Comparison

Shortwave Guide vs Demod

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

Head to head
About

Shortwave Guide

This application displays a real-time schedule of shortwave radio broadcasts worldwide, sourced from the EiBi database. Users can rescan for updates, view specific frequencies, and update the entire broadcast schedule database.

Highlights
  • Worldwide shortwave broadcast schedule
  • Real-time station listings
  • Frequency viewing
  • Database updates
  • EiBi database integration
Features
Read full description

The app shows a schedule of shortwave radio broadcasting. Information taken from EiBi database. When you run the application, you will see a list of radio stations, broadcasting currently worldwide. To update the scanning time in the menu, click "Rescan". To view all the selected radio frequency specifically, use a right button. When you first launch the app, or to update the schedule database, choose "Update Database".

About

Demod

Transform your iPhone into a software-defined radio receiver. Connect to SDR servers to explore shortwave, ham radio, aircraft, and marine frequencies. Enjoy real-time displays and various demodulation modes.

Highlights
  • Real-time waterfall and spectrum display
  • AM, NFM, WFM, USB, LSB, and CW demodulation
  • Adjustable bandwidth, gain, and squelch
  • Save and recall favorite frequencies
  • Browse public SDR servers worldwide
  • AirPlay output and Lock Screen controls
Features
Read full description

Demod turns your iPhone into a software-defined radio receiver. Connect to an SDR server on your own network or anywhere on the internet and explore the airwaves — from shortwave broadcasts and ham radio to aircraft, marine, and FM. Demod is a client for the most common SDR servers: • rtl_tcp — for RTL-SDR dongles • SpyServer — for Airspy and RTL-SDR • KiwiSDR — HF web receivers • OpenWebRX — web SDRs (HF, VHF and UHF) There's no hardware to plug into your phone. Point Demod at a server you run (a Raspberry Pi, PC, or Mac with an SDR dongle), or browse hundreds of public servers around the world and start listening in seconds. FEATURES • Real-time waterfall and spectrum display — Metal-accelerated and smooth • Pinch to zoom, drag to tune, two-finger pan • AM, NFM, WFM, USB, LSB, and CW demodulation • Decode CW (Morse), RTTY, PSK31, and FT8 on-screen (beta) • Time-Shift: pause and rewind live radio, DVR-style • Record what you hear — with a pre-roll of the moment you tapped • Live Text: on-device transcription of what you're listening to, with on-device translation of the captions (iOS 18+) and a full-screen transcript reader • Identify: one-tap "what is this signal?" — measures the signal on-device, matches it against a built-in band plan, and suggests the right mode (works with Siri: "ask Demod what this signal is") • Scanner: scan your memories, a band range, or let Smart scan find active signals across the captured spectrum • Spectral noise reduction, noise blanker, and mains-hum notch • Browse public KiwiSDR, OpenWebRX, and SpyServer receivers worldwide — list or map view • Save and recall favorite frequencies — import and export as CSV • Direct-sampling and upconverter support for HF • AirPlay output and Lock Screen playback controls • Adjustable bandwidth, gain (auto or manual), squelch, and display layouts PRIVACY Demod collects no data. No accounts, no tracking, no ads. Recording, transcription, translation, and signal identification all run entirely on your device — audio and text never leave it. Your settings, recordings, and transcripts stay under your control. Built for radio hobbyists, shortwave listeners, scanner enthusiasts, and ham operators who want a fast, native receiver in their pocket. Note: Demod is a receiver client and requires an SDR server to connect to. You can use a server you run yourself or one of the many free public servers listed in the app.

Screenshots

Shortwave Guide3 screens
Demod3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Demod at 100% against Shortwave Guide's 20%. Demod also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Shortwave Guide's advantage is price ($8.99 vs $9.99) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Shortwave Guide costs $8.99 and Demod $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shortwave Guide ships an update every 2 months, Demod fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Shortwave Guide versus Demod: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShortwave GuideDemod
Price$8.99 — better$9.99
Rating—5.0 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews20.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—7 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVladyslav HaliukAlphonse Romero

Customer experience

Shortwave Guide

Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative60.0%

Demod

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Shortwave Guide

No in-app purchases

None

Demod

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shortwave Guide free?
Shortwave Guide costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Demod free?
Demod costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Shortwave Guide or Demod have ads?
Neither Shortwave Guide nor Demod shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shortwave Guide or Demod?
Shortwave Guide ships an update every 2 months, and Demod fortnightly. Most recently, Shortwave Guide was updated on November 3, 2026 and Demod on November 5, 2026.

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