Comparison

myGMRS vs HamWaves UV5R

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

myGMRS

Discover two-way radio repeaters in your local area for General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS). Coordinate your own repeaters, look up callsigns, and connect with other nearby users. A GMRS license from the FCC is required to access repeater information.

Highlights
  • Find GMRS repeaters
  • Coordinate repeaters
  • Lookup callsigns
  • Find nearby users
  • GMRS license verification
Features
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Individuals can find two-way radio repeaters in the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) to use in their area, coordinate their repeaters, lookup callsigns, and find other nearby users. A free account is required to view the repeater information, which requires a GMRS license issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

About

HamWaves UV5R

This interactive field guide provides experienced amateur radio operators with essential information for their Baofeng UV-5R radio. It offers clear explanations of menus, controls, and programming, even without an internet connection.

Highlights
  • Interactive radio guide
  • Menu item explanations
  • On-the-fly programming
  • Offline access
  • Control and display identification
  • FCC certifications
Features
Currently charting
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As radio users, we never seem to have manuals available when we need them. HamWaves Radio Guides are published to fix this problem! Now you can have interactive guides for your specific radio written by experienced amateur radio operators who actually own and use them. Baofeng UV-5R are notorious for their poorly translated user manuals and difficulty in setting them up and programming channels. HamWaves Guides provide well organized sections and topics to help you operate your radio and add or change settings on the fly, when you most need assistance. No one carries their manuals with them, but you always have your iPhone! HamWaves Guides do not require internet access to operate (except for updates) so if you are a hiker, camper, four-wheeler or someone who sometimes gets out of service range, you will still have the information you need. Covered topics include: - Feature list - Specifications - FCC certifications - Front and side controls - Keypad identification including shortcut items - Display icon identification - Accessories and after-market details - Extensive menu item explanations so you will know what those arcane items actually do - Programming simplex and repeater frequencies on the fly - Other resources to help you be a better and more knowledgable radio operator

Screenshots

myGMRS4 screens
HamWaves UV5R4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: myGMRS at Free against HamWaves UV5R's $3.99. myGMRS also leads on ratings volume (17 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.1). HamWaves UV5R's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.8) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

myGMRS is free to download; HamWaves UV5R costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HamWaves UV5R holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: myGMRS has 17 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

myGMRS ships an update every 6 weeks, HamWaves UV5R every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
myGMRS versus HamWaves UV5R: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametermyGMRSHamWaves UV5R
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating3.8 (17 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews37.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings17 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#132 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.1
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB6 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperRepeaterFinder, LLCBrian MILBURN

Customer experience

myGMRS

All ratings13 ratings
Positive53.8%
Neutral23.1%
Negative23.1%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive37.5%
Neutral25.0%
Negative37.5%

HamWaves UV5R

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

myGMRS

No in-app purchases

None

HamWaves UV5R

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is myGMRS free?
myGMRS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is HamWaves UV5R free?
HamWaves UV5R costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, myGMRS or HamWaves UV5R?
HamWaves UV5R is rated higher. myGMRS averages 3.8 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while HamWaves UV5R averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do myGMRS or HamWaves UV5R have ads?
myGMRS shows ads; HamWaves UV5R does not.
Which is updated more often, myGMRS or HamWaves UV5R?
myGMRS ships an update every 6 weeks, and HamWaves UV5R every 2 weeks. Most recently, myGMRS was updated on October 24, 2026 and HamWaves UV5R on October 30, 2026.

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