Ham Radio Reference vs RepeaterBook
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!
RepeaterBook
Access a comprehensive, offline directory of amateur radio repeaters worldwide. Search by various criteria, view detailed information including distance and bearing, and easily submit updates. Optimized for both phones and tablets.
- Offline repeater directory
- Worldwide coverage
- Comprehensive search options
- Distance and bearing display
- Submit updates
- Portrait/Landscape views
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RepeaterBook Amateur Radio's most comprehensive, worldwide, FREE repeater directory. Powered by the popular community database of RepeaterBook.com Easily find repeaters across the world. • No network connection required. • Comprehensive search, selection and sorting. • Displays distance, heading and full repeater details. • Fast and flexible, to help you use repeaters. • Portrait or Landscape views for phone and tablets. • Easily submit updates/additions. Repeater List View Distance, bearing and details of the nearby repeaters. Current Locator/Grid/Lat Long/Town. Portrait or Landscape views for phone and tablets. Repeater Detail View Distance, bearing and details of the repeater. Portrait or Landscape views for phone and tablets. Submit an update if needed! Search No internet needed, fast and reliable. Results from your current or searched location. Results generated as you type. Search By • Town (Greater than 5k population) - portland • Town State - portland tn • USA ZIP Code - 90210 • Repeater Call - GB7SV • Repeater Frequency - 433.325 • Locator - Enter a 4 or 6 figure locator in search box and press search • Latitude Longitude - Enter Latitude Longitude (Locale specific decimal point) in search box and press search • Wildcard - * for "wildcard matches" *ford matches Bedford, Hertford Search Results • Selecting a town changes your location to show Repeaters near that town. • Selecting a repeater displays all the info on the repeater. Search History • 10 search examples are provided. • The last 10 searches are saved. Filter Distance Band Service Sort by Distance Frequency Band Tone Call Service Bearing Country Settings Location titles Locator (IO91VW) Lat Lon (52.6579 1.7160) Text (East) Short Text (E) Degrees (90°) Theme Light or Dark Distance Units (Miles or km) Menu App name version and build Current location and name Settings About Add repeater Feedback via Email Privacy Policy Supported Languages ca, cs_CZ da,de en, en_GB, en_US, en_AU, en_IE, en_ZA, en_NZ es, es_AR, es_CL fi, fr, fr_CA it_IT nb, no, nl pl, pt se, sv, sk RepeaterBook will always be free. 73 Garrett KD6KPC and Nicolas M1HOG Copyright 2011-2026 RepeaterBook.com & ZBM2.com Terms of Use (EULA):https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: RepeaterBook at Free against Ham Radio Reference's $1.99. RepeaterBook also leads on rating (4.2 vs 3.7) and ratings volume (247 vs 14). Ham Radio Reference's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (10.1 vs 15.0). On review sentiment, update cadence, 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
RepeaterBook is free to download; Ham Radio Reference costs $1.99 up front. RepeaterBook sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $14.99 per year. Ham Radio Reference asks for nothing beyond the download.
RepeaterBook holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RepeaterBook has 247 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 69% of Ham Radio Reference's written reviews are positive against 67% of RepeaterBook's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ham Radio Reference | RepeaterBook |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.7 (14 ratings) | 4.2 (247 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 68.8% of reviews — better | 67.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 14 | 247 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.1 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 51 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SnecaDev | Nicolas Associates Ltd |
Customer experience
Ham Radio Reference
RepeaterBook
Bugs and requests
Ham Radio Reference
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
RepeaterBook
Reported bugs
11 issues- Location services showing repeaters hundreds of miles away
- App not displaying any repeaters despite correct filters
- iOS version showing incorrect frequency data
- Recent update losing user data and settings
- Location feature not finding nearby repeaters
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- iPad compatibility issues with latest version
- 2-meter repeaters not showing in filtered results
- Repeater information not loading properly
- App crashes or becomes unresponsive
- Website login issues not addressed in app
- Feedback submission disabled in application
Requested features
16 requests- Map display of repeater locations
- Field name labels for repeater details
- Coverage range information for repeaters
- GMRS channel display alongside frequency
- Dark mode support
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- Ability to edit user location manually
- Link to full website listings from app
- Better DMR repeater information
- Club repeater highlighting
- APRS filter option
- Wires-X filter option
- Copy and paste functionality
- Watch interface support
- Ability to add custom repeaters
- Offline map support
- Call sign validation for international prefixes
In-app purchases
Ham Radio Reference
No in-app purchases
RepeaterBook
- Unlimited Access3 Days trial$14.991 Year
