ISS Tracker vs RigRef
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Real-time ISS position tracking
- Interactive world map
- Altitude and velocity data
- Comprehensive telemetry monitoring
- Environmental and power system data
- Dark mode support
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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.
RigRef
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RigRef is the offline quick-reference and toolkit your two-way radio forgot to include. When you can't remember which menu unlocks the keypad, sets a repeater offset, or turns on the weather alert — and there's no signal to look it up — RigRef has the answer, saved on your phone. 36 RADIOS, 980+ HOW-TO CARDS Step-by-step instructions for the radios people actually own: Baofeng UV-5R, UV-82, UV-9R Plus, BF-F8HP, AR-5RM; Quansheng UV-K5/K6 (including egzumer custom firmware); Yaesu FT-60R, FT-65R, FT-4XR, VX-6R, FT-70D, FT5D, FT3D; Icom IC-V86, IC-T10, ID-52; Kenwood TH-K20A, TH-D74A; GMRS from BTECH, Wouxun, Radioddity and Midland; DMR from AnyTone, TYT and more. Every card lists the exact buttons and menu items. Search across every radio at once ("how do I scan?") or browse one radio by category — power, memory channels, tones, repeaters, scanning, digital, and more. OFFLINE TOOLKIT On-device tools that work with no signal: - RF calculators: antenna length, coax loss, repeater offset, SWR/return loss, power & ERP, DC voltage drop, range/line-of-sight, grid square, and battery life. - A contact (QSO) logbook with one-tap ADIF export. - A channel/memory editor that validates entries and imports/exports CHIRP CSV to program your radio. - An ICS-205 net log to build a comms plan and track check-ins. - Repeaters Near Me: sort imported repeaters by distance and bearing using GPS and the compass. - A tone generator: DTMF, 1750 Hz tone burst, CTCSS and reference tones. - A camera scanner that reads a printed frequency list into editable channels. WORKS WHEN NOTHING ELSE DOES Everything is stored on your device. No account, no sign-in, no internet required. EMERGENCY & PREPAREDNESS FREQUENCIES A bundled, offline list of common US frequencies — FRS, GMRS, MURS, CB, marine, NOAA weather, and ham calling channels — with notes on what needs a license. REPEATERS, OFFLINE Import a CHIRP/CSV repeater list (export from RepeaterBook in CHIRP format) and browse it offline with band and mode filters. Data courtesy of RepeaterBook.com. FIELD COMMS PLANNER Build the channels your team will actually use on a trip or operation, then share them phone-to-phone with no internet (Supporter feature). Receiving a plan is always free. READABLE IN THE FIELD Field Mode bumps the text size for gloves, bright sun, or shaky hands — free for everyone. FREE, WITH AN OPTIONAL SUPPORTER UNLOCK All reference content and tools are free, forever. An optional Supporter unlock adds color themes, alternate app icons, a red Night Vision mode, and over-the-air plan sending. Tips are welcome but never required. IMPORTANT RigRef is a quick reference, not a substitute for your radio's manual. Procedures vary by firmware and region — always confirm against your actual radio. Transmitting on some services requires a license; you are responsible for operating legally. 73!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ISS Tracker at none against RigRef's 1. RigRef's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, 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
Both are free to download. RigRef sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ISS Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | ISS Tracker | RigRef |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (17 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 17 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lucent Enterprises Ltd. | Fredy Soussou |
In-app purchases
ISS Tracker
No in-app purchases
RigRef
- RigRef Supporter$2.99
Questions
Is ISS Tracker free?
Is RigRef free?
Do ISS Tracker or RigRef have ads?
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