Comparison

NAVTEX Pad vs SDR

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Decodes NAVTEX transmissions
  • Decodes RTTY (BAUDOT & ASCII)
  • Saves received text
  • Transfers text to computer
  • Displays NAVTEX schedules
  • No dedicated receiver needed
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

Screenshots

NAVTEX Pad3 screens
SDR4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SDR at 84% against NAVTEX Pad's 27%. SDR also leads on rating (4.6 vs 1.9) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 17 months). NAVTEX Pad's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $44.99) and device support (3 vs 1). On ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

NAVTEX Pad costs $2.99 and SDR $44.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SDR holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SDR has 73 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of NAVTEX Pad's written reviews are positive against 84% of SDR's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NAVTEX Pad ships an update every 17 months, SDR every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
NAVTEX Pad versus SDR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNAVTEX PadSDR
Price$2.99 — better$44.99
Rating1.9 (12 ratings)4.6 (73 ratings) — better
Positive reviews27.3% of reviews84.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1273 — better
Update frequencyEvery 17 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS9.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlack Cat SystemsMarcus Roskosch

Customer experience

NAVTEX Pad

All ratings12 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%
Written reviews44 reviews
Positive27.3%
Neutral9.1%
Negative63.6%

SDR

All ratings67 ratings
Positive89.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.4%
Written reviews70 reviews
Positive84.3%
Neutral5.7%
Negative10.0%

Bugs and requests

NAVTEX Pad

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or 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.)

In-app purchases

None

NAVTEX Pad

No in-app purchases

None

SDR

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NAVTEX Pad free?
NAVTEX Pad costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SDR free?
SDR costs $44.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NAVTEX Pad or SDR?
SDR is rated higher. NAVTEX Pad averages 1.9 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while SDR averages 4.6 from 73 ratings.
Do NAVTEX Pad or SDR have ads?
Neither NAVTEX Pad nor SDR shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NAVTEX Pad or SDR?
NAVTEX Pad ships an update every 17 months, and SDR every 2 weeks. Most recently, NAVTEX Pad was updated on November 1, 2026 and SDR on November 7, 2026.

Other comparisons