Comparison

SDR Receiver vs CoronaSDR

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

CoronaSDR

This application allows users to connect to and control RTL-SDR servers on their local network. It provides live spectrum and waterfall displays, various demodulation modes, and DSP controls for audio filtering and signal tuning. Users can save favorite stations and adjust RF settings.

Highlights
  • Live spectrum and waterfall display
  • Multiple demodulation modes (AM, NFM, WFM, USB, LSB, CW)
  • DSP controls (squelch, AGC, filters)
  • Station favorites with import/export
  • RF controls (PPM, tuner options)
  • Diagnostics and performance pipeline
Features
Read full description

CoronaSDR is an iOS app for listening to rtl_tcp SDR servers over your local network. Key features: - Live spectrum and waterfall rendering - Demodulation modes: AM, NFM, WFM, USB, LSB, CW - DSP controls: squelch, AGC, audio filters, de-emphasis - Station favorites with import/export - RF controls such as PPM and tuner options (hardware/server dependent) - Diagnostics and a performance-focused pipeline No account is required. Set your rtl_tcp host and port, connect, and tune. Built by Silviu YO6SAY for the radio community.

Screenshots

SDR Receiver4 screens
CoronaSDR3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: CoronaSDR at Free against SDR Receiver's $9.99. CoronaSDR also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.1) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 months). On ratings volume, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

CoronaSDR is free to download; SDR Receiver costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CoronaSDR holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 10 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of SDR Receiver's written reviews are positive against 100% of CoronaSDR's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SDR Receiver ships an update every 4 months, CoronaSDR every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
SDR Receiver versus CoronaSDR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSDR ReceiverCoronaSDR
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (15 ratings)5.0 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings15 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTransition Technology Ventures, LLCAlien Systems S.R.L.

Customer experience

SDR Receiver

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

CoronaSDR

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

SDR Receiver

No in-app purchases

None

CoronaSDR

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SDR Receiver free?
SDR Receiver costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is CoronaSDR free?
CoronaSDR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SDR Receiver or CoronaSDR?
CoronaSDR is rated higher. SDR Receiver averages 4.1 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while CoronaSDR averages 5.0 from 10 ratings.
Do SDR Receiver or CoronaSDR have ads?
Neither SDR Receiver nor CoronaSDR shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SDR Receiver or CoronaSDR?
SDR Receiver ships an update every 4 months, and CoronaSDR every 9 days. Most recently, SDR Receiver was updated on November 3, 2026 and CoronaSDR on October 31, 2026.

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