Ham Radio Reference vs DX Spots
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ham Radio Reference
Access essential amateur radio information on the go. Quickly find Q signals, grid squares, band plans, Morse code, and phonetic alphabets. Includes electronic formulas and calculators for common radio calculations.
- US & Canadian Amateur Band Limits
- Country Codes
- Band Plans (ARRL, ARC, IARU)
- Q Codes
- Grid Square and Location
- Morse Code
- Electronic Formulas and Calculators
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Did you hear a Q signal that you didn’t know? Want to find the local grid square? With this reference, you can not only find these, but also have quick, easy access to the following: US & Canadian Amateur Band Limits Country Codes Band Plans (ARRL, ARC, IARU 1, 2, 3) Radiogram Numbered Messages Grid Square and Location Q Codes Local and UTC Time The RST System Morse Code The Phonetic Alphabet Unit Abbreviations Metric Prefixes In addition there are 16 useful electronic formulas with their own calculator that can be used for dB v. Power calculations, frequency v. wavelength, Ohm’s law and more! The programmers at SnecaDev (also hams) value your input and suggestions and want to continue to improve our products. You can use the Contact option in the app to send your ideas to us. Thank you for your continued support!
DX Spots
This app provides a live feed of amateur radio spots from the DX Cluster network. It allows users to view current spots across all bands and modes, perform QRZ lookups, and submit their own spots to the network.
- Live DX Cluster feed
- Amateur radio spots
- All bands and modes
- QRZ lookup
- Submit spots
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This application displays spot data submitted to cluster server. Live feed of the DX Cluster network, Showing all the current Amateur (Ham) Radio spots. On all bands and modes QRZ Lookup and ability to submit spots onto the DX Cluster network
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: DX Spots at Free against Ham Radio Reference's $1.99. DX Spots also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 weeks). Ham Radio Reference's advantage is review sentiment (69% vs 29%) and in-app purchases (none vs 5). On ratings volume 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
DX Spots is free to download; Ham Radio Reference costs $1.99 up front. DX Spots sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Ham Radio Reference asks for nothing beyond the download.
Ham Radio Reference holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 11 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Ham Radio Reference's written reviews are positive against 29% of DX Spots's.
Ham Radio Reference ships an update every 3 weeks, DX Spots every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ham Radio Reference | DX Spots |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.8 (15 ratings) — better | 3.5 (11 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 68.8% of reviews — better | 28.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 15 — better | 11 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.1 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SnecaDev | Jonathan Gibbs |
Customer experience
Ham Radio Reference
DX Spots
In-app purchases
Ham Radio Reference
No in-app purchases
DX Spots
- DXSpots Monthly Subscription$0.991 Month
- DXSpots 3 Month Subscription$1.993 Months
- DXSpots 6 Month Subscription$2.996 Months
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- DXSpots Yearly Subscription$7.991 Year
- DX Spots - Remove Ads$4.99
