Q Codes vs VibeSDR
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
Read full descriptionHide full description
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
VibeSDR
This app acts as a versatile receiver client for various software-defined radio servers. It offers advanced display, tuning, and audio features, along with on-device decoders and voice control for a comprehensive radio experience.
- Connects to multiple SDR server protocols
- GPU-rendered waterfall and spectrum display
- Native background audio playback
- On-device decoders for RTTY, NAVTEX, WEFAX, SSTV, Morse
- Voice control via Siri
- CarPlay and Apple Watch integration
- Deep linking for station tuning
Read full descriptionHide full description
VibeSDR is a mobile-first software-defined radio (SDR) receiver — and far more than a single-server client. It speaks multiple SDR server protocols and does its own demodulation of the raw IQ with a clean-room DSP engine. Pair that with a GPU-rendered waterfall, native background audio, on-device decoders and maps, plus voice and in-car control, for a genuinely great SDR experience on any iPhone — whatever receiver is behind it. WHAT YOU CAN CONNECT TO • Remote SDR servers — native support for UberSDR, OpenWebRX / OpenWebRX+, and KiwiSDR, all behind one interface, with a directory chooser in the instance picker. • Networked rtl_tcp — connect to a remote rtl_tcp server and VibeSDR demodulates the raw IQ itself. DISPLAY & WATERFALL • Custom GPU waterfall and spectrum, rendered with a Skia shader for a smooth, high-frame-rate display independent of the server. • Portrait and landscape layouts, ProMotion 120 Hz, haptic tuning feedback. • Classic colour palettes (GQRX, KiwiSDR, CuteSDR, SdrDx, OpenWebRX), VFO glow controls, and a spectrum backdrop image. TUNING & CONTROLS • VFO drum with inertia scrolling and a dual-drum waterfall zoom. • Full mode set — USB, LSB, AM, SAM, FM, NFM, CW — with passband sliders. • Noise reduction, noise blanker, squelch, AGC, volume and mute. AUDIO • Native audio engines running outside any WebView, so playback survives app suspension. • Background audio on both platforms. • Lock-screen, Now Playing, CarPlay and Apple Watch controls with frequency + station metadata and station/bookmark skipping. • AAC recorder with share sheet. VOICE CONTROL • Siri — "Hey Siri, tune VibeSDR" then a frequency, a station name, or a band; it tunes with the right demodulator and step, even in the background over headphones, CarPlay or the lock screen. DECODERS & MAPS • On-device decoders — RTTY, NAVTEX, WEFAX, SSTV, Morse, and speech-to-text. • Server maps — HFDL aircraft, digital and CW activity maps, fully embedded. STATIONS & BOOKMARKS • Instance picker directory across UberSDR, OpenWebRX/OpenWebRX+ and KiwiSDR receivers, with country flags, favourites and an auto-connect default. • Bookmark and band-plan search with live EiBi schedules. • Visual Tuning System (VTS) — nearby-station bar, band-crossing popups and station skipping. • Live chat, and Share a tuned station as a tappable deep link. NEW: DEEP LINKING • Tap a vibesdr:// link to connect straight to a receiver and tune to the shared frequency — no hunting through the picker. VibeSDR is free software under the GNU GPL-3.0, built by Stuart Carr with AI assistance from Claude (Anthropic). VibeSDR is a receiver client and is not affiliated with the SDR servers it connects to.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: VibeSDR at 100% against Q Codes's 50%. VibeSDR also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.7) and ads (none vs shown). Q Codes's advantage is price (Free vs $2.99) and ratings volume (7 vs 1). On in-app purchases, 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
Q Codes is free to download; VibeSDR costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
VibeSDR holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Q Codes has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Q Codes's written reviews are positive against 100% of VibeSDR's.
Q Codes ships an update every 8 months, VibeSDR every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on July 7, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Q Codes | VibeSDR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 3.7 (7 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jonathan Gibbs | Stuart Carr |
Customer experience
Q Codes
VibeSDR
In-app purchases
Q Codes
No in-app purchases
VibeSDR
No in-app purchases









