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

Decode and transmit FT8/FT4 amateur radio signals directly from your mobile device. Features real-time decoding, automatic QSO sequencing, and an integrated logbook with ADIF export. All processing is done offline and locally on your device.

Highlights
  • Real-time FT8/FT4 decoding
  • Offline audio transmission
  • Automatic QSO sequencing
  • Live waterfall display
  • Integrated logbook with ADIF export
  • Customizable message composer
Features
Read full description

FT Ham – FT8/FT4 Decoder & Audio Transmitter for Amateur Radio FT Ham puts a complete FT8/FT4 decoder and audio encoder/transmitter in your pocket. Decode, reply, and log QSOs directly from your iPhone — all in real time, fully offline. What the app does for you: - Live Waterfall: frequency vs time spectrogram with color intensity and vertical labels for each decoded signal. - Real-time Decoding: receive FT8 and FT4 audio via microphone or connected audio interface and see callsigns, reports, and SNR instantly. - Transmit (Encode & Play): generate FT8/FT4 audio for CQ, reports, RRR, and 73, aligned to correct UTC slots and played through speaker or radio interface. - Auto QSO Sequencing: detects CQ, prepares replies, respects UTC timing and even/odd cycles, retries if needed, and can complete QSOs automatically. - Manual Control Always Available: full manual message selection and intervention at any point. - Predefined Messages & Composer: CQ, DX→ME, reports, RRR, and 73 — automatically filled with your callsign and locator, fully customizable. - Logbook & ADIF Export: automatically log completed QSOs and export to standard ADIF for external logging software. - Contact Map: visualize logged QSOs and geographic coverage in a single view. Privacy & Safety: - All decoding and signal processing runs entirely on your device. No internet connection required. - FT Ham does not collect or share personal data. All settings and logs remain local on your device. - Audio output may be connected to external radios; always comply with local amateur radio regulations. - Payments are handled by Apple or third-party services; FT Ham never receives payment details. Legal & Licenses: - FT Ham code is released under the MIT License. - Third-party library licenses are included in-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 3.9. FT Ham also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 62%) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 84 months). Ham Square's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (16 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 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 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 every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Ham Square versus FT Ham: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHam SquareFT Ham
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (16 ratings)4.8 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 84 monthsEvery 5 days — 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 MB17 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 ratings3 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 3.9 out of 5 from 16 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 every 5 days. Most recently, Ham Square was updated on October 7, 2026 and FT Ham on October 20, 2026.

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