# iSDR vs ARRL magazines

The clearest difference is price: ARRL magazines at Free against iSDR's $0.99. ARRL magazines also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (258 vs 11). iSDR's advantage is rating (2.5 vs 1.8) and review sentiment (52% vs 12%). On update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

ARRL magazines is free to download; iSDR costs $0.99 up front. iSDR sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ARRL magazines asks for nothing beyond the download.

iSDR holds the better App Store score, 2.5 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ARRL magazines has 258 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of iSDR's written reviews are positive against 12% of ARRL magazines's.

iSDR ships an update every 3 months, ARRL magazines every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | iSDR | ARRL magazines |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[2.5 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/isdr/id480077371/reviews)** | [1.8 (258 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arrl-magazines/id531766442/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 11 | **258** |
| Positive reviews | **51.7% of reviews** | 12.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 36 MB | 126 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Digital Confections LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/480077374) | [ARRL, American Radio Relay League, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/531766445) |

## What reviewers say

### iSDR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/isdr/id480077371)

This app allows experimenters and amateur radio enthusiasts to build a portable software-defined radio receiver using their iOS device. It processes radio signals using the device's processor and offers various display and filtering modes. Additional hardware is required for live signal reception.

**Highlights:** Six receive mode settings (USB, LSB, CW, AM, FM, Binaural), Selectable bandwidth settings, 120 dB dynamic range signal strength meter, Three AGC settings (fast, slow, off), Spectrum, Waterfall, and Oscilloscope display modes, Supports downloaded audio-format spectrum files via iTunes, Embed center frequency in file names for automatic display

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wi-Fi Radio Control | Free | one-time |


### ARRL magazines

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arrl-magazines/id531766442)

Access the monthly ARRL membership journal, QST, on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. This publication offers news, construction projects, and tutorials for Amateur Radio enthusiasts. The digital version includes exclusive content not found in print.

**Highlights:** Monthly QST digital delivery, News and updates, Construction projects, Tutorials and guides, Exclusive digital content

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 💡 Offline reading support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🔒 Authentication issues
- 👎 Unreliable login/logout
- 🔋 High battery consumption

**Reported bugs**

- Downloading issues causes app to freeze
- Inconsistent behavior across devices
- Disappearing downloaded content

**Requested features**

- Seamless integration with ARRL account
- Ability to resume reading from last page
- PDF export option


## Frequently asked questions

### Is iSDR free?

iSDR costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is ARRL magazines free?

ARRL magazines is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, iSDR or ARRL magazines?

iSDR is rated higher. iSDR averages 2.5 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while ARRL magazines averages 1.8 from 258 ratings.

### Do iSDR or ARRL magazines have ads?

Neither iSDR nor ARRL magazines shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, iSDR or ARRL magazines?

iSDR ships an update every 3 months, and ARRL magazines every 4 months. Most recently, iSDR was updated on October 4, 2026 and ARRL magazines on October 9, 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.*