SDR vs SmartMTR for FlexRadio
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SDR
Control your Icom radio remotely from your iPhone. View spectrum scope, waterfall, and access all radio controls over Wi-Fi or the internet. Supports various Icom models and includes features for ham radio operators.
- Spectrum scope and waterfall display
- Full radio control
- Remote operation over Wi-Fi/internet
- FT8-Improved and JS8 modes
- CW decoder and keyer
- Speech transcription and translation
- Logbook with ADIF import/export
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Your Icom radio on your iPhone: at home over Wi-Fi or from anywhere over the internet. Made by a ham, for hams, with personal support included. SDR-Control Mobile shows the spectrum scope and waterfall of your Icom radio with all its controls. 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 iPhone as microphone and speaker; the radio keeps playing in the background ■ Ready for iPhone Duo: the iPhone screens when folded, the large radio screen when open 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, WSPR and D-Star FT8-Improved, JS8, Speech and WSPR need iOS 26. TOOLS ■ Logbook with ADIF import and export, shared via iCloud with SmartSDR, FT-Control, TS-Control and K4-Control, on iPhone, iPad and Mac ■ DX Cluster, POTA, PSK Reporter, Call Lookup, Band Plan, Network Stats, Memories, Scanning ■ 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 iPhone with iOS 18 or later ■ For use over the internet: access to your home network from outside (see the manual) Manual: https://go-to.me/sdrcontrol-mobile-manual More apps: https://ham-radio-apps.com SDR-Control is developed independently and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Icom.
SmartMTR for FlexRadio
Transform your iOS device into a precise S-meter and control panel for FlexRadio transceivers. Monitor signal levels, adjust DSP filters, and control radio functions with intuitive gestures. Includes a demo mode for exploration.
- Precision S-meter with arc-band indicator
- Dual-slice display for simultaneous monitoring
- TX meters for RF Power, SWR, and Compression
- Intuitive swipe gestures for radio control
- Comprehensive DSP filter adjustments
- Demo mode for exploration
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Turn your iPhone or iPad into a precision S-meter and control panel for your FlexRadio 6000 or 8000 series transceiver. SmartMTR connects to your radio over the local network and displays real-time signal levels on a sweeping arc indicator with smooth ballistic animation. Monitor two slices at once, control your radio with intuitive swipe gestures, and fine-tune DSP filters — all from your iOS device. PRECISION S-METER - Arc-band indicator with realistic ballistics — fast attack, slow decay - Dual-slice display: Slice A and Slice B shown simultaneously - S1 to S9+60 dB scale with accurate dBm readout - Signal extremes tracking with adjustable time window - 30-second signal history chart TX METERS - RF Power gauge (120W or 600W scale) - SWR meter - Compression meter - Mic level meter RADIO CONTROL - Tune frequency with swipe gestures — MHz, kHz, and Hz - Switch modes: CW, LSB, USB, AM, FM, NFM - Select RX and TX antennas - Adjust RX filter width - Band stacking with per-slice memory DSP FILTERS - Squelch and volume control - AGC mode and threshold - Noise blankers: NB, WNB - Noise reduction: NR, NRL, NRS, NRF, RNN - Notch filters: ANF, ANFL, ANFT WORKS WITH - FlexRadio 6000 or 8000 series Requires a FlexRadio transceiver on the same local network. Try the built-in demo mode to explore the app without a radio. Terms of Use: https://smartmtr.net/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://smartmtr.net/privacy-policy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: SmartMTR for FlexRadio at Free against SDR's $44.99. SmartMTR for FlexRadio also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 84%) and device support (3 vs 1). SDR's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ads 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
SmartMTR for FlexRadio is free to download; SDR costs $44.99 up front. SmartMTR for FlexRadio sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. SDR asks for nothing beyond the download.
SDR holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SDR has 73 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 84% of SDR's written reviews are positive against 100% of SmartMTR for FlexRadio'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, SmartMTR for FlexRadio every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SDR | SmartMTR for FlexRadio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $44.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.6 (73 ratings) — better | 4.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 84.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 73 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 — better | 26.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Marcus Roskosch | Dariusz Socha |
Customer experience
SDR
SmartMTR for FlexRadio
Bugs and requests
SDR
Reported bugs
12 issues- Dialogs do not scale with larger text setting
- Frequency display overlaps buttons
- FT8 decoding issues (lower signal levels than WSJTX)
- App crashes and leaves radio in transmit
- Logbook export not functional after update
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- Function button for horizontal scrolling not fully displayed
- FT8 decode is useless and unreliable
- Messed up radio, requiring reset
- RX audio unusable outside home network (prior to 1.5.1)
- Struggles with audio RX packets on remote cellular networks
- Cannot work over mobile data with certain carriers (EE)
- FT8 alerts sound but don't display
Requested features
14 requests- Develop for IC-7800
- CarPlay support
- Apple Watch add-on
- Windows version
- JS8call support
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- More digital modes
- Display memory bank names
- Initiate memory scan from app
- WSPR implementation
- Tool for WSPR
- More FT8/FT4 features (e.g., setting transmit frequency directly in FT8 view)
- Send image to unit
- KISS TNC support
- Control digital modes (reflectors, etc.)
SmartMTR for FlexRadio
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SDR
No in-app purchases
SmartMTR for FlexRadio
- SmartMTR7 Days trial$2.991 Month









