Podcast loudness check free, in your browser
Apple Podcasts is the only big podcast app that publishes a loudness target: -16 LUFS, with true peaks no higher than -1 dB. Choose an episode to see how far it is from that and from other common targets.
Measuring runs on your device. Up to 200 MB and 60 minutes. Format support depends on your browser.
What to expect
- Cost and privacy
- Free, with no account. Processing runs on your device; your audio is never uploaded.
- Use it for
- Compare a finished episode's integrated loudness and true peak with Apple Podcasts, AES streaming guidance, Spotify music playback, Overcast and broadcast targets.
- Inputs
- WAV, MP3, M4A or MP4 when your browser can decode the audio. Mono or stereo, at least 400 ms.
- Limits
- Up to 200 MB and 60 minutes, subject to available browser memory.
- Keep in mind
- It measures and compares. It does not change your file and is not a certified compliance meter.
How to check podcast loudness, in three steps
- STEP 01
Choose the finished episode
Drop the exported WAV, MP3 or M4A onto the check. It decodes on your device and nothing is uploaded.
- STEP 02
Read the Apple Podcasts line first
The top sentence compares the file with Apple's -16 LUFS and -1 dBTP. The table below it shows how far the file is from each other target.
- STEP 03
Raise or lower it, then measure again
If it's too quiet, the quiet audio fixer raises it to -16 LUFS and holds peaks at -1 dBTP. Export, then check the exported file once more.
How loud should a podcast be?
Aim for -16 LUFS integrated loudness with true peaks at or below -1 dBTP. That is what Apple Podcasts publishes, and it is the only major podcast app with a written number. If your show is mostly speech and you stream it elsewhere too, anything from -18 to -16 LUFS is a safe range.
LUFS measures how loud the whole episode feels, not its loudest moment. Apps that normalize turn each episode up or down toward their own level, so a file far below the target sounds weak when the app can't raise it without clipping, and a file far above it gets turned down and can sound squashed.
Spotify's often quoted -14 LUFS is its music setting. Spotify publishes no loudness number for podcasts. YouTube has no official document. Broadcast is quieter again: -23 LUFS in Europe and -24 LKFS in the US.
This check measures your file with the ITU-R BS.1770 method, the same one the platforms name, and estimates true peak with 4x oversampling. It runs in a Worker on your device, so nothing is uploaded. Measure the final exported MP3 or M4A too, because encoding can push peaks up.
Loudness targets by platform
Each number below links to where it is published. Where a platform publishes nothing, we say so instead of guessing.
CHECKED OCTOBER 22, 2026
| WHO | LOUDNESS | TRUE PEAK | WHAT IT MEANS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple PodcastsPodcasts | -16 LUFS | -1 dBTP | Apple asks for -16 LKFS, give or take 1 dB, with true peaks no higher than -1 dBFS. Sound Check plays episodes at -16. Apple Podcasts audio requirements. |
| AES TD1008Streamed speech | -18 LUFS | Not set | The Audio Engineering Society recommends -18 LUFS for speech and -16 for music when streaming. The AES document itself wasn't readable to us, so this comes from a published summary. Production Advice summary of AES TD1008 (secondary source). |
| SpotifyMusic playback, not podcasts | -14 LUFS | -1 dBTP | Spotify turns music to -14 LUFS on its normal setting. It only turns softer tracks up until their true peak reaches about -1 dB. Spotify publishes no loudness target for podcasts. Spotify loudness normalization. |
| Overcast Voice BoostPodcasts, when the listener turns it on | -14 LUFS | Not set | Overcast's Voice Boost 2 moves episodes to -14 LUFS in both directions and adds a true-peak limiter. Voice Boost 2 announcement. |
| EBU R 128European broadcast | -23 LUFS | -1 dBTP | European TV and radio aim for -23.0 LUFS with true peaks at or below -1 dBTP. EBU R 128 (2023). |
| ATSC A/85US television | -24 LUFS | -2 dBTP | US broadcast TV aims for -24 LKFS, about 2 dB either way, with true peaks at or below -2 dBTP. ATSC A/85:2026-07. |
No published podcast target
- Spotify podcasts. The podcast file spec covers MP3 bitrate and length, not loudness. Source.
- YouTube. No official document. Third-party tests suggest loud uploads are turned down to about -14 LUFS and quiet ones are left alone.
- Amazon Music and Audible podcasts. No podcast number published. Amazon's -14 LUFS rule is for Alexa skills.
- Pocket Casts. No target. Its Volume Boost is a listener setting. Source.
Questions
What LUFS should a podcast be?
-16 LUFS integrated with true peaks no higher than -1 dBTP. That is Apple Podcasts' published target, within 1 dB. AES guidance for streamed speech is -18 LUFS, so -18 to -16 is a safe range for a talk show.
Is -14 LUFS right for podcasts on Spotify?
Spotify's -14 LUFS is how it plays music on the normal setting. It publishes no loudness target for podcasts, so -16 LUFS with peaks under -1 dBTP is the safer choice for an episode that goes everywhere.
What's the difference between LUFS and LKFS?
None in practice. Both name the same ITU-R BS.1770 loudness measurement. Apple writes LKFS, most tools write LUFS.
Why does my episode sound quiet next to other shows?
It is probably several LU under -16. Apps that normalize won't always raise a quiet file, because doing so would push its peaks into clipping. Raise it with a limiter, as the quiet audio fixer does, rather than plain gain.
Does this change my file?
No. It only measures a decoded copy in your browser. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is saved over your recording.
Is this a certified loudness meter?
No. It follows the BS.1770 method and we publish how it compares with FFmpeg on the LUFS meter page, but for a broadcast delivery use the meter the broadcaster names.