Comparison

SDR Receiver vs SDR

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

SDR Receiver

This app demodulates and plays AM and FM radio signals received by compatible SDR hardware. It allows users to listen to various broadcasts, manage station lists, and adjust audio settings. Requires a separate radio and host computer for operation.

Highlights
  • Demodulate AM and FM signals
  • Manage station lists (import/export)
  • Adjustable squelch and LNA gain
  • Adjustable audio filters
  • Signal strength indicator
  • AirPlay audio streaming
  • Lock Screen controls
Features
Read full description

Demodulate and play AM and FM signals received by an RTL-SDR, Airspy HF+ or SDRplay radio. Requires a radio and a host computer which are not provided with SDR Receiver and must be separately installed and configured. Streams data from an rtl_tcp, hfp_tcp or rsp_tcp server application which are free and open source applications. The appropriate server application must be installed on the host computer and configured for the attached radio. SDR Receiver is a Software Defined Radio (SDR) that processes, demodulates and plays AM, narrowband FM and wideband FM signals. Listen to communications from aircraft (AM), amateur repeaters and VHF handhelds, police and fire, NOAA weather reports (narrowband FM) and commercial broadcasts (wideband FM). • Easily entered and managed lists of stations simplify station selection. • Export and import lists of stations in CSV or TSV format. • Adjustable squelch that works for both AM and FM signals. • Adjustable LNA gain (for RTL-SDR and SDRplay radios). • Adjustable audio high pass and low pass filters. • Audio AGC for AM, optimized for aircraft communications. • Selectable IQ Offset eliminates DC errors. • DC Blocker option reduces spurious errors. • Signal strength indicator that shows power level in the signal passband. • Multiple sampling rates to accommodate different network bandwidths. • Selectable 8-bit or 16-bit sample size streaming from Airspy HF+ and SDRplay radios. • Option to play audio over AirPlay to a HomePod, HomePod mini or any AirPlay compatible device. • Stream synchronized audio to multiple AirPlay 2 compatible devices. • Lock Screen shows controls and streaming station information. • Custom URLs enable another application on the same device to set the station and start streaming. • Supports VoiceOver. SDR Receiver processes signals that are streamed over the network from a host computer (Mac, PC or Raspberry Pi) that is attached by USB bus to an RTL-SDR, Airspy HF+ or SDRplay radio. An rtl_tcp server or equivalent application running on the host computer receives baseband IQ data from the radio and streams the sampled signals over the network to the iPhone or iPad running SDR Receiver. Requires an RTL-SDR, Airspy HF+ or SDRplay radio and a host computer which are not provided with the application. Support for 192 ksps and 384 ksps Airspy HF+ sampling rates requires Airspy HF+ firmware version R3.0.7 or later, and hfp_tcp version v.1.2.117 or later.

About

SDR

Control your Icom radio remotely from your iPad, whether at home via Wi-Fi or anywhere over the internet. View spectrum scope, waterfall, and access all radio controls, including microphone and speaker functionality. Supports various Icom models and offers multiple communication modes.

Highlights
  • Remote Wi-Fi and internet control
  • Spectrum scope and waterfall display
  • Full radio control interface
  • iPad as microphone and speaker
  • Multiple communication modes (FT8, JS8, CW, Speech)
  • Integrated logbook with iCloud sync
  • DX Cluster and band plan integration
Features
Read full description

Your Icom radio on your iPad: at home over Wi-Fi or from anywhere over the internet. Made by a ham, for hams, with personal support included. SDR-Control shows the spectrum scope and waterfall of your Icom radio with all its controls on the large iPad screen. No extra hardware or software needed. WORKS WITH ■ IC-705 (Wi-Fi) ■ IC-7610, IC-7760, IC-9700, IC-7300 MK2 and the IC-R8600 receiver (radio on your network by cable) The app connects over the network only. The older IC-7300 (without MK2) has no network connection and can't be used. OPERATE ■ Spectrum scope and waterfall with band plan, DX Cluster and FT8 spots ■ Two VFOs, filters, preamp, attenuator, NB, NR, notch, AGC and more ■ Compact floating panels: tuning, PTT, CW, memories, macros, Command Bar, DTMF, RIT / ∆TX, D-Star ■ Your iPad as microphone and speaker; the radio keeps playing in the background, also with the cover closed MODES ■ FT8-Improved with AutoAnswer and AutoCQ, plus the classic FT8 ■ JS8 keyboard chat ■ CW with decoder, keyer and CW keyboard ■ Speech: incoming voice transcribed and translated, your typed text sent as speech ■ SSTV, HF-Fax, APRS and WSPR FT8-Improved, JS8, Speech and WSPR need iPadOS 26. TOOLS ■ Logbook with ADIF import and export, shared via iCloud with SmartSDR, FT-Control, TS-Control and K4-Control, on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro ■ DX Cluster, POTA, PSK Reporter, Call Lookup, Band Plan, Network Stats, Memories, Scanning, S.A.T. ■ Controllers: MIDI, CTR2, HaliKey, Pryme, Flic ■ 4O3A Genius devices and Ultra Beam antennas MADE BY A HAM Made by Marcus, DL8MRE, who has been developing apps for Apple devices since 2009 and uses this app every day in his own shack, where all supported radios are on the desk. Personal online support and a detailed manual are included. Updates with new modes and features are free: no subscription, no in-app purchases. WHAT YOU NEED ■ One of the radios above, connected to your network ■ An iPad with iPadOS 18 or later ■ For use over the internet: access to your home network from outside (see the manual) Manual: https://go-to.me/sdrcontrol-ios-manual More apps: https://ham-radio-apps.com SDR-Control is developed independently and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Icom.

Screenshots

SDR Receiver4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: SDR Receiver at $9.99 against SDR's $49.99. SDR's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (70 vs 15). On rating, review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

SDR Receiver costs $9.99 and SDR $49.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for SDR Receiver against 4.2 for SDR. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 70 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 73% of SDR Receiver's written reviews are positive against 78% of SDR's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SDR Receiver ships an update every 4 months, SDR every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
SDR Receiver versus SDR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSDR ReceiverSDR
Price$9.99 — better$49.99
Rating4.1 (15 ratings)4.2 (70 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.1% of reviews78.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1570 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTransition Technology Ventures, LLCMarcus Roskosch

Customer experience

SDR Receiver

All ratings15 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive73.1%
Neutral7.7%
Negative19.2%

SDR

All ratings70 ratings
Positive78.6%
Neutral2.9%
Negative18.6%
Written reviews82 reviews
Positive78.0%
Neutral3.7%
Negative18.3%

In-app purchases

None

SDR Receiver

No in-app purchases

None

SDR

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SDR Receiver free?
SDR Receiver costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SDR free?
SDR costs $49.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SDR Receiver or SDR?
SDR is rated higher. SDR Receiver averages 4.1 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while SDR averages 4.2 from 70 ratings.
Do SDR Receiver or SDR have ads?
Neither SDR Receiver nor SDR shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SDR Receiver or SDR?
SDR Receiver ships an update every 4 months, and SDR every 2 weeks. Most recently, SDR Receiver was updated on October 23, 2026 and SDR on October 30, 2026.

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