RS vs SDR
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
RS
Control and adjust settings for the ICOM Wideband Handy Receiver IC-R30 remotely. View receiver settings directly from your iPhone or iPad. Requires iOS 9.0 or later and a compatible receiver.
- Remote operation of IC-R30 receiver
- Change receiver settings
- Check receiver settings
- iPhone and iPad compatibility
- Bluetooth LE connectivity
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"RS-R30I" is a remote control application for the ICOM Wideband Handy Receiver "IC-R30." You can operate and change the receiver’s settings using an iPhone or iPad, and you can also check its settings. Device requirements: iOS version 9.0 or later for 64 bit CPU models. Supported receiver: Icom IC-R30 Refer to the instruction manual for details. NOTE: - The RS-R30I does not guarantee compatibility with all iPhones and iPads. It may not work, depending on its OS version, installed applications, and so on. - Confirm the IC-R30's Serial port function is set to"CI-V (Echo Back OFF)" ( [MENU] > Bluetooth Set > Data Device Set > Serialport Function ) - Bluetooth LE is used to connect with the IC-R30 and it is a slow data transfer. So there may be a time delay between the receiver’s operation and the display on the data device. In addition, depending on the receiver environment, it may not be able to operate properly. - Bluetooth may be disconnected in the following cases: · The screen of the device is locked. · The application is running in the background mode. · Wi-Fi is enabled. · Connecting or removing a Bluetooth headset.
SDR
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 like FT8, JS8, CW, and speech modes.
- Remote Icom radio control
- Spectrum scope and waterfall display
- FT8, JS8, CW, and speech modes
- Logbook with ADIF import/export
- DX Cluster and POTA spotting
- Network statistics
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Your Icom radio on your iPhone: at home over Wi-Fi or from anywhere over the internet. Made by a ham, for hams, with personal support included. SDR-Control Mobile shows the spectrum scope and waterfall of your Icom radio with all its controls. 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 iPhone as microphone and speaker; the radio keeps playing in the background ■ Ready for iPhone Duo: the iPhone screens when folded, the large radio screen when open 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, WSPR and D-Star FT8-Improved, JS8, Speech and WSPR need iOS 26. TOOLS ■ Logbook with ADIF import and export, shared via iCloud with SmartSDR, FT-Control, TS-Control and K4-Control, on iPhone, iPad and Mac ■ DX Cluster, POTA, PSK Reporter, Call Lookup, Band Plan, Network Stats, Memories, Scanning ■ 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 iPhone with iOS 18 or later ■ For use over the internet: access to your home network from outside (see the manual) Manual: https://go-to.me/sdrcontrol-mobile-manual More apps: https://ham-radio-apps.com SDR-Control is developed independently and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Icom.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: SDR at 85% against RS's 19%. SDR also leads on rating (4.6 vs 2.8) and ratings volume (78 vs 5). RS's advantage is price (Free vs $44.99) and device support (3 vs 1). On 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
RS is free to download; SDR costs $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 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SDR has 78 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 19% of RS's written reviews are positive against 85% of SDR's.
| Parameter | RS | SDR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $44.99 |
| Rating | 2.8 (5 ratings) | 4.6 (78 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 18.8% of reviews | 84.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 78 — better |
| Update frequency | — | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 56 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ICOM INCORPORATED | Marcus Roskosch |
Customer experience
RS
SDR
Bugs and requests
RS
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
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- 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
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- 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
RS
No in-app purchases
SDR
No in-app purchases








