WLM Plus Loudness Meter vs Sonic Visualiser

WLM Plus Loudness Meter9.0Visit Sonic Visualiser7.7Visit

Higher score WLM Plus Loudness Meter #2 in Audio Analysis Software 9.0/10 Paid ✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Waves Audio

vs

Sonic Visualiser #7 in Audio Analysis Software 7.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 3 features Try Sonic Visualiser

• WLM Plus Loudness Meter fits best

  Loudness compliance across many DAWs

• Sonic Visualiser fits best

  Free audio visualization and annotation

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	WLM Plus Loudness Meter 9.0/10 Visit ↗	Sonic Visualiser 7.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	7.7
Ranking	#2 in Audio Analysis Software	#7 in Audio Analysis Software
Best for	Loudness compliance across many DAWs	Free audio visualization and annotation
Pricing model	Paid	Free
Starting price	—	Free plan
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Docs	Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features WLM Plus Loudness Meter 3/3 · Sonic Visualiser 1/3
Real-time analysis	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Offline file analysis	✓	✓
Loudness standards	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Maximum channels	6 channels	Not checked yet
Plugin support	Aax	Not checked yet
Analysis views	momentary, short-term, long-term, loudness range, true peak, gain reduction	waveform, spectrum, spectrogram
Our review
Pros	Supports ITU, EBU and ATSC loudness measurement standards Provides real-time and offline CSV logging Works across mono, stereo and multichannel workflows	Waveform, spectrum, and spectrogram views for audio recordings Annotations support points, segments, values, curves, and aligned layers Feature-extraction plugins support beat tracking and pitch detection
Cons	Paid product without a free plan Channel capacity is limited to mono, stereo and 5.0 or 5.1 workflows Advanced metering may be more than needed for simple level checks	Designed for offline file analysis rather than real-time measurement Its focus is studying music audio recordings, not broad production workflows Desktop availability is limited to Windows, macOS, and Linux
Our verdict	WLM Plus Loudness Meter is an audio plug-in for measuring and controlling loudness in music, podcasts, video, broadcast, movie trailers, games and other media. It is designed for producers, engineers and post-production teams working… Read the review →	Sonic Visualiser is a free, open-source desktop application for studying music audio recordings. It suits musicologists, archivists, signal-processing researchers, and other users who need detailed visual analysis of audio files. Available… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• WLM Plus Loudness Meter — where it wins

  • Supports ITU, EBU and ATSC loudness measurement standards
  • Provides real-time and offline CSV logging
  • Works across mono, stereo and multichannel workflows

  Where it doesn't

  • Paid product without a free plan
  • Channel capacity is limited to mono, stereo and 5.0 or 5.1 workflows
  • Advanced metering may be more than needed for simple level checks

• Sonic Visualiser — where it wins

  • Waveform, spectrum, and spectrogram views for audio recordings
  • Annotations support points, segments, values, curves, and aligned layers
  • Feature-extraction plugins support beat tracking and pitch detection

  Where it doesn't

  • Designed for offline file analysis rather than real-time measurement
  • Its focus is studying music audio recordings, not broad production workflows
  • Desktop availability is limited to Windows, macOS, and Linux

• WLM Plus Loudness Meter9.0/10 · Paid

  A standards-focused loudness plugin for production across major DAWs.

  Visit Waves AudioFull verdict →
• Sonic Visualiser7.7/10 · Free plan

  A capable free tool for detailed offline audio visualisation and annotation.

  Try Sonic VisualiserFull verdict →