Comparison

MagicSDR vs PHECDA

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

Head to head
About

MagicSDR

Explore the radio frequency spectrum with interactive visualizations like panadapters and waterfalls. Demodulate and listen to various radio signals, and collect frequencies. This flexible application supports numerous SDR hardware protocols and offers access to hundreds of global servers for listening without special equipment.

Highlights
  • Panadapter and waterfall visualization
  • AM, SSB, CW, NFM, WFM demodulation
  • Frequency collection
  • Support for multiple SDR protocols
  • Access to global SDR servers
  • Screen gestures
  • Frequency bookmarks
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone or iPad into a real radio receiver. MagicSDR connects you to more than 600 live SDR (software defined radio) servers around the world — tune in to shortwave broadcasts, ham radio and utility stations right away. No antenna, no dongle, no hardware required. WHAT YOU CAN HEAR - International shortwave broadcasters from every continent - Ham radio operators on SSB and CW — contests, DXpeditions, everyday QSOs - Aviation, marine and utility stations - Time signals, beacons and digital modes Pick a receiver close to the signal you want: a server in Japan, Brazil or the Alps is one tap away. Somewhere the bands are always open. HAVE YOUR OWN SDR HARDWARE? MagicSDR also works as a fast native client for your own receivers. The app supports the SoapyRemote protocol, which means it works with any SDR device that has a SoapySDR driver. More supported protocols: - rtl_tcp — stream IQ data from the popular and affordable RTL-SDR dongles - Airspy network — connect to Airspy receivers shared over the network - Hermes-Lite — direct connection to the open-source Hermes-Lite 2 HF transceiver A POWERFUL RECEIVER WITH A TOUCH-FIRST UI - Wideband panadapter and waterfall with smooth pinch-to-zoom and pan gestures - AM, SSB (USB/LSB), CW, NFM and WFM demodulators - Adjustable filter bandwidth and noise-threshold squelch - Frequency bookmarks to collect and organize stations - Band plan overlay, so you always know where you are on the dial - Audio over UDP — feed external decoders such as FT8/WSJT-X or CW - Built-in EiBi shortwave schedule database — instantly see which broadcast station is on the air, in what language and when MADE FOR Ham radio operators, shortwave listeners (SWL), DXers, spectrum analysis — and anyone curious about what is on the air right now. Feedback and feature requests are always welcome — MagicSDR is in active development.

About

PHECDA

Create and edit images for laser engraving. Upload your designs directly to compatible laser engraving machines for precise crafting. Ideal for hobbyists and creators looking to personalize projects.

Highlights
  • Image editing tools
  • Design upload to laser engravers
  • Support for laser engraving machines
  • User-friendly interface
  • Project personalization
Read full description

This is an application that supports laser engraving machines, users can use it to edit images, upload to laser engraving machines and engrave.

Screenshots

MagicSDR4 screens
PHECDA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PHECDA at Free against MagicSDR's $12.99. PHECDA also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). MagicSDR's advantage is rating (3.1 vs 1.7) and review sentiment (38% vs 0%). On ratings volume, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

PHECDA is free to download; MagicSDR costs $12.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MagicSDR holds the better App Store score, 3.1 against 1.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of MagicSDR's written reviews are positive against 0% of PHECDA's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MagicSDR ships an update monthly, PHECDA every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and July 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
MagicSDR versus PHECDA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMagicSDRPHECDA
Price$12.99Free — better
Rating3.1 (10 ratings) — better1.7 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews37.9% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings10 — better7
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size65 MB81 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperVladyslav Haliuk东 陈

Customer experience

MagicSDR

All ratings10 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews29 reviews
Positive37.9%
Neutral17.2%
Negative44.8%

PHECDA

All ratings7 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral28.6%
Negative71.4%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral40.0%
Negative60.0%

In-app purchases

None

MagicSDR

No in-app purchases

None

PHECDA

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MagicSDR free?
MagicSDR costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is PHECDA free?
PHECDA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MagicSDR or PHECDA?
MagicSDR is rated higher. MagicSDR averages 3.1 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while PHECDA averages 1.7 from 7 ratings.
Do MagicSDR or PHECDA have ads?
Neither MagicSDR nor PHECDA shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MagicSDR or PHECDA?
MagicSDR ships an update monthly, and PHECDA every 3 weeks. Most recently, MagicSDR was updated on September 23, 2026 and PHECDA on July 8, 2026.

Other comparisons