Comparison

SmartSDR™ vs AntScope

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read 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

About

AntScope

Connect your RigExpert antenna analyzer to your smartphone for detailed antenna system analysis. Visualize SWR and Smith charts, and view all parameters in one place.

Highlights
  • Connects to RigExpert analyzers via BLE
  • SWR chart visualization
  • Smith chart visualization
  • All parameters mode
  • Supports RigExpert Stick 230 BLE
Features
Read full description

AntScope for iOS is a software designed to connect the RigExpert antenna analyzers with BLE option to Apple smartphones. This software allows to get information about your antenna system and visualize that information: - SWR chart (standing wave ratio) - Smith chart - All parameters mode Supported analyzers: - RigExpert Stick 230 - RigExpert Stick 230 BLE - Stick Pro - Stick XPro - Stick 500 - Match - Match U - AA-2000 - AA-3000

Screenshots

SmartSDR™4 screens
AntScope4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SmartSDR™ at 77% against AntScope's 21%. SmartSDR™ also leads on rating (4.3 vs 2.3) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). AntScope's advantage is price (Free vs $79.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). On ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

AntScope is free to download; SmartSDR™ costs $79.99 up front. SmartSDR™ sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. AntScope asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SmartSDR™ holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 132 and 59 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of SmartSDR™'s written reviews are positive against 21% of AntScope's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SmartSDR™ ships an update every 2 weeks, AntScope every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
SmartSDR™ versus AntScope: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmartSDR™AntScope
Price$79.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (132 ratings) — better2.3 (59 ratings)
Positive reviews76.7% of reviews — better21.4% of reviews
Number of ratings132 — better59
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarcus RoskoschRig Expert Ukraine Ltd

Customer experience

SmartSDR™

All ratings132 ratings
Positive79.5%
Neutral4.5%
Negative15.9%
Written reviews86 reviews
Positive76.7%
Neutral7.0%
Negative16.3%

AntScope

All ratings57 ratings
Positive28.1%
Neutral5.3%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive21.4%
Neutral11.9%
Negative66.7%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

SmartSDR™

One-time10
  • Region 1,2 and 3 Band PlanFree
  • DX-Cluster$5.99
  • Griffin PowerMate BT Controller support$5.99
Show 7 more
  • 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
None

AntScope

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SmartSDR™ free?
SmartSDR™ costs $79.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is AntScope free?
AntScope is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SmartSDR™ or AntScope?
SmartSDR™ is rated higher. SmartSDR™ averages 4.3 out of 5 from 132 ratings, while AntScope averages 2.3 from 59 ratings.
Do SmartSDR™ or AntScope have ads?
Neither SmartSDR™ nor AntScope shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SmartSDR™ or AntScope?
SmartSDR™ ships an update every 2 weeks, and AntScope every 3 months. Most recently, SmartSDR™ was updated on October 29, 2026 and AntScope on October 29, 2026.

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