# Sputnik! vs SDR

The clearest difference is price: Sputnik! at Free against SDR's $44.99. Sputnik! also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (731 vs 64). SDR's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months). On ads there is nothing between them.

Sputnik! is free to download; SDR costs $44.99 up front. Sputnik! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SDR asks for nothing beyond the download.

Sputnik! holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sputnik! has 731 ratings behind it against 64, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of Sputnik!'s written reviews are positive against 84% of SDR's.

Sputnik! ships an update every 5 months, SDR every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 15, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sputnik! | SDR |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $44.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (731 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sputnik/id393001070/reviews)** | [4.5 (64 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sdr-control-mobile/id1673327509/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **731** | 64 |
| Positive reviews | **92.2% of reviews** | 84.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Paid |
| Size | 35 MB | 47 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Applicate Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/299117183) | [Marcus Roskosch](https://appshunter.io/developer/334053438) |

## What reviewers say

### Sputnik!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sputnik/id393001070)

Track the International Space Station and bright satellites with precise timing and location data. Get second-by-second countdowns, set reminders, and view satellite paths in the night sky. Supports offline calculations and sharing sightings.

**Highlights:** Accurate satellite and ISS sighting predictions, Starlink satellite train detection, Second-by-second countdowns, Sighting reminders, Compass direction and elevation display, Night sky path visualization, Offline calculations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Go ad-free | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Accurate satellite tracking
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 🔭 Supports tracking of various satellites (ISS, Hubble, Starlink)
- ⏰ Provides countdown and reminders for sightings

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App not working/crashing for some users
- 🔍 Unclear information about satellite visibility (e.g. what 'enters Earth's shadow' means)
- 🔧 Difficulty updating satellite data
- 🙈 Dark mode text visibility issues

**Reported bugs**

- App reporting 'No Sightings' for all categories
- Null check errors when selecting satellite sightings
- Issues with location settings and data updates

**Requested features**

- Add support for more satellite types
- Improve sky chart visualization and orientation
- Provide filtering options (e.g. by elevation, magnitude)
- Implement automatic data updates


### SDR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sdr-control-mobile/id1673327509)

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Works perfectly with ICOM radios
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🌟 Feature-rich and comprehensive
- 💯 Stable and reliable performance
- 📱 Great for remote operation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 FT8 decoding issues (lower signal levels)
- 🐛 Dialogs do not scale with larger text setting
- 🐛 UI elements can be cramped on iPhone
- 🐛 Some buttons are small and hard to press
- 🐛 Frequency display overlaps buttons

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Develop for IC-7800
- CarPlay support
- Apple Watch add-on
- Windows version
- JS8call support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sputnik! free?

Sputnik! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is SDR free?

SDR costs $44.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Sputnik! or SDR?

Sputnik! is rated higher. Sputnik! averages 4.7 out of 5 from 731 ratings, while SDR averages 4.5 from 64 ratings.

### Do Sputnik! or SDR have ads?

Neither Sputnik! nor SDR shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sputnik! or SDR?

Sputnik! ships an update every 5 months, and SDR every 2 weeks. Most recently, Sputnik! was updated on October 15, 2026 and SDR on October 15, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*