Open Audio Analyzer vs Smaart

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.

Smaart is professional audio acoustic test and measurement software from Rational Acoustics, a company founded in 2008. Its Suite edition includes Real-Time, Impulse Response, and SPL measurement modes; other editions are RT, LE, and SPL. Analysis views include RTA, spectrograph, magnitude, coherence, phase, live impulse response, linear and logarithmic views, energy time curve, frequency, histogram, and SPL history. Each product includes an API for accessing measurement data and parameters through JSON commands over WebSocket, with an SDK available free upon request. Listed integrations include Eclipse Audio FIR Designer, Globcon, Lab Gruppen Lake Controller, Powersoft ArmoniaPlus, and Waves TRACT. Smaart is available for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows, but does not support Windows on ARM. Demo installers for Suite, LE, and SPL expire after 30 days and cannot be reactivated or converted to a license. Annual subscriptions provide one year of use and renew automatically unless canceled before the term ends. Pricing includes subscriptions from $159 a year and perpetual licenses from $349, paid once.