SmartSDR™ vs HamAlert
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SmartSDR™
Control your FlexRadio SDR device from your iPad or iPhone. Access nearly all features of the desktop client, including digital modes, signal analysis, and remote operation via SmartLink. Requires compatible FlexRadio hardware.
- FT8 and FT4 support
- SSTV TX and RX
- APRS TX and RX
- CW Decoder and keyer
- Weather Fax decoder
- Slice and Panadapter management
- SmartLink remote access
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The Official FlexRadio Systems® Client for iPhone and iPad. Your FLEX-6000, FLEX-8000 or Aurora radio, at home over Wi-Fi or from anywhere with SmartLink™. Made by a ham, for hams, with personal support included. Works with any radio firmware: SmartSDR v1, v2, v3 and v4, including the newest release. WORKS WITH ■ FLEX-6300, FLEX-6400, FLEX-6400M, FLEX-6500, FLEX-6600, FLEX-6600M, FLEX-6700 ■ FLEX-8400, FLEX-8400M, FLEX-8600, FLEX-8600M ■ AU-510, AU-510M, AU-520, AU-520M (Aurora) OPERATE ■ Panadapter and waterfall with band plan, DX Cluster, POTA and FT8 spots ■ Slices, filters, TNFs, memories, profiles (TX, microphone, global), transverters, equalizers ■ SmartLink™ remote access, MultiFlex™, SmartControl, APD / SmartSignal™ ■ CWX with side tone and live sending, software paddle and straight key ■ Compact floating panels: CWX, Tune Stack, macros, Command Bar, DTMF, RIT / XIT ■ Firmware Update of your radio, right from the app ■ Your iPhone or iPad as microphone and speaker; the radio keeps playing in the background ■ Ready for iPhone Duo, iPad split screen and Apple Vision Pro MODES ■ FT8-Improved with AutoAnswer and AutoCQ, the classic FT8 and the FT8 Skimmer ■ JS8 keyboard chat ■ CW with decoder, keyer, ESM and CW keyboard ■ Speech: incoming voice transcribed and translated, your typed text sent as speech ■ SSTV, HF-Fax, APRS and WSPR FT8-Improved, JS8, Speech and WSPR need iOS 26. TOOLS ■ Logbook with ADIF import and export, shared via iCloud with SDR-Control, FT-Control, TS-Control and K4-Control, on iPhone, iPad and Mac ■ DX Cluster, POTA, PSK Reporter, Call Lookup, Band Plan, Network Stats ■ 4O3A Genius devices (Power, Tuner, Antenna and Rotator Genius), Ultra Beam antennas ■ HomeKit: switch your radio, antenna switches and other devices ■ Controllers: MIDI, CTR2, HaliKey, Pryme, Flic, PowerMate MADE BY A HAM Made by Marcus, DL8MRE, who has been developing apps for Apple devices since 2009 and uses this app every day in his own shack. Personal online support and a detailed manual are included. Updates with new modes and features are free: no subscription, no in-app purchases. WHAT YOU NEED ■ One of the radios above, on your network ■ An iPhone or iPad with iOS 18 or later ■ For SmartLink™: a radio set up for SmartLink (SmartSDR v2 or later) Manual: https://go-to.me/smartsdr-manual More apps: https://ham-radio-apps.com
HamAlert
Receive instant push notifications for desired amateur radio contacts. Filter alerts by various criteria like callsign, band, mode, and location. Stay updated on DX spots from multiple sources.
- Push notifications for desired stations
- Filter spots by DXCC, callsign, and location
- Support for Reverse Beacon Network, SOTAwatch, DX cluster, PSK Reporter
- Filter by band, mode, and time
- Filter by spotter callsign and DXCC
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This app is a companion to the HamAlert web site (hamalert.org) and lets you receive push notifications from HamAlert. HamAlert is a system that allows amateur radio operators to get notifications when a desired station appears on the DX cluster, the Reverse Beacon Network, SOTAwatch, POTA, WWFF Spotline, or PSK Reporter. Spots can be filtered by various criteria, including: • DXCC (both actual and callsign home DXCC) • Callsign • Island reference • Summit reference • Park reference • CQ zone • Continent • Band • Mode • Time and days of week • Source • Spotter callsign and DXCC
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: HamAlert at Free against SmartSDR™'s $79.99. HamAlert also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.6). SmartSDR™'s advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months) and rating (4.3 vs 4.0). On ads, monetization model and device support 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
HamAlert is free to download; SmartSDR™ costs $79.99 up front. SmartSDR™ sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. HamAlert asks for nothing beyond the download.
SmartSDR™ holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 132 and 34 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of SmartSDR™'s written reviews are positive against 67% of HamAlert's.
SmartSDR™ ships an update every 2 weeks, HamAlert every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SmartSDR™ | HamAlert |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $79.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (132 ratings) — better | 4.0 (34 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 76.7% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 132 — better | 34 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 57 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Marcus Roskosch | Manuel Kasper |
Customer experience
SmartSDR™
HamAlert
In-app purchases
SmartSDR™
- Region 1,2 and 3 Band PlanFree
- DX-Cluster$5.99
- Griffin PowerMate BT Controller support$5.99
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- MidiController support$5.99
- Logbook Add-on$5.99
- Flic 2 Button support$5.99
- Voice Macros$5.99
- 4O3A Genius Device support$9.99
- FT8$19.99
- FlexRadio Device access$64.99
HamAlert
No in-app purchases







