Comparison

SWListener vs Shortwave Guide

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

Shortwave Guide

This application displays a real-time schedule of shortwave radio broadcasts worldwide, sourced from the EiBi database. Users can rescan for updates, view specific frequencies, and update the entire broadcast schedule database.

Highlights
  • Worldwide shortwave broadcast schedule
  • Real-time station listings
  • Frequency viewing
  • Database updates
  • EiBi database integration
Features
Read full description

The app shows a schedule of shortwave radio broadcasting. Information taken from EiBi database. When you run the application, you will see a list of radio stations, broadcasting currently worldwide. To update the scanning time in the menu, click "Rescan". To view all the selected radio frequency specifically, use a right button. When you first launch the app, or to update the schedule database, choose "Update Database".

Screenshots

SWListener4 screens
Shortwave Guide3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: SWListener at $0.99 against Shortwave Guide's $8.99. Shortwave Guide's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (20% vs 6%). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

SWListener costs $0.99 and Shortwave Guide $8.99 up front. SWListener sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per year. Shortwave Guide asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SWListener ships an update every 6 weeks, Shortwave Guide every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
SWListener versus Shortwave Guide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSWListenerShortwave Guide
Price$0.99 — better$8.99
Rating1.4 (41 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews6.5% of reviews20.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings41 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.615.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DevelopermdVladyslav Haliuk

Customer experience

SWListener

All ratings41 ratings
Positive9.8%
Neutral2.4%
Negative87.8%
Written reviews77 reviews
Positive6.5%
Neutral2.6%
Negative90.9%

Shortwave Guide

Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative60.0%

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

Shortwave Guide

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SWListener

Subscriptions1
  • SWListener premium7 Days trial$2.991 Year
None

Shortwave Guide

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SWListener free?
SWListener costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Shortwave Guide free?
Shortwave Guide costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do SWListener or Shortwave Guide have ads?
Neither SWListener nor Shortwave Guide shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SWListener or Shortwave Guide?
SWListener ships an update every 6 weeks, and Shortwave Guide every 2 months. Most recently, SWListener was updated on September 27, 2026 and Shortwave Guide on September 24, 2026.

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