Comparison

ISS Tracker vs SimpleSSTV

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

Head to head
About

ISS Tracker

Monitor the International Space Station's live position and vital telemetry data in real-time. Track its orbit, altitude, velocity, and internal environmental systems. Ideal for space enthusiasts and students interested in space exploration.

Highlights
  • Real-time ISS position tracking
  • Interactive world map
  • Altitude and velocity data
  • Comprehensive telemetry monitoring
  • Environmental and power system data
  • Dark mode support
Features
Read full description

Find out when the International Space Station flies over you and exactly where to look. On a good night it’s brighter than any star. YOUR NEXT PASS, IN PLAIN WORDS “Tonight at 8:05 PM. Look west, low.” Each pass also says how long it’s visible and how bright it is, and has a round sky chart that shows its path, from where it appears to where it fades. See 14 days of passes, and the cloud forecast for the next ones. ALERTS FOR GOOD PASSES Get a heads-up a few hours before a good pass, and an alert 5 minutes before it starts. A good pass climbs at least 30° above the horizon, or is bright and long. If two weeks have none, you get alerts for the best low passes instead. You can turn on alerts for every visible pass in the app’s settings. A Live Activity counts down on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. FIND IT IN THE SKY Hold your phone up and follow the pointer to the station. Saw a bright, moving light? Ask “Was that the ISS?” and get a straight answer. No telescope needed. WHERE IS THE ISS RIGHT NOW? See it on a 3D globe, with the day and night sides of Earth, or on a live map with the ground track of its orbit. You can add Tiangong, China’s space station, and get its passes too. WHO’S UP THERE See the crew on board, and the next launches, dockings and spacewalks. ALWAYS ONE GLANCE AWAY Widgets show your next pass on the Home Screen and Lock Screen. A Control Center button opens the sky pointer. PRIVATE AND SIMPLE No account needed. Every pass is worked out on your phone, and your exact location is never sent to us. Apple Weather and Apple Maps use it for the cloud forecast and the place name. For iPhone and iPad.

About

SimpleSSTV

This app allows ham radio operators to encode images into audio signals for transmission and decode received audio back into images. It supports various SSTV modes, live camera feeds, and even AI-generated QSL cards. Receive alerts for International Space Station SSTV events.

Highlights
  • Encode images to SSTV audio
  • Decode SSTV audio to images
  • Live camera feed with trigger modes
  • Support for 14 SSTV modes
  • AI-generated QSL calling cards
  • ISS SSTV event notifications
  • Audio setup and troubleshooting tips
Features
Read full description

SimpleSSTV is a native iOS app for encoding, decoding, and live-transmitting slow-scan television (SSTV) signals — the method ham radio operators use to share images over audio frequencies. Slow-scan television converts images to audio tones. Each pixel's brightness becomes a specific frequency between 1500-2300 Hz. Sync pulses at 1200 Hz mark line boundaries. The result is an audio signal you can transmit over any voice-capable radio, or record for later playback. SSTV has been used by amateur radio operators since the 1950s. It's still actively used today on HF bands, VHF repeaters, and for receiving images from the International Space Station. ENCODING (Image → Audio) • Load any image from your photo library, camera, or Files • Automatic resize and crop to SSTV resolution • 21 supported modes covering all major SSTV formats • Real-time encoding with progress visualization • Play audio directly through speakers for VOX-triggered transmission • Export to WAV or M4A for later use • Optional FSK ID and CW ID (Morse code) callsign transmission • Test pattern generator for signal testing LIVE CAMERA MODE • Real-time camera feed with front/back camera switching • Three trigger modes: Continuous, Motion-triggered, or Periodic interval • Adjustable motion sensitivity with adaptive background model • Captures and encodes directly from camera to audio • Keep the app in the foreground while listening or transmitting DECODING (Audio → Image) • Load WAV, M4A, or MP3 audio files containing SSTV signals • Live microphone capture for real-time SSTV reception • Automatic mode detection via VIS code identification • Capture a transmission, then process it to see the decoded image • FSK callsign detection from received signals • Precision audio trimming with dual-view waveform editor • Re-decode saved images with different mode, sync offset, or slant correction • Handles real-world signal imperfections: timing drift, noise, sample rate variations • Decode watermark with an automatic stamp or custom Pro text • Waterfall spectrogram display shows signal frequency over time SUPPORTED MODES (21 total) • Martin M1, M2, M3, M4 • Scottie S1, S2, S3, S4, DX, DX2 • Robot 36, Robot 72, Robot BW8 • PD50, PD90, PD120, PD160, PD180, PD240, PD290 • Wraase SC2-180 ISS SSTV EVENTS • Get notified when the International Space Station transmits SSTV images • Automatic alerts before and during events, with frequency, mode, and callsign info • Info card on the decode tab with event details and countdown FAQ & SETUP TIPS • Practical advice on audio setup and USB adapters • Decode quality troubleshooting • Quick reference for all 21 SSTV modes IMAGE LIBRARY • Automatic saving of encoded and decoded images • Grid view with full preview, metadata, and sharing • Re-decode any saved image with different settings • Filter by encoded or decoded 10 LANGUAGES Available in Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Dutch, English, French, German, Polish, Portuguese (BR), Spanish, and Turkish — with full right-to-left support. PRIVACY No accounts, no analytics, no tracking. Your images and audio stay on your device. Free to encode and decode. Optional one-time Pro purchase unlocks watermark customization and Listening Station Mode. We do not use, sell or share your data for advertising or marketing purposes. Be aware: Encoded images are audio signals — anyone receiving the audio can decode them! REQUIREMENTS • iOS 17.6 or later • Camera access for live mode • Microphone access for live decode Built by a ham radio operator for ham radio operators. 73!

Screenshots

ISS Tracker4 screens
SimpleSSTV3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ISS Tracker at 4.7 against SimpleSSTV's 4.0. ISS Tracker also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 6) and review sentiment (100% vs 75%). SimpleSSTV's advantage is iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). On price, ads, monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. SimpleSSTV sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. ISS Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ISS Tracker holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 17 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of ISS Tracker's written reviews are positive against 75% of SimpleSSTV's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ISS Tracker ships an update weekly, SimpleSSTV monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
ISS Tracker versus SimpleSSTV: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterISS TrackerSimpleSSTV
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (17 ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings17 — better4
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.017.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLucent Enterprises Ltd.Jeroen Rombouts

Customer experience

ISS Tracker

All ratings17 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

SimpleSSTV

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral6.3%
Negative18.8%

In-app purchases

None

ISS Tracker

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

SimpleSSTV

One-time6
  • Listening Station Mode$1.99
  • 10 AI Card Credits$1.99
  • Remove or change encoder watermark$2.99
Show 3 more
  • SimpleSSTV Pro$3.99
  • 30 AI Card Credits$3.99
  • 120 AI Card Credits$8.99

Questions

Is ISS Tracker free?
ISS Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SimpleSSTV free?
SimpleSSTV is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ISS Tracker or SimpleSSTV?
ISS Tracker is rated higher. ISS Tracker averages 4.7 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while SimpleSSTV averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do ISS Tracker or SimpleSSTV have ads?
Neither ISS Tracker nor SimpleSSTV shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ISS Tracker or SimpleSSTV?
ISS Tracker ships an update weekly, and SimpleSSTV monthly. Most recently, ISS Tracker was updated on October 16, 2026 and SimpleSSTV on October 18, 2026.

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