presented as a function of time in the three Cartesian axes, with the z axis perpendicular to the Earth's surface and the x- and y- axes parallel to the surface. Mercalli intensity scale is a seismic scale used for measuring the intensity of an earthquake. It measures the effects of an earthquake and it is distinct from the moment of magnitude. Richter Scale assigns a magnitude number to quantify the energy released by an earthquake. Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) is equal to the maximum ground acceleration that occurred during earthquake shaking at location. PGA is equal to the amplitude of the largest absolute acceleration recorded on an accelerogram at a site during a particular earthquake. In this app we use Instrumental Intensity Scale (developed by The United States Geological Survey) which maps peak ground acceleration and peak ground velocity on an intensity scale similar to the felt Mercalli Scale. These values are used to create shake maps by seismologists on around the world. Mercalli Intensity Scale distinguishes the following levels of vibration and impact damage: I. Instrumental - Not felt. Recorded by seismographs. II. Weak - Felt only on top floors of high buildings. III. Slight - Felt indoors, like a passing light truck. IV. Moderate - Windows, doors rattle. Like passing train. V. Rather Strong - Felt by all. Small objects upset. VI. Strong - Books off shelves. Trees shake. Damage. VII. Very Strong - Difficult to stand. Buildings damaged. VIII. Destructive - Significant damage. Trees broken. IX. Violent - General panic. Serious damage. Cracks. X. Intense - Most buildings destroyed. Rails bent. XI. Extreme - Rails bent greatly. Pipelines destroyed. XII. Catastrophic - Near total damage. This app allows you monitor and share the results of your measurements with other users. Measure and monitor all vibration and shocks using smartphone or tablet!

Screenshots

Quick Quake4 screens
Vibration Meter, seismograph4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Vibration Meter, seismograph at 4.7 against Quick Quake's 4.0. Vibration Meter, seismograph also leads on ratings volume (717 vs 2). Quick Quake's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 12.0). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Vibration Meter, seismograph sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Quick Quake asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Vibration Meter, seismograph holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Vibration Meter, seismograph has 717 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Quick Quake ships an update every 6 months, Vibration Meter, seismograph every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on June 7, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Quick Quake versus Vibration Meter, seismograph: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterQuick QuakeVibration Meter, seismograph
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (2 ratings)4.7 (717 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—41.7% of reviews
Number of ratings2717 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 months — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperESS Earth SciencesExaMobile S.A.

Customer experience

Quick Quake

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

Vibration Meter, seismograph

All ratings717 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral3.8%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews72 reviews
Positive41.7%
Neutral5.6%
Negative52.8%

In-app purchases

None

Quick Quake

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Vibration Meter, seismograph

One-time1
  • Remove ads$1.99

Questions

Is Quick Quake free?
Quick Quake is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Vibration Meter, seismograph free?
Vibration Meter, seismograph is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Quick Quake or Vibration Meter, seismograph?
Vibration Meter, seismograph is rated higher. Quick Quake averages 4.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Vibration Meter, seismograph averages 4.7 from 717 ratings.
Do Quick Quake or Vibration Meter, seismograph have ads?
Neither Quick Quake nor Vibration Meter, seismograph shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Quick Quake or Vibration Meter, seismograph?
Quick Quake ships an update every 6 months, and Vibration Meter, seismograph every 7 months. Most recently, Quick Quake was updated on June 7, 2026 and Vibration Meter, seismograph on September 28, 2026.

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