Comparison

RepeaterPhone vs Vulcana

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

Head to head
About

RepeaterPhone

Connect your mobile device to EchoLink or AllStarLink radio nodes, repeaters, and conferences. Features a push-to-talk interface, node directory search, and favorites for quick access. Supports Bluetooth headsets and includes a watch extension for convenient control.

Highlights
  • Push-to-talk interface
  • EchoLink/AllStarLink node connection
  • Node directory search
  • Favorite nodes
  • Bluetooth headset support
  • Watch extension control
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Note: This app is for licensed Amateur Radio operators only. RepeaterPhone provides the ability to connect your mobile device to EchoLink or AllStarLink nodes, including repeaters and conferences. Push to talk today! You will need an account with either the EchoLink or AllStarLink networks. Please see https://www.echolink.org or https://www.allstarlink.org, respectively, for more details - Push-to-talk interface - Browse or search the directory for available nodes - Mark favorites with a star for quick access - Supports various audio devices, including Bluetooth headsets - Fully integrated into your phone's recent call system - Includes a watch extension for dialing favorites and controlling push-to-talk - Sharing your device with a licensed family member? Switch accounts easily

About

Vulcana

Features
Read full description

Vulcana shows the living Mediterranean: earthquakes, volcanoes, wind and storms on one live map, and turns them into music. Made for anyone who lives on, or travels to, the edge of an active volcano: Sicily, the Aeolian islands, Naples, Greece and the whole Mediterranean. LIVE QUAKE MAP Every earthquake reported by INGV, EMSC and USGS appears on the map as soon as it is published, coloured by magnitude. For a recent quake, rings show how far it could have been felt. Filter by time, magnitude and distance, or browse them all in a list. FIVE VOLCANOES, WATCHED Etna, Stromboli, Vulcano, Campi Flegrei and Vesuvio each have a ring that shows their seismic unrest compared with the past month. For Etna and Stromboli you also see the official aviation colour code issued by INGV, with the observers' own notice: what they see, the ash cloud, and when it was issued. WHERE THE ASH GOES When the official code is Orange or Red, an ash cone points where the summit wind would carry it, towards Catania, Reggio Calabria or Naples. AIRPORT WEATHER Catania, Comiso, Palermo, Trapani, Reggio Calabria and Naples, each coloured by its weather report: thunderstorm, low visibility, volcanic ash. Turn on alerts and your phone tells you when the weather changes at the airport that matters to you. WIND AND STORMS Drifting streaks show the wind over the island, and a purple glow marks thunderstorms before they reach you. RADIO OF SICILY A piece of music that never repeats, played live by the forces around you. The wind strums an Aeolian harp. The heat wakes the cicadas, the evening wakes the crickets, and they call and answer each other. Birds sing at sunrise. Storms roll in as thunder. The volcano you listen to has its own voice: Etna's deep drone, Stromboli's bursts and sparks, the steam of Vulcano, the slow breath of Campi Flegrei. Climb a mountain and the sea fades as the air thins and a shimmer of bells appears. Drive and the harmony quickens. It keeps playing with the screen off. LEARN WHY IT SOUNDS Every sound comes from real data, and the app shows you which: tap a layer to hear it alone and read what moves it. Or try Scenarios to hear a storm, an eruption or a quiet August night. GUESS THE MAGNITUDE Felt a tremor? For an hour Vulcana hides the magnitude of a quake near you. Guess it, see how close you were, build streaks and climb from Novice to Master Seismologist. SPEED AND ALTITUDE A speedometer and altimeter on the map and in the radio, with a button that keeps the screen on for a phone in a car holder. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no ads, no tracking. Your precise location, speed and altitude never leave your iPhone. Only an area about 11 km across is used to look up the weather. Please note: Vulcana is not an official warning system. It shows public scientific data as it is published, sometimes minutes late or later revised. For your safety, follow Civil Protection and INGV. Airport colours describe the weather, not whether flights operate. Data: INGV, EMSC, USGS, MET Norway and NOAA. Maps © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap contributors. Made by SIA SPACE, an audiovisual studio.

Screenshots

RepeaterPhone4 screens
Vulcana4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Vulcana at $3.99 against RepeaterPhone's $7.99. RepeaterPhone's advantage is chart position (#84 vs unranked) and device support (4 vs 1). On 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

RepeaterPhone costs $7.99 and Vulcana $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RepeaterPhone ships an update every 2 months, Vulcana every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
RepeaterPhone versus Vulcana: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRepeaterPhoneVulcana
Price$7.99$3.99 — better
Rating4.4 (89 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews71.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings89 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
Best chart rank#84 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWeston BustraanSpace SIA

Bugs and requests

RepeaterPhone

Reported bugs

18 issues
  • Authentication failed on setup
  • App crashes with latest iOS
  • iPhone 16 Pro will not connect
  • Many Allstar nodes reject connection attempts
  • Crashes sometimes, interrupting calls
Show 13 more
  • Failed to load list of stations
  • Randomly disconnects
  • Hubs error out with 'Rejected: No authority found'
  • Crashes under iOS 17.6
  • App doesn’t work on Echolink
  • Connection closes when screen locks
  • Receive volume very low after iOS 16
  • Audio seems less than fully baked, low volume
  • Trying to change speakers mutes app
  • Private nodes stay keyed after unkeying
  • App reads 'Account not found'
  • Callsign beginning with a number times out at 45secs
  • Supermon stops reporting during local private node connection

Requested features

14 requests
  • DTMF presets on dial page
  • Apple CarPlay integration
  • CQ function inclusion
  • Organize nodes by location/group chat
  • See total people connected before connecting
Show 9 more
  • Search for nodes by location
  • More sorting for repeater list
  • Last heard map/list
  • Listen-only mode
  • Dialer for Allstar codes (*72 etc.)
  • Android app with PTT
  • Macros to hound and disconnect nodes
  • Map of AllStar node location
  • Adjustable mic level slider

Vulcana

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

RepeaterPhone

No in-app purchases

None

Vulcana

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RepeaterPhone free?
RepeaterPhone costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Vulcana free?
Vulcana costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do RepeaterPhone or Vulcana have ads?
Neither RepeaterPhone nor Vulcana shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RepeaterPhone or Vulcana?
RepeaterPhone ships an update every 2 months, and Vulcana every 4 months. Most recently, RepeaterPhone was updated on November 12, 2026 and Vulcana on October 31, 2026.

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