# Southwinds HOS vs ELD Rider

The clearest difference is rating: Southwinds HOS at 5.0 against ELD Rider's 4.2. ELD Rider's advantage is ratings volume (123 vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Southwinds HOS holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ELD Rider has 123 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Southwinds HOS ships an update every 3 months, ELD Rider every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Southwinds HOS | ELD Rider |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/southwinds-hos/id1246382663/reviews)** | [4.2 (123 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/eld-rider/id1492857716/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **123** |
| Positive reviews | — | 56.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 46 MB | 105 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SouthWindsGPS](https://appshunter.io/developer/1089893199) | [LionEight LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1561342232) |

## What reviewers say

### Southwinds HOS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/southwinds-hos/id1246382663)

This app helps commercial drivers accurately record their duty status to comply with federal regulations. It tracks driving hours, breaks, and other essential information, ensuring adherence to rules like the 11-hour driving limit and 30-minute breaks. The system automatically records location and warns of malfunctions.

**Highlights:** Driver duty status recording, Compliance with HOS regulations, Location tracking, Malfunction warnings, Driver and carrier record edits, Self-testing functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### ELD Rider

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/eld-rider/id1492857716)

This app provides electronic logging for Hours of Service (HOS) and ELD compliance. It also offers digital Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIRs) and real-time routing information to help drivers stay on track and compliant with regulations.

**Highlights:** Electronic logbook for HOS, ELD compliance, Digital DVIRs, Real-time routing, Intuitive interface, FMCSA regulation compliance

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Southwinds HOS free?

Southwinds HOS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ELD Rider free?

ELD Rider is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Southwinds HOS or ELD Rider?

Southwinds HOS is rated higher. Southwinds HOS averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while ELD Rider averages 4.2 from 123 ratings.

### Do Southwinds HOS or ELD Rider have ads?

Neither Southwinds HOS nor ELD Rider shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Southwinds HOS or ELD Rider?

Southwinds HOS ships an update every 3 months, and ELD Rider every 3 weeks. Most recently, Southwinds HOS was updated on October 7, 2026 and ELD Rider on October 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*