Shortwave Guide vs Overhead 1090
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Worldwide shortwave broadcast schedule
- Real-time station listings
- Frequency viewing
- Database updates
- EiBi database integration
Read full descriptionHide 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".
Overhead 1090
Read full descriptionHide full description
Overhead 1090 turns your own ADS-B receiver into a beautiful live radar picture of the sky above you. No accounts. No subscriptions. No aircraft data leaving your network. If your antenna can hear it, Overhead 1090 shows it โ with the low-latency, unfiltered view that only a local receiver can deliver. WHAT YOU GET โข Live radar map โ every aircraft your receiver hears, updated in real time on a gorgeous dark map โข Aircraft details โ callsign, registration, type, altitude, speed, heading, and distance from home โข Reports โ traffic by hour and day, busiest hours, top operators and types โข Sightings โ a feed of the notable stuff: military contacts, low passes, rare types, new airframes, closest approaches โข Logbook โ a searchable log of every flight your receiver has heard, each with its ground track โข All your receivers โ run more than one antenna? Add them all and filter by who heard what โข Built for iPad โ a full-screen radar display โข Apple TV โ the living-room big board. Put the sky above your house on the biggest screen you own โข One purchase unlocks iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV WORKS WITH YOUR RECEIVER Overhead 1090 connects to ADS-B receivers on your local network that expose dump1090-compatible data โ including popular Raspberry Pi feeder setups. Setup is as simple as pointing the app at your receiver's address; it can even find it for you. No receiver yet? Demo mode lets you explore the full app with realistic sample traffic. WHY LOCAL IS BETTER Internet flight trackers filter, delay, and aggregate. Your receiver doesn't. Overhead 1090 shows exactly what's broadcast over your head the moment it's received โ including traffic that never appears on the big tracking sites. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your aircraft data stays on your network. Overhead 1090 has no analytics, no ads, and no accounts. The app's privacy label is "Data Not Collected." โ Overhead 1090 is for hobbyist and educational use. It is not certified for real-world navigation, air traffic control, or safety-of-life use. Requires a dump1090-compatible ADS-B receiver on your local network for live data (demo mode works without one). The app logs traffic while it is open.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Overhead 1090 at $4.99 against Shortwave Guide's $8.99. Overhead 1090 also leads on update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 2 months) and chart position (#156 vs unranked). Shortwave Guide's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Shortwave Guide costs $8.99 and Overhead 1090 $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Shortwave Guide ships an update every 2 months, Overhead 1090 every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Shortwave Guide | Overhead 1090 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $8.99 | $4.99 โ better |
| Positive reviews | 20.0% of reviews | โ |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 4 weeks โ better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | โ |
| Best chart rank | โ | #156 โ better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 โ better | 18.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Vladyslav Haliuk | Michael Russo |
In-app purchases
Shortwave Guide
No in-app purchases
Overhead 1090
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Shortwave Guide free?
Is Overhead 1090 free?
Do Shortwave Guide or Overhead 1090 have ads?
Which is updated more often, Shortwave Guide or Overhead 1090?
Other comparisons















