Comparison

SDR vs SP2ALERT

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

Head to head
About

SDR

Control your Icom transceiver remotely or locally from your iPhone. Operate in all modes, log QSOs, and utilize integrated digital modes like FT8/FT4 and SSTV. No extra hardware is needed for global access.

Highlights
  • Remote transceiver operation
  • All mode control
  • Auto logging logbook
  • Integrated FT8/FT4 tool
  • Integrated SSTV receiver
  • Integrated CW decoder and keyer
  • DX-Cluster integration
Read full description

Software Defined Radio Client for Icom Transceivers and your iPhone SDR-Control Mobile is a full featured iPhone App to operate your Icom Transceiver at home or from around the world without additional Hard- or Software. Important: This App requires one of the following Icom Transceivers: IC-705, IC-7610, IC-9700, IC-7760 or the IC-R8600 Receiver or the new IC-7300 MK2 FACTS AND FEATURES: ■ Native iOS 26 app, backward compatible to iOS 17 ■ Compatible with any iPhone ■ Complete operation of your Icom Transceiver in all modes ■ Use the App local or to remote access of your Transceiver from any place without additional Hard- or Software ■ Logbook with auto logging, ADIF Im-/Export ■ UDP Log submission when using external logging software ■ Integrated full featured FT8 / FT4 Tool ■ Integrated SSTV receiver (NEW) ■ Integrated CW Decoder ■ Integrated CW Keyer ■ DX-Cluster integration ■ Call sign lookup integrated ■ Displays Calls on Map with heading and distance information ■ And much more... WHAT YOU NEED: - An Icom IC-705, IC-7610, IC-9700 or IC-7760 Transceiver or IC-R8600 Receiver or the new IC-7300 MK2 - The Transceiver needs to be connected to your Network (WiFi or LAN) - No USB cable needed or supported - An iPhone that runs at least iOS 17 Find out more here: https://ham-radio-apps.com Read the Manual: http://go-to.me/sdrcontrol-mobile-manual

About

SP2ALERT

Features
Read full description

SP2ALERT is an alert app for amateur radio operators that delivers real-time push notifications for new POTA (Parks on the Air) and SOTA (Summits on the Air) spots. ■ POTA / SOTA Spot Alerts Automatically detects new spots and sends push notifications — even when the app is in the background. ■ Three Alert Modes (foreground only) • CW Vibration — vibrates in Morse code pattern (adjustable WPM and amplitude) • CW Tone — plays Morse code through the speaker (300–1500 Hz pitch) • Voice — reads spot information aloud (phonetic alphabet supported) ■ Flexible Filtering • Filter by band and mode (all bands from 160m to 13cm supported) • Filter by POTA program (JP, K, VK, etc.) or SOTA association • Include/exclude specific callsigns, park references, or summit references • Save and switch between multiple named presets ■ Hunt / Chase Management • Import POTA Hunt and SOTA Chase history via CSV • Alert only for unworked parks and summits • Multi-location activations (same operator at multiple parks) are always alerted even if one park is already hunted ■ Notification Controls • Configurable polling interval • Alert time window (e.g. 7:00–22:59 only) • Re-alert interval • Alert expiry timer • Additional alert on frequency/mode change ■ English / Japanese Localization The UI automatically switches between English and Japanese based on your device language setting. 【iOS Limitations】 Background operation is limited to notification banners and sounds. CW tone, voice, and vibration alerts only work while the app is in the foreground. Background polling timing is controlled by iOS and may be delayed beyond the configured interval.

Screenshots

SDR4 screens
SP2ALERT4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: SP2ALERT at Free against SDR's $44.99. SP2ALERT also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

SP2ALERT is free to download; SDR costs $44.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SDR ships an update every 2 weeks, SP2ALERT every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
SDR versus SP2ALERT: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSDRSP2ALERT
Price$44.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (64 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews84.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings64 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarcus RoskoschJIRO UENO

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
Show 7 more
  • 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
Show 9 more
  • 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.)

SP2ALERT

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

SDR

No in-app purchases

None

SP2ALERT

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SDR free?
SDR costs $44.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SP2ALERT free?
SP2ALERT is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SDR or SP2ALERT have ads?
Neither SDR nor SP2ALERT shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SDR or SP2ALERT?
SDR ships an update every 2 weeks, and SP2ALERT every 2 days. Most recently, SDR was updated on October 11, 2026 and SP2ALERT on October 12, 2026.

Other comparisons