HamAlert vs ISS Tracker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HamAlert
Receive instant push notifications for desired amateur radio contacts. Filter alerts by various criteria like callsign, band, mode, and location. Stay updated on DX spots from multiple sources.
- Push notifications for desired stations
- Filter spots by DXCC, callsign, and location
- Support for Reverse Beacon Network, SOTAwatch, DX cluster, PSK Reporter
- Filter by band, mode, and time
- Filter by spotter callsign and DXCC
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This app is a companion to the HamAlert web site (hamalert.org) and lets you receive push notifications from HamAlert. HamAlert is a system that allows amateur radio operators to get notifications when a desired station appears on the DX cluster, the Reverse Beacon Network, SOTAwatch, POTA, WWFF Spotline, or PSK Reporter. Spots can be filtered by various criteria, including: • DXCC (both actual and callsign home DXCC) • Callsign • Island reference • Summit reference • Park reference • CQ zone • Continent • Band • Mode • Time and days of week • Source • Spotter callsign and DXCC
ISS Tracker
Monitor the International Space Station's live position and vital telemetry data in real-time. Track its orbit, altitude, velocity, and internal environmental systems. Ideal for space enthusiasts and students interested in space exploration.
- Real-time ISS position tracking
- Interactive world map
- Altitude and velocity data
- Comprehensive telemetry monitoring
- Environmental and power system data
- Dark mode support
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Find out when the International Space Station flies over you and exactly where to look. On a good night it’s brighter than any star. YOUR NEXT PASS, IN PLAIN WORDS “Tonight at 8:05 PM. Look west, low.” Each pass also says how long it’s visible and how bright it is, and has a round sky chart that shows its path, from where it appears to where it fades. See 14 days of passes, and the cloud forecast for the next ones. ALERTS FOR GOOD PASSES Get a heads-up a few hours before a good pass, and an alert 5 minutes before it starts. A good pass climbs at least 30° above the horizon, or is bright and long. If two weeks have none, you get alerts for the best low passes instead. You can turn on alerts for every visible pass in the app’s settings. A Live Activity counts down on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. FIND IT IN THE SKY Hold your phone up and follow the pointer to the station. Saw a bright, moving light? Ask “Was that the ISS?” and get a straight answer. No telescope needed. WHERE IS THE ISS RIGHT NOW? See it on a 3D globe, with the day and night sides of Earth, or on a live map with the ground track of its orbit. You can add Tiangong, China’s space station, and get its passes too. WHO’S UP THERE See the crew on board, and the next launches, dockings and spacewalks. ALWAYS ONE GLANCE AWAY Widgets show your next pass on the Home Screen and Lock Screen. A Control Center button opens the sky pointer. PRIVATE AND SIMPLE No account needed. Every pass is worked out on your phone, and your exact location is never sent to us. Apple Weather and Apple Maps use it for the cloud forecast and the place name. For iPhone and iPad.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: ISS Tracker at 4.7 against HamAlert's 4.0. ISS Tracker also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months). HamAlert's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ISS Tracker holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 34 and 17 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of HamAlert's written reviews are positive against 100% of ISS Tracker's.
HamAlert ships an update every 5 months, ISS Tracker weekly. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.
| Parameter | HamAlert | ISS Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (34 ratings) | 4.7 (17 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 34 — better | 17 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Manuel Kasper | Lucent Enterprises Ltd. |
Customer experience
HamAlert
ISS Tracker
In-app purchases
HamAlert
No in-app purchases
ISS Tracker
No in-app purchases









