STAR Cordless Programmer vs K4 Control for Elecraft K4
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
STAR Cordless Programmer
This application allows users to program and test STAR-based products from Kingfisher Company, Inc. It provides pages for parameter management, diagnostic information with health checks, and device-specific parameter editing.
- Program STAR-based products
- Run tests on STAR products
- Upload/download parameters
- Diagnostic information
- Antenna/cable health check
- Edit device parameters
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The STAR Cordless Programming App is used to program and run tests on Kingfisher Company, Inc STAR based products. These products include, but are not limited to, ELT, STAR Interface, KFRTI-8S, IRAC-S, APT-S, EMB/CMB, and KF1/3S. The app consists of three main pages, a page to initiate uploading and downloading parameters from a STAR Transmitter product, a page for diagnostic information including the ability for an antenna/cable health check, and last a page for editing parameters specific to the device that is being programmed.
K4 Control for Elecraft K4
Control your Elecraft K4 transceiver remotely from your iPad. Operate locally or over the internet, with integrated digital modes, logging, and advanced visual features.
- Full remote transceiver control
- Integrated digital modes (FT8, FT4, CW, SSTV)
- Comprehensive logbook with ADIF support
- Dual VFO and waterfall displays
- DX-Cluster integration and alerts
- Visual band mapping and callsign data
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Your Elecraft K4, K4D or K4HD on your iPhone and iPad: at home over Wi-Fi or from anywhere over the internet. Made by a ham, for hams, with personal support included. K4-Control connects to the K4's built-in network interface, at home and over the internet. No extra hardware, no PC and no extra software needed. WORKS WITH ■ Elecraft K4, K4D and K4HD, connected to your network by cable The app connects over the network only. A USB cable connection is not supported. OPERATE ■ Spectrum scope and waterfall with band plan, DX Cluster and FT8 spots ■ VFO A and B with the sub receiver and both panadapters, filters, preamp, attenuator, NB, NR, notch, AGC and more ■ Compact floating panels: tuning, PTT, CW, memories, tune stack, macros, Command Bar, DTMF, RIT / ∆TX ■ Your iPhone or iPad as microphone and speaker; the radio keeps playing in the background ■ Ready for iPhone Duo, iPad split screen and Apple Vision Pro MODES ■ FT8-Improved with AutoAnswer and AutoCQ, plus the classic FT8 ■ JS8 keyboard chat ■ CW with decoder, keyer, ESM and CW keyboard: send CW remotely, by keyboard or with a paddle on a CTR2 or MIDI controller ■ Speech: incoming voice transcribed and translated, your typed text sent as speech ■ SSTV, HF-Fax, APRS and WSPR FT8-Improved, JS8, Speech and WSPR need iOS 26. TOOLS ■ Logbook with ADIF import and export, shared via iCloud with SmartSDR, SDR-Control, FT-Control and TS-Control, on iPhone, iPad and Mac ■ DX Cluster with alerts, POTA, PSK Reporter, Call Lookup, Band Plan, Network Stats, Memories ■ Controllers: MIDI, CTR2, HaliKey, Pryme, Flic ■ 4O3A Genius devices, Ultra Beam antennas, rotators and relay boards 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 ■ An Elecraft K4, K4D or K4HD on your network, with its remote access password set ■ An iPhone or iPad 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/k4-control-ios-manual More apps: https://ham-radio-apps.com K4-Control is developed independently and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Elecraft.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: STAR Cordless Programmer at Free against K4 Control for Elecraft K4's $89.99. STAR Cordless Programmer also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.6). K4 Control for Elecraft K4's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (6 vs 1). On review sentiment, 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
STAR Cordless Programmer is free to download; K4 Control for Elecraft K4 costs $89.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
STAR Cordless Programmer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: K4 Control for Elecraft K4 has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
STAR Cordless Programmer ships an update every 4 months, K4 Control for Elecraft K4 fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | STAR Cordless Programmer | K4 Control for Elecraft K4 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $89.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.8 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 6 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 59 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kingfisher Company Inc. | Marcus Roskosch |
Customer experience
STAR Cordless Programmer
K4 Control for Elecraft K4
In-app purchases
STAR Cordless Programmer
No in-app purchases
K4 Control for Elecraft K4
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is STAR Cordless Programmer free?
Is K4 Control for Elecraft K4 free?
Which has better reviews, STAR Cordless Programmer or K4 Control for Elecraft K4?
Do STAR Cordless Programmer or K4 Control for Elecraft K4 have ads?
Which is updated more often, STAR Cordless Programmer or K4 Control for Elecraft K4?
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