Comparison

WSPR watch vs TrailLog

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

Head to head
About

WSPR watch

This utility app provides ham radio operators with real-time WSPRnet and PSKreporter data. It displays who can hear you and offers detailed information for each spot. Users can also export data for further analysis.

Highlights
  • WSPRnet and PSKreporter data display
  • Real-time reception information
  • Detailed spot information
  • QRZ.com call sign lookup
  • Tab-delimited CSV export
Features
Read full description

Utility for ham radio users of WSPRnet. Quickly shows who can hear you and details of each spot. Tap a spot in the table to look up the call on QRZ.com. Export produces as tab delimited CSV file that can be sent to Numbers for sorting, filtering and graphing beyond what is in the app itself.

About

TrailLog

Read full description

TrailLog is an app for amateur radio portable operations including World Wide Flora and Fauna (WWFF), Parks On The Air (POTA) and Summits On The Air (SOTA). It provides spots, alerts (agendas), logging, archiving and other radio related features. Spots and alerts feeds from Spotline (WWFF), pota.app (POTA) and SOTAwatch3 (SOTA). The spots feed can also show other programs including BOTA, HEMA, IOTA, SiOTA and ZLOTA (sourced from Spothole). Alerts feed shows recently past, active and future activations for WWFF, POTA and SOTA. Spots and alerts can be sent to Spotline, pota.app (spots only), SOTAwatch3 and ParksnPeaks. Logging for portable activations. Features include name and grid square lookup (via Contacts or HamQTH), quick logging of multiple callsigns, park and summit reference databases. Also allows logging of multi-operator activations. Logs show QSO count, park-to-park and summit-to-summit tags and duplicate logs. Maps show logged QSOs, nearby parks and summits, activated parks and summits, GPX tracks and custom boundaries (e.g. park boundaries). Parks and summits can be filtered based on those that you have activated or not. Watch list provides notifications for selected callsigns for conditions including: first seen, first seen today, new UTC day, change of band, change of mode, change of reference and QRT. Contacts is your address book of regular contacts. Names, alternative callsigns and grid square can be saved. The app provides propagation and space weather information. It has predictive signal tools for locations worldwide, based on real-world WSPR data. Solar indicators include SFI, SN, K-index, and geomagnetic alerts and warnings (sources: NOAA, BoM SWS and GFZ Potsdam). Archive keeps a searchable record of all logged QSOs, with ADIF import and export for backing up logs or bringing in QSOs from elsewhere. Summary tracks your activation progress for every park and summit, showing visits, activations and QSO counts against each program’s own activation rules.

Screenshots

WSPR watch4 screens
TrailLog4 screens

Verdict

The call

WSPR watch and TrailLog are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
WSPR watch versus TrailLog: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWSPR watchTrailLog
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (73 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews93.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings73 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.617.6
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAccess InformaticsJames Barbato

Bugs and requests

WSPR watch

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • Spot Info is jumbled in Portrait mode
  • Crashes sometimes
  • WSPRnet API hasn't worked for weeks for some users
  • WSPRnet itself not providing data for some users
  • PSK reporter doesn't work
Show 11 more
  • RBN doesn't work for some users
  • Hourly look back period obscured by keyboard on iPhone 5se
  • Color legend doesn't work as described
  • Duplicates in the spot list
  • Cannot get 10MHz results
  • Unclear what colored bars indicate
  • Doesn't load all spots for a band
  • Minimum DX distance not working for version 4
  • Hourly look back period obscured by keyboard on iPhone 5se
  • Color legend doesn't work as described
  • Duplicates in the spot list

Requested features

18 requests
  • Zoom out on map to see all spots
  • Add-on features
  • Ability to switch between local and UTC time
  • 24/12hr time format
  • Compare two callsigns
Show 13 more
  • Audio input for WSPR receive (decode on phone)
  • Monitor 2 or more bands at once
  • Quick way to change bands without going into settings
  • Time window slider on the map
  • Sorting by time, distance, etc. on list view
  • Partial callsign search
  • Satellite map view
  • Color legend for pins/lines
  • Duplicate spot removal
  • Support for 70cm and 23cm bands
  • Improved graph clarity
  • Option to change line color connecting Rx station to spot
  • Dark mode option

TrailLog

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

WSPR watch

No in-app purchases

None

TrailLog

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is WSPR watch free?
WSPR watch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is TrailLog free?
TrailLog is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do WSPR watch or TrailLog have ads?
Neither WSPR watch nor TrailLog shows ads.

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