Q Codes vs VibeSDR Jr
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
VibeSDR Jr
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VibeSDR Jr is a complete software-defined radio receiver that runs on your Apple Watch. Not a remote control for a phone in your pocket — the watch makes its own connection, does its own decoding and plays its own audio. Leave the handset at home. Turn the Digital Crown to tune. The spectrum and waterfall run live on the wrist, in colour, at a frame rate you can actually read a band with. Press and hold for the menu, and everything else is a tap away. WHAT IT RECEIVES Jr is a client, so it needs a receiver to listen to — either one of your own on your network, or one of the thousands of public ones already out there. It speaks VibeServer, OpenWebRX, KiwiSDR and FM-DX Webserver, and it ships with a directory of public servers, so there is something to listen to within seconds of installing. VibeServer is your own receiver. It is built into the VibeSDR phone app and available free for macOS — plug in an RTL-SDR, an Airspy HF+ or an SDRplay RSP and it is yours. MODES AND DECODERS USB, LSB, AM, SAM, FM, NFM and wide FM in stereo, plus CW upper and lower. DAB, and an ADS-B view that plots the aircraft talking overhead. ON THE WRIST Bookmarks, synced with the VibeSDR phone app through iCloud. A band plan, so you know what you are looking at. Bandwidth, squelch, gain and the receiver's own hardware controls — including the LNA, IF gain and notches an SDRplay RSP actually has, rather than a dongle's single slider pretending to be them. Background audio, so it keeps playing when you drop your wrist. And a link meter that tells you the truth about the connection. VibeSDR Jr is open source under the GPLv3. The engine underneath it, VibeDSP, is our own — the same one that runs the phone app, so a waterfall you set up in one turns up looking the same on the other. Requires a Wi-Fi or cellular connection, and a receiver to connect to.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Q Codes at Free against VibeSDR Jr's $0.99. Q Codes also leads on iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). VibeSDR Jr's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 8 months). On 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; VibeSDR Jr costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Q Codes ships an update every 8 months, VibeSDR Jr every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on July 7, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Q Codes | VibeSDR Jr |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 3.7 (7 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jonathan Gibbs | Stuart Carr |
In-app purchases
Q Codes
No in-app purchases
VibeSDR Jr
No in-app purchases









