Q Codes vs SWList
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Q Codes
Access a comprehensive collection of standardized radiotelegraph communication codes, primarily for amateur radio use. This utility allows for rapid searching and lookup of any Q Code.
- Standardized Q Code collection
- Radiotelegraph communication codes
- Amateur radio focus
- Quick lookup functionality
- Comprehensive code database
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Q Codes are a standardized collection of codes developed for radiotelegraph communication especially amateur radio. This tool is designed for quick look up of any Q Code
SWList
Discover and identify shortwave radio stations with access to curated EiBi and Aoki lists. Explore stations by frequency, band, or search criteria, and view detailed transmission information, including location on a map.
- Access EiBi and Aoki curated lists
- Discover stations by frequency or band
- Search by station name, country, or language
- Connect to radio receivers via Hamlib
- Filter for currently broadcasting stations
- View station transmission details
- Display transmitter location on map
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SWList gives you access to the popular EiBi and Aoki lists, helping you easily discover and identify shortwave radio stations. The EiBi list, curated by Eike Bierwirth, is a highly valued resource within the SWL community. The Aoki list, curated by Shigenori Aoki, is also widely used and recognized for its reliability. SWList offers four convenient ways to explore radio stations: - Enter a listening frequency to display stations transmitting nearby. - Select a specific radio band to view all stations within it. - Search by station name, country, or broadcast language. - Retrieve the frequency manually or automatically from your radio receiver, if connected via Hamlib. You can also filter results to show only stations that are currently broadcasting. For each station, detailed information is available, including transmission location, target area, and spoken language. If the transmitter’s location is available, you can display it on a geographic map and calculate the distance from your location. SWList also supports light and dark modes to suit your viewing preferences.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Q Codes at Free against SWList's $3.99. SWList's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 8 months). On rating, ratings volume, 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
Q Codes is free to download; SWList costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.7 for Q Codes against 3.8 for SWList. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 4 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Q Codes's written reviews are positive against 67% of SWList's.
Q Codes ships an update every 8 months, SWList every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Q Codes | SWList |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 3.7 (7 ratings) | 3.8 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jonathan Gibbs | Stefano Rampazzo |
Customer experience
Q Codes
SWList
In-app purchases
Q Codes
No in-app purchases
SWList
No in-app purchases
