AcousPlan vs Sarooma: Material Database & Design Tools Compared

TL;DR

Sarooma and AcousPlan both offer browser-based acoustic design with free tiers. The material database is where they diverge most sharply: AcousPlan carries 5,600+ products from 115 manufacturers across 27 countries with cost and carbon data; Sarooma's database is smaller and primarily European. For architects who need compliance checking beyond ISO 3382 — WELL, LEED, national building codes — AcousPlan's 13-standard automated checking fills a gap that Sarooma does not address. For quick European RT60 estimates with a clean interface, Sarooma is a capable tool. This comparison helps you decide which approach matches your project requirements.

The Material Database Question

Acoustic design software is only as useful as its material data. An RT60 equation is trivial to implement — the Sabine formula fits in a single spreadsheet cell. What consumes design time is finding reliable absorption coefficient data for the specific products available in your market, at your budget, with the fire rating your building code requires.

This is where the AcousPlan vs Sarooma comparison becomes concrete. It is less about calculation methodology (both use ISO 3382-2 standard equations) and more about what happens after the equation runs: Can the tool help you select real, purchasable products that meet the calculated absorption requirements?

Sarooma's Material Approach

Sarooma provides a curated material library focused on common European acoustic products. The interface allows material selection by category (ceiling tiles, wall panels, floor coverings) with absorption coefficients displayed per octave band. The curation philosophy favors quality over quantity — fewer materials, but well-documented ones.

For a consultant in Berlin specifying Knauf AMF ceiling tiles for a standard office, Sarooma's database covers the common product lines. The limitation surfaces when the project requires materials outside the European mainstream: Australian mineral wool products for an NCC 2022 project, Japanese acoustic panels for a Tokyo hotel fit-out, or Brazilian manufacturers for a Sao Paulo office campus.

AcousPlan's Material Approach

AcousPlan's database takes the breadth approach: 5,600+ acoustic products from 115 manufacturers across 27 countries. Every entry includes:

• Frequency-dependent absorption coefficients at 125, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz
• NRC (Noise Reduction Coefficient) and alpha-w (weighted absorption coefficient)
• Indicative cost per square metre (in local currency where available)
• Embodied carbon in kg CO₂e per square metre (for sustainability assessments)
• Fire classification (Euroclass, ASTM E84, or local equivalent)
• Surface type, thickness, mounting condition, and manufacturer country

Try It Free: Search AcousPlan's 5,600-material database by manufacturer, NRC rating, fire class, or price range — compare three products side by side in seconds.

Beyond RT60: The Compliance Gap

What Sarooma Checks

Sarooma calculates RT60 using Sabine and Eyring equations per ISO 3382-2. It presents results as frequency-dependent reverberation times and can compare against ISO 3382 target ranges for common room types. This covers the core calculation that most architectural acoustic assessments require.

What AcousPlan Checks

AcousPlan runs the same RT60 calculation, then checks the result against 13 standards simultaneously:

• ISO 3382-1:2009 — Performance space parameters (EDT, C80, C50, D50)
• ISO 3382-2:2008 — RT60 in ordinary rooms (Sabine, Eyring)
• ISO 3382-3:2012 — Open-plan office parameters (D₂,S, Lp,A,S,4m)
• WELL v2 Feature 74 — Sound Mapping (RT60, background noise, STC)
• LEED EQ Credit — Acoustic performance (RT60, background noise)
• ANSI S12.60-2010 — Classroom acoustics (RT60, background noise level)
• BB93:2015 — UK school acoustics (RT60, indoor ambient noise)
• DIN 18041:2016 — German room acoustics (communication vs. performance)
• NCC 2022 / AS 2107 — Australian building code (sound insulation, RT60)
• NRA 2000 — French acoustic regulations
• IBC 2021 — US International Building Code (STC/IIC)
• SS 25268 — Swedish sound classification
• ASHRAE 189.1-2020 — High-performance green buildings

Feature Comparison Table

Three Projects, Two Tools

Project 1: Munich Open-Plan Office

A 600 m² open-plan office for 80 workstations. Must comply with DIN 18041:2016, ASR A3.7 (German workplace noise regulation), and the client has requested WELL v2 certification for the office floors.

Sarooma handles the DIN 18041 RT60 calculation competently and carries German manufacturer products (Knauf AMF, OWA, Rockfon) for material selection.

AcousPlan runs the same DIN 18041 check, adds WELL v2 Feature 74 compliance checking, generates formatted compliance documentation for both standards, and provides open-plan office specific parameters per ISO 3382-3 (spatial decay rate D₂,S and A-weighted SPL at 4 metres).

For this project: AcousPlan's multi-standard checking and WELL documentation save approximately 4–6 hours of manual compliance work.

Project 2: Quick RT60 Check for a Meeting Room

An architect needs a fast RT60 estimate for a 45 m² meeting room during a design review meeting. Room dimensions are known. Ceiling tile is a standard Ecophon Focus product. No formal compliance documentation required — just a number to confirm the design direction.

Sarooma provides the answer in under 2 minutes: enter dimensions, select the ceiling tile, read the RT60 value.

AcousPlan provides the same answer in a similar timeframe, with additional standard compliance indicators that may or may not be relevant to a quick design check.

For this project: Both tools work equally well. The simpler interface may favor whichever tool the architect is already logged into.

Project 3: Sydney School Campus (30 Classrooms)

A 30-classroom primary school in New South Wales. Must comply with NCC 2022 Volume 1 Section F5 and AS/NZS 2107:2016. The Department of Education requires compliance documentation for each classroom.

Sarooma calculates RT60 for each room but does not check against NCC 2022 requirements and does not carry Australian manufacturer products. The architect must manually verify compliance and format 30 reports.

AcousPlan checks each classroom against NCC 2022 automatically, provides Australian material options (CSR Bradford, Autex, Boral), and generates 30 formatted compliance reports in under 5 minutes total.

For this project: AcousPlan's Australian standards coverage and material database make it the clear choice. The time saving across 30 classrooms is measured in days, not hours.

The Interface Philosophy

Sarooma's interface is intentionally simple. The design philosophy appears to be "do one thing well" — RT60 calculation with material selection, presented cleanly. This simplicity is a genuine advantage for users who find comprehensive platforms overwhelming.

AcousPlan's interface is more feature-rich, which means more to learn. The calculator page presents room geometry, material selection, compliance status, and AI recommendations in a single view. For a first-time user, this density can feel complex. For a regular user managing multi-room projects, having everything in one view eliminates navigation overhead.

The trade-off is the classic one in software design: simplicity versus capability. Sarooma optimizes for the first-time experience. AcousPlan optimizes for the twentieth-time experience.

Cost Comparison

Both tools offer freemium models, but the free tier boundaries differ:

Sarooma Free: Basic RT60 calculation with a subset of materials. Paid tiers unlock additional materials, project management, and expanded features.

AcousPlan Free: RT60 and STI calculation with the basic material database. No project limit on free-tier calculations. Pro ($29/month or $348/year) unlocks all 5,600+ materials, 13-standard compliance checking, PDF/DOCX reports, AI prescription, and unlimited projects.

For a solo consultant handling 5–10 projects per month, AcousPlan Pro at $29/month is roughly equivalent to one billable hour — a cost that is recovered if the tool saves more than one hour per month on material research and compliance documentation.

Summary

Sarooma is a clean, focused RT60 calculator that serves its European user base well for quick acoustic estimates. AcousPlan is a broader compliance platform with a larger material database, more building code coverage, and automated reporting that extends well beyond RT60 calculation. The tools are not direct competitors in the sense that one is strictly better than the other — they serve different user profiles and project types.

If your work is European, ISO 3382-focused, and values interface simplicity over feature depth, Sarooma deserves evaluation. If your work spans multiple countries, requires certification documentation (WELL, LEED, national building codes), or benefits from AI-driven material recommendations and a 5,600-product database, AcousPlan is the more complete platform.

Compare for Yourself: Run your next project through AcousPlan's free calculator and see how 13-standard compliance checking and 5,600+ materials change your workflow. The first simulation takes under five minutes.

AcousPlan provides advisory acoustic calculations for architectural compliance. All simulation results should be verified by a qualified acoustic professional before use in construction documentation. Sarooma is a trademark of its respective owner.