PenPoint vs WAVE Tactical PTT
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PenPoint
This app provides secure mobile access to communications surveillance data for law enforcement investigations. It helps users understand target locations by mapping cellular tower sectors and ping services.
- Secure mobile access to surveillance data
- Mapping of cellular tower sectors
- Precision location ping services
- Analysis of target location patterns
- Support for law enforcement investigations
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PenPoint works with PenLink’s on-premise software, PLX, to conduct lawful communications surveillance operations in support of law enforcement investigations. PenPoint provides secure mobile access to communications surveillance data collected and stored by a PLX system. Specifically and primarily, PenPoint helps mobile users understand the probable whereabouts and location patterns of targets by mapping cellular tower sectors and precision location ping services offered by several mobile carriers.
WAVE Tactical PTT
This app transforms mobile devices into secure push-to-talk communication tools. It offers unified voice, text messaging, and location services, integrating with land mobile radio systems for enhanced workgroup collaboration.
- Secure push-to-talk
- Unified voice and text messaging
- Location and presence information
- Integration with land mobile radio systems
- AES256 encryption
- Emergency support
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WAVE Tactical PTT by Motorola Solutions extends your device into a broadband push-to-talk (PTT) handset for fully secure, unified workgroup communications anywhere you have a network connection. This application supports the iOS PTT Framework using WAVE Tactical Server versions 5.20.6, 5.21.3 and 5.22.0. WAVE Tactical is the industry's most powerful and flexible work group communication tool for secure PTT on the go. It transforms mobile devices and PCs into team communication tools and integrates with land mobile radio (LMR) to provide unified voice, text messaging, location and presence in a single application. • AES256 encryption of all communications • Group calls for secure one-to-many communications • Private calls for secure one-to-one communications • Group and Private text messaging • Presence & location information • Emergency Support • Remote PTT accessories for most devices (Bluetooth low energy, wired headsets, badge microphones) WAVE Tactical PTT is utilized on the WAVE Tactical System, which is Motorola's highly scalable, feature-rich, enterprise-grade PTT solution. It enables full interoperability between different radio systems and extends the reach of these systems using any combination of broadband networks and devices. Radio Integrations: • Motorola Solutions ASTRO 25 with wireline interface • Motorola Solutions DIMETRA with wireline interface • Motorola ASTRO 25 and TETRA with MOTOBRIDGE wireless interface • Motorola MOTOTRBO with wireline interface • Other vendor P25 and non-P25 systems with MOTOBRIDGE wireless interface • Other Analog Radio interfaces WAVE Tactical PTT introduces the iOS PTT Framework and supports the following WAVE Server Releases release 5.20.6, 5.21.3 and 5.22 and newer. It will operate in the following environments. • Public cellular networks, if the device is Mobile Device Managed and configured in Supervised mode • Private cellular network • Pre-configured Wi-Fi networks • Via a VPN over Wi-Fi and cellular networks Note: For use with Wi-Fi networks, the Wi-Fi must be configured via the App Settings under Configure Wi-Fi. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: PenPoint at 8 against WAVE Tactical PTT's 2. PenPoint also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.5). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for PenPoint against 5.0 for WAVE Tactical PTT. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 2 respectively.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PenPoint | WAVE Tactical PTT |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (8 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 461 MB | 136 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Pen-Link, Ltd. | Motorola Solutions, Inc |
Customer experience
PenPoint
WAVE Tactical PTT
In-app purchases
PenPoint
No in-app purchases
WAVE Tactical PTT
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is PenPoint free?
Is WAVE Tactical PTT free?
Which has better reviews, PenPoint or WAVE Tactical PTT?
Do PenPoint or WAVE Tactical PTT have ads?
Which is updated more often, PenPoint or WAVE Tactical PTT?
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