Blue Cat's FreqAnalyst vs Open Audio Analyzer
Blue Cat's FreqAnalyst
bluecataudio.com
Open Audio Analyzer
open-audio-analyzer.comSide by side
| Figure | Blue Cat's FreqAnalyst | Open Audio Analyzer |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Audio Analysis Software | 8.0 (#14) | 8.6 (#5) |
| Headquarters | Paris, France | Kirchheim, Germany |
| Purpose | FreqAnalyst is a free plug-in for monitoring an audio signal’s spectral content in real time. | Open Audio Analyzer is a free, open-source loudness and spectrum analyzer for live audio and audio files. |
| Support | Blue Cat Audio provides a knowledge base, help desk, forum, and tutorials for product support. | Technical support is directed to the public GitHub issue tracker, with documentation covering installation, metrics, keyboard controls, wire protocol and building. |
Plans
In their own words
Blue Cat's FreqAnalyst
Blue Cat's FreqAnalyst is a free plug-in for monitoring the spectral content of mono or stereo audio in real time. It displays spectrum, instant curve and peak curve views, with continuous changes rendered using smooth interpolation. Users can zoom the display, choose among sizes and set absolute or relative thresholds. The interface supports skins, transparency and zoom customization, while MIDI control, automation and MIDI Learn provide ways to control the plug-in. A preset manager is included, and users can copy and paste a plug-in state between instances. FreqAnalyst is not a standalone app: it requires a compatible audio host and is available in VST, VST3, AAX and Audio Unit formats for macOS and Windows. The stated operating systems are macOS 10.9 or newer and Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10 or 11. It supports up to two channels. The maker says processing stops when the input is silent, so it uses no CPU while idle.
Open Audio Analyzer
Open Audio Analyzer is free, open-source software for measuring loudness and spectrum in live audio and audio files. Its fourteen meter types include loudness, true peak, VU, spectrum, spectrogram, oscilloscope, phase scope and histogram. Loudness measurements follow EBU R 128 and ITU-R BS.1770-4, with momentary, short-term and integrated LUFS, loudness range and oversampled true peak. Users can arrange meters across tabs, save presets, choose delivery targets for streaming or broadcast, and create their own targets. A command-line tool analyzes individual files or album folders and can produce reports or CSV output. VST3 and Audio Unit plugins send measurements and DAW transport position to the app. An AAX plugin is in the plugin archive but is not signed for a released Pro Tools version. A tablet on the same network can display the app's published measurements over Wi-Fi. The maker says measurements stay on-device and audio is neither stored nor transmitted. The remote display link has no encryption or authentication. The app runs on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS and Windows.