# Packet Commander vs Greyline FT8

The clearest difference is price: Packet Commander at Free against Greyline FT8's $3.99. Packet Commander also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 90%) and ratings volume (44 vs 12). Greyline FT8's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). On rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Packet Commander is free to download; Greyline FT8 costs $3.99 up front. Packet Commander sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per year. Greyline FT8 asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Packet Commander against 4.8 for Greyline FT8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 44 and 12 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Packet Commander's written reviews are positive against 90% of Greyline FT8's.

Packet Commander ships an update every 2 months, Greyline FT8 every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Packet Commander | Greyline FT8 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | **[4.9 (44 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/packet-commander/id6743951365/reviews)** | [4.8 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/greyline-ft8/id6773455172/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **44** | 12 |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 90.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#164** |
| Size | 10 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.2** | 26.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Island Magic Co.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1529387252) | [JONATHAN MARK SCHULMAN](https://appshunter.io/developer/6773455174) |

## What reviewers say

### Packet Commander

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/packet-commander/id6743951365)

This app provides a classic terminal experience for packet radio communication on mobile devices. It offers powerful terminal features, smart connection management, and real-time over-the-air traffic monitoring. It's designed for amateur radio operators to connect with nodes, BBS, and decode traffic.

**Highlights:** Full-screen terminal for packet nodes and BBS, Classic color themes and adjustable layout, YAPP protocol support for file transfers, Location-aware digipeater routing, Seamless iCloud sync, Over-the-air traffic decoding, Auto-discovery of TNCs

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Yearly Subscription | $8.99 | per year |
| One-Time Purchase | $24.99 | one-time |


### Greyline FT8

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/greyline-ft8/id6773455172)

**Currently charting:** #164 Top Paid · Utilities (US App Store)

This app provides a portable digital ham radio experience for field operations on iOS devices. It automates callsign lookups, displays real-time spot data, and offers automated calling or manual control for QSOs. Features include intelligent frequency selection, audio delay adjustment, and direct logging to QRZ.

**Highlights:** Field-ready digital ham radio, Automated callsign and DXCC lookups, Real-time PSK Reporter spot data, Automated CQ Gatherer and Hunter modes, Intelligent automatic frequency selection, Direct-to-QRZ logging and ADI export

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Packet Commander free?

Packet Commander is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Greyline FT8 free?

Greyline FT8 costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Packet Commander or Greyline FT8?

Packet Commander is rated higher. Packet Commander averages 4.9 out of 5 from 44 ratings, while Greyline FT8 averages 4.8 from 12 ratings.

### Do Packet Commander or Greyline FT8 have ads?

Neither Packet Commander nor Greyline FT8 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Packet Commander or Greyline FT8?

Packet Commander ships an update every 2 months, and Greyline FT8 every 4 days. Most recently, Packet Commander was updated on October 8, 2026 and Greyline FT8 on October 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*