Online Sound Meter
READY TO LISTEN
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dB(A)
Uncalibrated estimate
MIN—
AVERAGE · Leq—
MAX—
Allow your microphone to get started.
SOUND LEVEL / dB(A)

Your sound, over time.

Leq—
L10—
L90—
Session00:00
A-weighted · Fast

What does it sound like?

Everyday sounds at each level. Every 10 dB sounds about twice as loud.

  • 0–40 dB Quiet Whispering, a refrigerator
  • 40–70 dB Everyday Normal conversation, a dishwasher
  • 70–85 dB Getting loud A movie theater, a lawnmower
  • 85–100 dB Loud Power tools, a motorcycle
  • 100–120 dB Very loud Concerts, sirens
  • 120+ dB Extremely loud Sirens up close, fireworks

Approximate levels. The real number depends on the source and how close you are.

Time per day

How long a day NIOSH's recommended limit for workplace noise allows at each A-weighted level. Drag the slider or tap a row.

dB
NIOSH limit per day 8 h

General guidance, not a safety or medical assessment. Readings from phone and laptop microphones are estimates. Source: NIOSH.

Your microphone. Your privacy. No audio recorded or uploaded.

What is a sound meter?

A sound meter tells you how loud it is where you are, in decibels (dB). This one uses the microphone in your phone or computer, so there is nothing to install and no account to make.

How to use it

  1. Press Start measuring. Your browser asks to use the microphone. Tap Allow.
  2. Hold still. Hold it still, with the microphone uncovered. The average steadies the longer you measure.
  3. Read the result. The big number is the level right now. Average is the best single number for the whole time you measured.
  4. Save it if you need to. Report saves the session as a PDF, a spreadsheet or a picture. Finish & save keeps a short summary on this device.
The sound meter measuring a room: the dial shows the level now, with the minimum, average and maximum under it and the level over time beside it.

What everything means

The sound meter with numbered labels on each part.
  1. The number. How loud it is right now. The ring fills up as it gets louder; amber and red mark your warning levels.
  2. MIN, AVERAGE and MAX. The quietest moment, the average of the whole session, and the loudest moment.
  3. Start and reset. Start or pause measuring. The round arrow clears the numbers and begins again.
  4. The chart. History shows the level over time. Spectrum and Octave show which pitches the sound is made of, low on the left and high on the right. Spectrogram shows pitch going up and time going across.
  5. Leq, L10 and L90. Leq is the average again. L10 is how loud the loud moments are, and L90 is the steady background underneath.
  6. Report. Download the session as a PDF, a CSV file or a picture.

Calibrate for closer readings

Every microphone hears a little differently, so the first readings are rough estimates. If you have a sound level meter you trust, put it next to your device, open Calibrate and tap + or − until both show the same number. That brings it closer, and it is remembered for that microphone.

The calibration window, with minus and plus buttons to match the reading to another meter.

Why does it need my microphone?

It is the only way the page can hear the room. The sound is measured inside your browser and thrown away straight after — nothing is recorded, saved or uploaded.

Is it accurate?

It gives an estimate. Every phone and laptop microphone is different, so without calibration the reading can be several decibels off, or more. Calibrating against a sound level meter you trust brings it closer.

Why does my friend's phone show a different number?

Each microphone has its own sensitivity. Calibrating both devices against the same meter brings them much closer together.

What does dB(A) mean?

Decibels weighted to roughly match how sensitive our ears are to different pitches. It is the most common way to measure everyday noise.

Does it work on a phone?

It is built for current Safari and Chrome on phones. Keep the screen on: phones often pause the microphone when the screen locks.

Can I use it for an official complaint?

It is good for checking and comparing, but it is not a certified instrument. Official measurements usually call for a certified sound level meter.

MAKE IT YOURS

Meter settings

Changing weighting, response, display or microphone starts a new session.

dB
dB
FINE-TUNE YOUR METER

Calibrate

Match your microphone to a meter you trust. Any one of these works.

Current reading —

Nudge it until it matchesEasiest

In a steady sound, put a trusted meter beside your device and tap until both read the same. 70–80 dB works best.

0.0 dB

Type what your reference reads

In a steady sound, with the same weighting and response on both, type what the trusted meter reads.

Already know your offset?

Replaces the offset outright. The default is 100 dB.

Not calibrated

Saved for this microphone and its audio settings. A browser meter is not a certified instrument.
GOOD TO KNOW

Small tool. Clear limits.

One tap to listen

Start measuring and allow microphone access. Keep the microphone uncovered and away from wind. Pause any time; finish to save a summary on this browser.

Estimates, not lab measurements

Microphones report a digital signal, not calibrated air pressure, and the initial 100 dB offset is a placeholder. Calibrate against a trusted meter, or switch to relative dBFS. Very quiet and very loud sounds can exceed your microphone.

Readings explained

A roughly follows hearing, C keeps more bass, Z is unweighted. Fast (125 ms) suits most sounds, Slow (1 s) steadies the number, Impulse catches bangs and Average holds a flat 400 ms. Leq is the energy average of the session; sample peak is the highest digital sample, in dBFS. Octave bands are estimates from the frequency analysis.

Time per day

The time-per-day bars follow NIOSH's recommended limit for workplace noise: 85 dB(A) averaged over 8 hours, halved for every 3 dB more. It is meant for steady noise measured with a proper instrument. General information only, not a safety assessment or a compliance measurement.

Read the NIOSH noise exposure guide ↗

Private by design

Audio is processed on your device and is never recorded or uploaded. Summaries and calibration stay in your browser, and CSV exports contain readings, not audio. Background measurement is enabled by default, but your browser or device may suspend it. Disable it in Settings to pause when the page is hidden. Use a current browser over HTTPS.
ON THIS DEVICE

Recent sessions

Your last 12 summaries. Export detailed readings before starting a new session.
TAKE IT WITH YOU

Session report

A PDF of the session plus its raw data as CSV. The PDF prints the CSV’s checksum, so you can check the CSV is the one this report was built from.

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Data checksum (SHA-256) —

Start a new session?

Current detailed readings will be cleared. Export them first if you need them.