NAVTEX Pad vs FT8 Decoder
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NAVTEX Pad
Decode NAVTEX and RTTY marine weather transmissions on your iOS device. View safety messages and weather reports without a dedicated receiver. Save and transfer decoded text for later use.
- Decodes NAVTEX transmissions
- Decodes RTTY (BAUDOT & ASCII)
- Saves received text
- Transfers text to computer
- Displays NAVTEX schedules
- No dedicated receiver needed
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NAVTEX Pad lets you view NAVTEX and Radio Teletype (RTTY) marine weather transmissions on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. Just set it near a radio (or for better quality decoding, connect a cable from the radio's audio output jack to the microphone jack), tune in a NAVTEX frequency (usually 518 kHz), and watch the transmissions. NAVTEX weather and marine safety messages are transmitted from dozens of sites around the world. Now you can display these messages without buying a dedicated NAVTEX receiver. Both BAUDOT and ASCII RTTY can also be decoded. The shift and baud can can be selected from the standard values. You can also save your received text to view later, or transfer to your computer via iTunes. Schedules of upcoming NAVTEX transmissions are available within the app, so you'll never miss one. Visit the support page for step by step instructions for using the app: http://www.blackcatsystems.com/ipad/iPad_NAVTEX_Pad_FAQ.html Buy your copy of NAVTEX pad today, and never be without up to date marine weather information again.
FT8 Decoder
This application decodes FT8 digital signals from amateur radio bands. It can process audio from external sources or directly from an SSB radio or SDR. The app also generates FT8 modulated audio for experimentation.
- Decodes FT8 8FSK modulated signals
- Processes external audio or SDR sound
- Supports standard callsigns and 13-character messages
- Generates FT8 message audio
- Experiment with sending and receiving FT8 audio
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An FT8 decoder. FT8 is a weak signal digital mode, currently very popular in the amateur radio HF shortwave bands. The ft8d app allows decoding FT8 8FSK modulated signals contained in externally provided audio or sound from an SSB radio or SDR. The app supports Level 1 decoding of messages with standard callsigns or 13 character free text messages. The app can also generate standard FT8 message audio, so can be used to experiment with sending and receiving FT8 encoded and modulated audio. The app does NOT perform Auto-sequencing, or decode long hashed callsigns.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: FT8 Decoder at 4.3 against NAVTEX Pad's 1.9. FT8 Decoder also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 27%) and price ($1.99 vs $2.99). NAVTEX Pad's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.4). On ratings volume, 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
NAVTEX Pad costs $2.99 and FT8 Decoder $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
FT8 Decoder holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 1.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 8 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of NAVTEX Pad's written reviews are positive against 50% of FT8 Decoder's.
NAVTEX Pad ships an update every 17 months, FT8 Decoder every 18 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NAVTEX Pad | FT8 Decoder |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 1.9 (12 ratings) | 4.3 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 27.3% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 12 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 17 months — better | Every 18 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Black Cat Systems | HotPaw Productions |
Customer experience
NAVTEX Pad
FT8 Decoder
In-app purchases
NAVTEX Pad
No in-app purchases
FT8 Decoder
No in-app purchases
