Is LKFS the same as LUFS?

Yes. They are two names for the same loudness measurement, defined in ITU-R BS.1770.

What if my episode is too quiet or too loud?

Change the level of the whole episode so its integrated loudness lands near -16 LKFS, and keep true peaks at or under -1 dBTP with a true-peak limiter.

Does Apple turn episodes up or down?

Apple says that with loudness or Sound Check metadata, playback is consistent at -16 dB. It doesn’t publish how much it changes an episode without that metadata, so this checker doesn’t guess.

Does my file get uploaded?

No. Your browser reads and measures the file on your device. Nothing is sent to us, and you don’t need an account.

Apple Podcasts loudness checker

See how an episode measures against the loudness Apple Podcasts asks for. Drop a file and get the answer in seconds.

Drop a recording

WAV, FLAC, MP3, M4A, AAC or OGG, up to 10 minutes.

Measured in your browser. Your file stays on this device, and no account is needed.

Peaks too hot for Apple? Find every true peak.

What Apple Podcasts asks for

Apple’s audio requirements ask podcasters to prepare episodes at about -16 LKFS of integrated loudness, give or take 1 dB, with true peaks no higher than -1 dBFS, measured to ITU-R BS.1770.

Apple gives the reason: it keeps spoken content audible and free of distortion. Heavily compressed, loud audio can come out distorted, quiet audio can be hard to hear, and lossy encoders can clip audio whose true peak goes over the limit.

LKFS and LUFS are the same unit. This checker measures integrated loudness with gating and a 4x oversampled true peak, the same way Studio does. Close means within 3 dB of Apple’s level; that band is ours, not Apple’s.

Sources

Questions

Is LKFS the same as LUFS?: Yes. They are two names for the same loudness measurement, defined in ITU-R BS.1770.
What if my episode is too quiet or too loud?: Change the level of the whole episode so its integrated loudness lands near -16 LKFS, and keep true peaks at or under -1 dBTP with a true-peak limiter.
Does Apple turn episodes up or down?: Apple says that with loudness or Sound Check metadata, playback is consistent at -16 dB. It doesn’t publish how much it changes an episode without that metadata, so this checker doesn’t guess.
Does my file get uploaded?: No. Your browser reads and measures the file on your device. Nothing is sent to us, and you don’t need an account.