# SDR vs xCluster

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | SDR | xCluster |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $49.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.2 (70 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sdr-control-for-icom/id1614141094/reviews)** | [4.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xcluster/id1644543785/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **70** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 78.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 55 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.6** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Marcus Roskosch](https://appshunter.io/developer/334053438) | [Peter Bourget](https://appshunter.io/developer/1644543787) |

## What reviewers say

### SDR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sdr-control-for-icom/id1614141094)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**In-app purchases:** none


### xCluster

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xcluster/id1644543785)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SDR free?

SDR costs $49.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is xCluster free?

xCluster is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, SDR or xCluster?

SDR is rated higher. SDR averages 4.2 out of 5 from 70 ratings, while xCluster averages 4.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do SDR or xCluster have ads?

Neither SDR nor xCluster shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SDR or xCluster?

SDR ships an update every 2 weeks, and xCluster monthly. Most recently, SDR was updated on October 27, 2026 and xCluster on October 8, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*