Comparison

On vs xCluster

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

Head to head
About

On

This tool assists amateur radio operators with managing on-air nets and check-ins. It offers real-time messaging, email integration, and detailed operator information retrieval. The app supports multiple simultaneous sessions and configurable displays for efficient communication and tracking.

Highlights
  • Real-time net check-in tracking
  • Instant messaging (AIM) sessions
  • Integrated email client
  • Configurable information displays
  • QRZ/QRZCQ call sign lookup
  • WebSDR audio streaming
  • QRZ Logbook integration
Read full description

On-Air Net Scraper "Personal" Pro is an iPhone/iPad/MacOS silicon App providing a wide range of features for Amateur Radio operators (Hams). Key features include NetLogger Amateur Radio On-Air Nets, Check-Ins and multiple Almost Instant Message (AIM) sessions in real-time data awareness. AIM pass key automatic email request with single button click resulting in immediate pass key information reply. Full integrated Email client for yet another method for Hams to carry out conversations. Multiple tabbed displays allowing user to track unlimited number of On-Air Net Check-Ins at one time. User configurable information displays to included viewing detailed Ham information within Check-In views. Near real-time AIM client text message send and receive. Searching and viewing Past NetLogger Nets and Check-Ins. Monitor mode so users can be aware of NetLogger Check-In "lurkers". Simultaneous QRZ and QRZCQ login is supported facilitating Call Sign lookup and Ham information retrieval. Easy, click to display NetLogger Nets, Check-Ins Call Sign and operator status information, not requiring QRZ/CQ accounts. Multi-screen displays to included improved 2-way and 3-way split screens provide simultaneous displays of Check-Ins, AIM, AIM and Net Scraper Message Exchange current listing data along with WebSDR viewing and listening. PERSISTENT WebSDR radio LIVE audio listenings while simultaneously viewing multiple Net Check-In views. Seamlessly integrates with On-Air Net Scraper Desktop Server WebSocket Interface supporting private Internet chat sessions between On-Air Net Scraper ME clients. JS8Call/WSJTX full participation in digital radio REAL-TIME texting when using NetBird VPN or when paired with On-Air Net Scraper's Message Exchange (ME) Server. Autoload favorite NetLogger nets. Callsign search both NetLogger Active and Past net listing, including improved automatic continuous search and displaying of matched nets. QRZ Logbook insert/update/delete. Supports On-Device authentication and Two-Factor authentication in addition to encrypted secure storage of sensitive data and app access security. JS8Call dynamic frequency adjustment.

About

xCluster

Visualize DX cluster activity on a world map and in a list. Filter spots by call sign or band, and set custom alerts for specific stations or countries. Integrates with popular DX services and provides call parsing for location data.

Highlights
  • Display DX spots on map and list
  • Filter by band and call sign
  • Set custom alerts
  • Integrates with DXSummit and PSK Reporter
  • Built-in call parser
  • Zoom and pan map
Features
Read full description

xCluster is a visual display of dx cluster activity built for the iPad. DX spots are received via telnet or web services and displayed in a tabular form and plotted on a map of the world. You can filter the spots by call sign or band. Spots are created using the latitude and longitude of the dx station and spotter. The program has an internal call parsing component to determine the country for each call but can use QRZ.com for more accurate location data. Lookup priority is QRZ.com with the the call parser as a backup. DX spots can be displayed on a map or in a tabular form. Alerts for specific stations, bands or countries may be set and will be highlighted in the list and on the map. A number of major telnet clusters are built in along with DXSummit and PSK Reporter. PSK Reporter will display other stations that can hear your signal. You must be running WSJT-X or FLDIGI and have it configured correctly to work. You may contact the author with questions, suggestions or issues at support@w6op.com Features: Display dx spots on a map and in a list Predefined cluster servers and websites Filter by band and call sign Set alerts for display in the list and on the map Alerts can be set by country, band and call sign Save alerts in iCloud Built in call parser if QRZ.com is unavailable Freeform cluster command input Zoom and pan the map display

Screenshots

On4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: xCluster at 100% against On's 50%. On's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 4.0) and device support (4 vs 1). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 5 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of On's written reviews are positive against 100% of xCluster's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

On ships an update monthly, xCluster every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 11, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
On versus xCluster: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOnxCluster
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (13 ratings) — better4.0 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings13 — better5
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB33 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperChristopher RobsonPeter Bourget

Customer experience

On

All ratings13 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral7.7%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative37.5%

xCluster

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

On

No in-app purchases

None

xCluster

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is On free?
On is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is xCluster free?
xCluster is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, On or xCluster?
On is rated higher. On averages 4.4 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while xCluster averages 4.0 from 5 ratings.
Do On or xCluster have ads?
Neither On nor xCluster shows ads.
Which is updated more often, On or xCluster?
On ships an update monthly, and xCluster every 3 weeks. Most recently, On was updated on September 11, 2026 and xCluster on September 21, 2026.

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