RepeaterBook vs HamWaves UV5R
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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/
HamWaves UV5R
This interactive field guide provides experienced amateur radio operators with essential information for their Baofeng UV-5R radio. It offers clear explanations of menus, controls, and programming, even without an internet connection.
- Interactive radio guide
- Menu item explanations
- On-the-fly programming
- Offline access
- Control and display identification
- FCC certifications
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As radio users, we never seem to have manuals available when we need them. HamWaves Radio Guides are published to fix this problem! Now you can have interactive guides for your specific radio written by experienced amateur radio operators who actually own and use them. Baofeng UV-5R are notorious for their poorly translated user manuals and difficulty in setting them up and programming channels. HamWaves Guides provide well organized sections and topics to help you operate your radio and add or change settings on the fly, when you most need assistance. No one carries their manuals with them, but you always have your iPhone! HamWaves Guides do not require internet access to operate (except for updates) so if you are a hiker, camper, four-wheeler or someone who sometimes gets out of service range, you will still have the information you need. Covered topics include: - Feature list - Specifications - FCC certifications - Front and side controls - Keypad identification including shortcut items - Display icon identification - Accessories and after-market details - Extensive menu item explanations so you will know what those arcane items actually do - Programming simplex and repeater frequencies on the fly - Other resources to help you be a better and more knowledgable radio operator
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: RepeaterBook at Free against HamWaves UV5R's $3.99. RepeaterBook also leads on ratings volume (247 vs 1). HamWaves UV5R's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.2) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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; HamWaves UV5R costs $3.99 up front. RepeaterBook sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $14.99 per year. HamWaves UV5R asks for nothing beyond the download.
HamWaves UV5R holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RepeaterBook has 247 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
RepeaterBook ships an update every 3 weeks, HamWaves UV5R every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RepeaterBook | HamWaves UV5R |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 4.2 (247 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 67.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 247 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 50 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nicolas Associates Ltd | Brian MILBURN |
Customer experience
RepeaterBook
HamWaves UV5R
Bugs and 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
HamWaves UV5R
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
RepeaterBook
- Unlimited Access3 Days trial$14.991 Year
HamWaves UV5R
No in-app purchases




