Comparison

Vibration analysis vs SignalScope Basic 2020

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

Head to head
About

Vibration analysis

This app analyzes phone accelerometer data to create a vibration spectrum. It helps evaluate vibration strength, frequency, and the rotation speed of various mechanisms like fans and motors. Useful for quality checks, malfunction detection, and balancing homemade rotating parts.

Highlights
  • Vibration spectrum analysis
  • Rotation speed evaluation
  • Mechanism quality assessment
  • Malfunction monitoring
  • Customizable FFT size
  • Multiple units of measurement
  • Peak frequency detection
Read full description

The application analyzes the data from the phone's accelerometer and builds a vibration spectrum. This allows the evaluation of not only the strength and frequency of the vibration, but also the speed of rotation of various mechanisms: fans, motors, various rotating components; since the vibration frequency often (but not always) coincides with the frequency of rotation. The application will be useful in determining the quality of fans and motors, in determining whether their actual parameters coincide with the ones declared by the manufacturer, it will find its uses in monitoring of malfunctions (e.g. in bearings) or while testing the quality of assembly and balancing of the homemade mechanisms with rotating parts. Do not expose your iPhone to an excessive vibration, as it may break. If the analyzed vibration is too strong, use a foam material pad, or put your iPhone at a distance where the force of the vibration is not dangerous to your device. In addition to decreasing vibration for the iPhone, a foam pad improves contact between the iPhone and the vibrating part, which makes the transmission of vibration more accurate and produces better results. BE SURE TO READ THE EXAMPLES OF THE VIBRATION SPECTRUM ANALYSIS AT THE APPLICATION WEB SITE (usefulmobileapps.com). Features of the full version of the application: • The choice of units of measurement. X-axis: Hz or RPM. Y-axis: g, m/s², ft/s², mm/s, in/s (ips), mm, mil, dB(A), dB(V). • FFT size (for built-in accelerometer): 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, 4096 (data collection time from 0.64 sec. to 40 sec.). For an accelerometer connected to the headphone jack FFT size from 2048 to 131072. For Bluetooth-accelerometer FFT size from 512 to 32768. • Linear and logarithmic frequency scale. • Linear frequency scale with maximum details (there is a choice for the displayed frequency range). • Peak frequency detection. • Values of any point (for frequency scale and sound wave (at maximum detail)). • Selecting which axis of the accelerometer is to collect data. • Octave bands (1/1,1/3,1/6,1/12). • Window functions (Blackman, Hamming, Hann (Hanning), Blackman–Nuttall, Gaussian, Flat top). • Peak hold. • Exponential spectrum averaging. • Taking a screenshot by lightly touching the screen. • Root mean square (RMS, for vibration) or average value (AVG, for absolute values) for vibration wave. Values are calculated only for data displayed on the screen. • Calibration of the built-in accelerometer. Need EXCLUSIVELY for measuring absolute acceleration values (gravitational acceleration). To activate the settings, turn on the "Vibration wave" mode and turn off the "Only fluctuations" mode. The parameters of the accelerometer depend on the temperature and voltage of the battery, and may change over time. To obtain stable values, the accelerometer should work for several minutes. • Saving the measurement results in the application. Files with saved data (SavedData_[date]_[time].txt) can be copied to a desktop/laptop computer or transferred to another iPhone using iTunes. • Export data to a text ("Y=[y1 y2... yn]", "y1;y2;... yn", "x1;y1\nx2;y2;...") or WAV file. Number of points is adjusted via "FFT size". To export octaves, use "x1;y1\nx2;y2;...". • Accelerometer connects to the headphone jack (measurement range from 5 Hz to 24000 Hz). • A stroboscope for an external accelerometer (the feature was proposed by Todd French from Los Angeles, California). • Bluetooth accelerometer. When converting acceleration into speed or displacement, at 0-5 Hz frequencies noise starts prevailing over vibration peaks, which is why such frequencies are disregarded when doing the conversion. Should vibration frequency exceed 50 Hz, the peak will be recorded at an incorrect frequency, and hence speed or displacement will not be calculated correctly. Unrealistically high speed or large displacement may be a sign of this kind of false frequency.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Read full description

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

Vibration analysis4 screens
SignalScope Basic 20204 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Vibration analysis at Free against SignalScope Basic 2020's $59.99. Vibration analysis also leads on ratings volume (43 vs 1). SignalScope Basic 2020's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 57%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.0). On update cadence and ads 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

Vibration analysis is free to download; SignalScope Basic 2020 costs $59.99 up front. Vibration analysis sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. SignalScope Basic 2020 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SignalScope Basic 2020 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Vibration analysis has 43 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Vibration analysis's written reviews are positive against 100% of SignalScope Basic 2020's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Vibration analysis ships an update every 3 months, SignalScope Basic 2020 every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Vibration analysis versus SignalScope Basic 2020: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVibration analysisSignalScope Basic 2020
PriceFree — better$59.99
Rating4.0 (43 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings43 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.613.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDmitriy KharutskiyFaber Acoustical, LLC

Customer experience

Vibration analysis

All ratings43 ratings
Positive69.8%
Neutral9.3%
Negative20.9%
Written reviews54 reviews
Positive57.4%
Neutral13.0%
Negative29.6%

SignalScope Basic 2020

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Vibration analysis

One-time2
  • Settings$2.99
  • External accelerometer$2.99
None

SignalScope Basic 2020

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Vibration analysis free?
Vibration analysis is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SignalScope Basic 2020 free?
SignalScope Basic 2020 costs $59.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Vibration analysis or SignalScope Basic 2020?
SignalScope Basic 2020 is rated higher. Vibration analysis averages 4.0 out of 5 from 43 ratings, while SignalScope Basic 2020 averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Vibration analysis or SignalScope Basic 2020 have ads?
Neither Vibration analysis nor SignalScope Basic 2020 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Vibration analysis or SignalScope Basic 2020?
Vibration analysis ships an update every 3 months, and SignalScope Basic 2020 every 6 weeks. Most recently, Vibration analysis was updated on October 14, 2026 and SignalScope Basic 2020 on October 15, 2026.

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