Comparison

Ham Square vs FT Ham

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

Head to head
About

Ham Square

This app provides radio amateurs with a quick and easy way to determine their Maidenhead Locator, a grid system used globally for location communication. It's a free tool for ham radio operators.

Highlights
  • Displays Maidenhead Locator
  • Uses current location
  • Convenient for radio amateurs
  • Global grid system
  • Free application
Features
Read full description

Ham Square is a free application that displays the Maidenhead Locator, or "square", for your current location. This grid system is used by radio amateurs worldwide as a convenient and short way of representing and communicating a location. Details of more ham radio apps from KramStuff are at http://www.kramstuff.com

About

FT Ham

This application decodes and transmits FT8/FT4 signals for amateur radio operators. It features a live waterfall, real-time decoding, and automated QSO sequencing, all processed on your device. Optional premium features enhance radio control and logging capabilities.

Highlights
  • Live waterfall display
  • Real-time FT8/FT4 decoding
  • Audio transmission for QSOs
  • Auto QSO sequencing
  • Logbook with ADIF import/export
  • Call alerts
  • Contact map visualization
Features
Read full description

FT Ham – FT8/FT4 Decoder & Audio Transmitter for Amateur Radio. FT Ham puts a complete FT8 and FT4 station in your pocket. Decode, reply and log QSOs from your iPhone or iPad in real time. Decoding runs entirely on your device. No interface yet? Hold your iPhone near your radio's speaker and start decoding in minutes. WHAT YOU NEED - A transceiver that can work in USB mode (upper sideband), on HF, VHF or UHF. - To receive: just your device. Place it next to the radio speaker and the built-in microphone picks up the signals. - To transmit and get the best decodes: an audio connection between the radio and your device, such as a radio with built-in USB audio, a USB sound card or an audio interface cable. - An amateur radio license to transmit. Anyone can listen. WHAT FT HAM DOES - Live waterfall: color palettes, level controls and a label on every decoded signal. Tap near a signal to reply. - Real-time decoding: FT8 and FT4 from the microphone or a USB audio interface, with callsign, report, SNR and country. - Transmit: FT8 and FT4 audio for CQ, reports, RRR and 73, aligned to UTC slots and played through the speaker or your radio interface. - Auto QSO sequencing: answers CQ, follows even and odd cycles, retries when needed and logs the QSO when it is complete. - Manual control at any time: choose any message yourself. - Clear decode list: columns, an active QSO bar, NEW GRID and NEW DXCC badges and a Needed filter. - Call alerts: sound, vibration or a notification when someone calls you or a watched station is heard. - Accurate timing: slots follow network time for more reliable decodes. - Compound callsigns, optional 11 m and CB callsigns, and HF to 23 cm bands. - Logbook: edit, batch select, filter by date, undo, and ADIF import and export. - Contact map: see your logged QSOs and coverage on a map. - English, German, Spanish, French and Italian. FT HAM PREMIUM (OPTIONAL ONE-TIME PURCHASE) - CAT radio control through rigctld on your computer, with frequency sync and PTT. - QRZ Logbook, LoTW and eQSL upload with confirmation sync. - PSK Reporter spotting. - QSO statistics: charts by band and mode, DXCC counter and activity heatmaps. - iPad dashboard with the waterfall and messages side by side. Everything that was free before stays free. Premium is not a subscription. PRIVACY Your logbook and settings stay on your device. FT Ham sends anonymous crash reports and usage statistics (you can turn statistics off). QRZ, LoTW, eQSL and PSK Reporter only receive data after you turn them on. Full details at ftham.turrion.dev/privacy. GOOD TO KNOW FT Ham only produces audio and your radio does the transmitting. Always follow your local regulations. The FT Ham core is open source under the MIT License. Premium features are proprietary. Third-party licenses are listed in the app.

Screenshots

Ham Square1 screens
FT Ham4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: FT Ham at 4.8 against Ham Square's 3.7. FT Ham also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 62%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 84 months). Ham Square's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (17 vs 4). On price, ads and device support 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

Both are free to download. FT Ham sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Ham Square asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

FT Ham holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 17 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Ham Square's written reviews are positive against 100% of FT Ham's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ham Square ships an update every 84 months, FT Ham weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Ham Square versus FT Ham: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHam SquareFT Ham
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (17 ratings)4.8 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings17 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 84 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS10.3 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKramPABLO TURRION SAN PEDRO

Customer experience

Ham Square

All ratings16 ratings
Positive68.8%
Neutral18.8%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive61.5%
Neutral15.4%
Negative23.1%

FT Ham

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Ham Square

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

FT Ham

One-time4
  • Donation of 0.99 €$0.99
  • FT Ham premium access$1.99
  • Donation of 2,99 €$2.99
Show 1 more
  • Donation of 4,99 €$3.99

Questions

Is Ham Square free?
Ham Square is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is FT Ham free?
FT Ham is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ham Square or FT Ham?
FT Ham is rated higher. Ham Square averages 3.7 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while FT Ham averages 4.8 from 4 ratings.
Do Ham Square or FT Ham have ads?
Neither Ham Square nor FT Ham shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ham Square or FT Ham?
Ham Square ships an update every 84 months, and FT Ham weekly. Most recently, Ham Square was updated on November 6, 2026 and FT Ham on November 12, 2026.

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