SDR vs xCluster
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SDR
Control compatible Icom transceivers remotely or locally from your iPad. Offers full operation, dual VFO, a logbook, and integrated digital modes like FT8/FT4, SSTV, and CW decoding.
- Remote transceiver operation
- Dual VFO and DualWatch
- Integrated logbook with ADIF support
- FT8/FT4, SSTV, and CW decoder tools
- DX-Cluster integration
- Call sign lookup and map display
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Your Icom radio on your iPad: at home over Wi-Fi or from anywhere over the internet. Made by a ham, for hams, with personal support included. SDR-Control shows the spectrum scope and waterfall of your Icom radio with all its controls on the large iPad screen. No extra hardware or software needed. WORKS WITH ■ IC-705 (Wi-Fi) ■ IC-7610, IC-7760, IC-9700, IC-7300 MK2 and the IC-R8600 receiver (radio on your network by cable) The app connects over the network only. The older IC-7300 (without MK2) has no network connection and can't be used. OPERATE ■ Spectrum scope and waterfall with band plan, DX Cluster and FT8 spots ■ Two VFOs, filters, preamp, attenuator, NB, NR, notch, AGC and more ■ Compact floating panels: tuning, PTT, CW, memories, macros, Command Bar, DTMF, RIT / ∆TX, D-Star ■ Your iPad as microphone and speaker; the radio keeps playing in the background, also with the cover closed MODES ■ FT8-Improved with AutoAnswer and AutoCQ, plus the classic FT8 ■ JS8 keyboard chat ■ CW with decoder, keyer and CW keyboard ■ 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 iPadOS 26. TOOLS ■ Logbook with ADIF import and export, shared via iCloud with SmartSDR, FT-Control, TS-Control and K4-Control, on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro ■ DX Cluster, POTA, PSK Reporter, Call Lookup, Band Plan, Network Stats, Memories, Scanning, S.A.T. ■ Controllers: MIDI, CTR2, HaliKey, Pryme, Flic ■ 4O3A Genius devices and Ultra Beam antennas 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 ■ One of the radios above, connected to your network ■ An iPad with iPadOS 18 or later ■ For use over the internet: access to your home network from outside (see the manual) Manual: https://go-to.me/sdrcontrol-ios-manual More apps: https://ham-radio-apps.com
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: xCluster at Free against SDR's $49.99. xCluster also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 78%). SDR's advantage is ratings volume (70 vs 5) and iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). On rating, 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
xCluster is free to download; SDR costs $49.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SDR holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SDR has 70 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 78% of SDR'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.
SDR ships an update every 2 weeks, xCluster monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SDR | xCluster |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $49.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.2 (70 ratings) — better | 4.0 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 78.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 70 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 33 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Marcus Roskosch | Peter Bourget |
Customer experience
SDR
xCluster
In-app purchases
SDR
No in-app purchases
xCluster
No in-app purchases









