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 transceiver remotely or locally from your iPhone. Operate in all modes, log QSOs, and utilize integrated digital modes like FT8/FT4 and SSTV. No extra hardware is needed for global access.

Highlights
  • Remote transceiver operation
  • All mode control
  • Auto logging logbook
  • Integrated FT8/FT4 tool
  • Integrated SSTV receiver
  • Integrated CW decoder and keyer
  • DX-Cluster integration
Currently charting
Read full description

Software Defined Radio Client for Icom Transceivers and your iPhone SDR-Control Mobile is a full featured iPhone App to operate your Icom Transceiver at home or from around the world without additional Hard- or Software. Important: This App requires one of the following Icom Transceivers: IC-705, IC-7610, IC-9700, IC-7760 or the IC-R8600 Receiver or the new IC-7300 MK2 FACTS AND FEATURES: ■ Native iOS 26 app, backward compatible to iOS 17 ■ Compatible with any iPhone ■ Complete operation of your Icom Transceiver in all modes ■ Use the App local or to remote access of your Transceiver from any place without additional Hard- or Software ■ Logbook with auto logging, ADIF Im-/Export ■ UDP Log submission when using external logging software ■ Integrated full featured FT8 / FT4 Tool ■ Integrated SSTV receiver (NEW) ■ Integrated CW Decoder ■ Integrated CW Keyer ■ DX-Cluster integration ■ Call sign lookup integrated ■ Displays Calls on Map with heading and distance information ■ And much more... WHAT YOU NEED: - An Icom IC-705, IC-7610, IC-9700 or IC-7760 Transceiver or IC-R8600 Receiver or the new IC-7300 MK2 - The Transceiver needs to be connected to your Network (WiFi or LAN) - No USB cable needed or supported - An iPhone that runs at least iOS 17 Find out more here: https://ham-radio-apps.com Read the Manual: http://go-to.me/sdrcontrol-mobile-manual

Screenshots

SDR Receiver4 screens
SDR4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: SDR Receiver at $9.99 against SDR's $44.99. SDR's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and rating (4.5 vs 4.1). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

SDR Receiver costs $9.99 and SDR $44.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SDR holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 64 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of SDR Receiver's written reviews are positive against 84% of SDR's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SDR Receiver ships an update every 4 months, SDR every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
SDR Receiver versus SDR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSDR ReceiverSDR
Price$9.99 — better$44.99
Rating4.1 (15 ratings)4.5 (64 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.0% of reviews84.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1564 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#159 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTransition Technology Ventures, LLCMarcus Roskosch

Customer experience

SDR Receiver

All ratings15 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive72.0%
Neutral8.0%
Negative20.0%

SDR

All ratings64 ratings
Positive89.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.9%
Written reviews69 reviews
Positive84.1%
Neutral5.8%
Negative10.1%

Bugs and requests

SDR Receiver

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

SDR

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Dialogs do not scale with larger text setting
  • Frequency display overlaps buttons
  • FT8 decoding issues (lower signal levels than WSJTX)
  • App crashes and leaves radio in transmit
  • Logbook export not functional after update
Show 7 more
  • Function button for horizontal scrolling not fully displayed
  • FT8 decode is useless and unreliable
  • Messed up radio, requiring reset
  • RX audio unusable outside home network (prior to 1.5.1)
  • Struggles with audio RX packets on remote cellular networks
  • Cannot work over mobile data with certain carriers (EE)
  • FT8 alerts sound but don't display

Requested features

14 requests
  • Develop for IC-7800
  • CarPlay support
  • Apple Watch add-on
  • Windows version
  • JS8call support
Show 9 more
  • More digital modes
  • Display memory bank names
  • Initiate memory scan from app
  • WSPR implementation
  • Tool for WSPR
  • More FT8/FT4 features (e.g., setting transmit frequency directly in FT8 view)
  • Send image to unit
  • KISS TNC support
  • Control digital modes (reflectors, etc.)

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 $44.99, 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 4.5 from 64 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 September 18, 2026 and SDR on September 24, 2026.

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