SmartSDR™ vs SDR Receiver
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
Read full descriptionHide full description
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
SDR Receiver
This app demodulates and plays AM and FM radio signals received by compatible SDR hardware. It allows users to listen to various broadcasts, manage station lists, and adjust audio settings. Requires a separate radio and host computer for operation.
- Demodulate AM and FM signals
- Manage station lists (import/export)
- Adjustable squelch and LNA gain
- Adjustable audio filters
- Signal strength indicator
- AirPlay audio streaming
- Lock Screen controls
Read full descriptionHide full description
Demodulate and play AM and FM signals received by an RTL-SDR, Airspy HF+ or SDRplay radio. Requires a radio and a host computer which are not provided with SDR Receiver and must be separately installed and configured. Streams data from an rtl_tcp, hfp_tcp or rsp_tcp server application which are free and open source applications. The appropriate server application must be installed on the host computer and configured for the attached radio. SDR Receiver is a Software Defined Radio (SDR) that processes, demodulates and plays AM, narrowband FM and wideband FM signals. Listen to communications from aircraft (AM), amateur repeaters and VHF handhelds, police and fire, NOAA weather reports (narrowband FM) and commercial broadcasts (wideband FM). • Easily entered and managed lists of stations simplify station selection. • Export and import lists of stations in CSV or TSV format. • Adjustable squelch that works for both AM and FM signals. • Adjustable LNA gain (for RTL-SDR and SDRplay radios). • Adjustable audio high pass and low pass filters. • Audio AGC for AM, optimized for aircraft communications. • Selectable IQ Offset eliminates DC errors. • DC Blocker option reduces spurious errors. • Signal strength indicator that shows power level in the signal passband. • Multiple sampling rates to accommodate different network bandwidths. • Selectable 8-bit or 16-bit sample size streaming from Airspy HF+ and SDRplay radios. • Option to play audio over AirPlay to a HomePod, HomePod mini or any AirPlay compatible device. • Stream synchronized audio to multiple AirPlay 2 compatible devices. • Lock Screen shows controls and streaming station information. • Custom URLs enable another application on the same device to set the station and start streaming. • Supports VoiceOver. SDR Receiver processes signals that are streamed over the network from a host computer (Mac, PC or Raspberry Pi) that is attached by USB bus to an RTL-SDR, Airspy HF+ or SDRplay radio. An rtl_tcp server or equivalent application running on the host computer receives baseband IQ data from the radio and streams the sampled signals over the network to the iPhone or iPad running SDR Receiver. Requires an RTL-SDR, Airspy HF+ or SDRplay radio and a host computer which are not provided with the application. Support for 192 ksps and 384 ksps Airspy HF+ sampling rates requires Airspy HF+ firmware version R3.0.7 or later, and hfp_tcp version v.1.2.117 or later.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: SDR Receiver at $9.99 against SmartSDR™'s $79.99. SmartSDR™'s advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and rating (4.3 vs 4.1). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases 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
SmartSDR™ costs $79.99 and SDR Receiver $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SmartSDR™ holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SmartSDR™ has 138 ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of SmartSDR™'s written reviews are positive against 73% of SDR Receiver's.
SmartSDR™ ships an update every 2 weeks, SDR Receiver every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SmartSDR™ | SDR Receiver |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $79.99 | $9.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (138 ratings) — better | 4.1 (15 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.6% of reviews — better | 73.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 138 — better | 15 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 59 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Marcus Roskosch | Transition Technology Ventures, LLC |
Customer experience
SmartSDR™
SDR Receiver
In-app purchases
SmartSDR™
No in-app purchases
SDR Receiver
No in-app purchases








