# rtl_tcp SDR vs SDR

The clearest difference is price: rtl_tcp SDR at $12.99 against SDR's $44.99. SDR's advantage is review sentiment (84% vs 40%) and rating (4.6 vs 3.9). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

rtl_tcp SDR costs $12.99 and SDR $44.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

SDR holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 32 and 72 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of rtl_tcp SDR's written reviews are positive against 84% of SDR's.

rtl_tcp SDR ships an update every 4 months, SDR every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | rtl_tcp SDR | SDR |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$12.99** | $44.99 |
| Rating | [3.9 (32 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rtl-tcp-sdr/id1351164646/reviews) | **[4.6 (72 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sdr-control-mobile/id1673327509/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 32 | **72** |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | **84.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 3 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.6** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [HotPaw Productions](https://appshunter.io/developer/285074853) | [Marcus Roskosch](https://appshunter.io/developer/334053438) |

## What reviewers say

### rtl_tcp SDR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rtl-tcp-sdr/id1351164646)

This app acts as a software-defined radio receiver for iOS devices, allowing you to listen to various radio signals and view RF spectrum data. It connects to external SDR peripherals via a network protocol, requiring a separate server setup.

**Highlights:** Listen to AM, FM, SSB, CW signals, View RF spectrum and waterfall, Connect to networked RTL-SDR peripherals, Supports Airspy HF+, SDRPlay, LimeSDR Mini, Direct connection to Hermes Lite 2

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### SDR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sdr-control-mobile/id1673327509)

Control your Icom radio remotely from your iPhone. View spectrum scope, waterfall, and access all radio controls over Wi-Fi or the internet. Supports various Icom models and includes features for ham radio operators.

**Highlights:** Spectrum scope and waterfall display, Full radio control, Remote operation over Wi-Fi/internet, FT8-Improved and JS8 modes, CW decoder and keyer, Speech transcription and translation, Logbook with ADIF import/export

**Features:** iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Works perfectly with ICOM radios
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🌟 Feature-rich and comprehensive
- 💯 Stable and reliable performance
- 📱 Great for remote operation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 FT8 decoding issues (lower signal levels)
- 🐛 Dialogs do not scale with larger text setting
- 🐛 UI elements can be cramped on iPhone
- 🐛 Some buttons are small and hard to press
- 🐛 Frequency display overlaps buttons

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Develop for IC-7800
- CarPlay support
- Apple Watch add-on
- Windows version
- JS8call support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is rtl_tcp SDR free?

rtl_tcp SDR costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SDR free?

SDR costs $44.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, rtl_tcp SDR or SDR?

SDR is rated higher. rtl_tcp SDR averages 3.9 out of 5 from 32 ratings, while SDR averages 4.6 from 72 ratings.

### Do rtl_tcp SDR or SDR have ads?

Neither rtl_tcp SDR nor SDR shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, rtl_tcp SDR or SDR?

rtl_tcp SDR ships an update every 4 months, and SDR every 2 weeks. Most recently, rtl_tcp SDR was updated on November 2, 2026 and SDR on November 3, 2026.

---

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