Comparison

SWListener vs Space Widget

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

SWListener

Discover shortwave radio broadcasts with this app. View current transmissions, detailed information like language and target, and explore station schedules. Find broadcasts by frequency or station name.

Highlights
  • Find broadcast schedules
  • View current transmissions
  • Get transmission details
  • Search by frequency
  • Browse station schedules
  • Sort stations by name
Features
Read full description

Tune into the world. No algorithms. No streaming. Just radio. SWListener is the ultimate companion for shortwave enthusiasts. Discover thousands of broadcast schedules from stations around the world - always up to date and at your fingertips. What you can do: - Scan live frequencies and see what's currently on air - Type any frequency directly into the VFO display for instant tuning - Browse the complete schedule of every world station - Check language, transmitter site, target region and antenna data - Navigate by frequency, band or station name - See which frequencies have recent DX spots highlighted on the tuning scale - Log reception reports and share them with the SWL community Whether you're a seasoned DXer or just discovering shortwave - SWListener gives you the tools to explore the spectrum like never before. NOTE: SWListener is a broadcast schedule database - not a radio player. A real shortwave receiver is required to listen. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Space Widget

Discover stunning daily images of space, from nebulae to eclipses, with detailed explanations from astronomers. Customize your Home Screen and Lock Screen with widgets, and explore a vast archive of past images.

Highlights
  • Daily space photographs
  • Astronomer explanations
  • 30+ years of image archive
  • Customizable Home Screen widgets
  • Lock Screen widgets
  • Offline image display
Features
Read full description

Space Widget brings the universe to your Home Screen. Every day there's a new picture of space, a nebula, a galaxy, a comet or an eclipse, with its story told by a professional astronomer. THE DAILY PICTURE • A new space photograph every day, on your Home Screen and in the app. • Every picture comes with an explanation written by a professional astronomer, and credits the people who made it. • Swipe up to travel back in time through more than 30 years of pictures, all the way to 1995. • Pinch or double-tap to zoom into every detail, and share any picture. • Pull down for new pictures. MADE FOR EVERY SCREEN • Widgets in every size, including extra large on iPad. • On iPad in landscape and on iPhone Duo, the picture and its story sit side by side. • The widget looks right on tinted Home Screens and keeps showing the last picture when you're offline. WIDGET STUDIO Today's picture on your Home Screen is free. Widget Studio adds more: • Put the title or the date on your widget. • Add Lock Screen widgets. • Pin any day you like, or let the widget pick a random picture from the archive. If you bought Space Widget before, Widget Studio is included. • Widget Studio is an auto-renewing subscription, yearly or monthly. The yearly plan starts with a one-week free trial for new subscribers. • Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase, or when the free trial ends. • Your subscription renews automatically unless you turn it off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Renewal is charged within the 24 hours before the period ends. • Manage or cancel it any time in your Apple Account settings. Any unused part of a free trial ends when you subscribe. Pictures and explanations come from Astronomy Picture of the Day. Space Widget is an independent app and isn't affiliated with NASA. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.taphive.com/spacewidget/privacy.html

Screenshots

SWListener4 screens
Space Widget4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Space Widget at 2.5 against SWListener's 1.4. SWListener's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 17 months) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. SWListener sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per year and Space Widget sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Space Widget holds the better App Store score, 2.5 against 1.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SWListener has 43 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 6% of SWListener's written reviews are positive against 0% of Space Widget's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SWListener ships an update every 5 weeks, Space Widget every 17 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
SWListener versus Space Widget: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSWListenerSpace Widget
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.4 (43 ratings)2.5 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews6.3% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings43 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 17 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.6 — better27.0
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DevelopermdTaphive GmbH

Customer experience

SWListener

All ratings43 ratings
Positive9.3%
Neutral2.3%
Negative88.4%
Written reviews79 reviews
Positive6.3%
Neutral2.5%
Negative91.1%

Space Widget

All ratings2 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

SWListener

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • App crashes
  • Blank screens
  • Zero functionality
  • No sound
  • No reception
Show 11 more
  • App opens but nothing loads
  • App crashes constantly
  • App freezes on 'retrieving data'
  • App crashes and closes after selecting a station
  • App shuts down immediately when tapped on a frequency
  • App hangs on 'running'
  • App freezes
  • App opens, screen pops up and says retrieving data, then freezes
  • App will not open
  • Unzumutbare Ladezeiten
  • Abstürze

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add selection by language
  • Add selection by target area
  • Fetch free SW schedule updates from EIBI and HFCC
  • Customer support to show screenshots
  • Dark mode option
Show 1 more
  • Advanced analytics dashboard

Space Widget

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SWListener

Subscriptions1
  • SWListener premium7 Days trial$2.991 Year
2 purchases

Space Widget

Subscriptions2
  • Widget Studio Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Widget Studio Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year

Questions

Is SWListener free?
SWListener is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Space Widget free?
Space Widget is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SWListener or Space Widget?
Space Widget is rated higher. SWListener averages 1.4 out of 5 from 43 ratings, while Space Widget averages 2.5 from 2 ratings.
Do SWListener or Space Widget have ads?
Neither SWListener nor Space Widget shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SWListener or Space Widget?
SWListener ships an update every 5 weeks, and Space Widget every 17 months. Most recently, SWListener was updated on November 1, 2026 and Space Widget on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons