SDR vs SP2ALERT
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Remote transceiver operation
- All mode control
- Auto logging logbook
- Integrated FT8/FT4 tool
- Integrated SSTV receiver
- Integrated CW decoder and keyer
- DX-Cluster integration
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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
SP2ALERT
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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
Verdict
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
SP2ALERT is free to download; SDR costs $44.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
| Parameter | SDR | SP2ALERT |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $44.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.5 (64 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 84.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 64 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 47 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Marcus Roskosch | JIRO 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
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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.)
SP2ALERT
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SDR
No in-app purchases
SP2ALERT
No in-app purchases









