Comparison

DispatchLink vs Police Scanner

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

Head to head
About

DispatchLink

Access real-time Utah public safety radio audio, including police and fire dispatches. Features AI-transcribed text, incident feeds with addresses, and detailed coverage information. Enjoy background audio, push notifications, and call history playback for comprehensive awareness.

Highlights
  • Live audio streaming of 14 Utah channels
  • AI-transcribed dispatches
  • Real-time incident feed with addresses
  • City-by-city activity breakdown
  • Channel coverage information
  • Call history with playback
  • Push notifications for high-priority incidents
Features
Read full description

DispatchLink brings Utah's public safety radio to your pocket — in real time, with intelligence. Listen live to 14 channels across Utah, including: - Utah County Fire/EMS & UC UHP Dispatch - VECC Dispatch & VECC Fire/EMS (Salt Lake Valley) - Unified Fire Authority (UFA) - Draper PD, Orem/Lindon PD, Provo PD - SLC UHP East, UC Law, Air Medical & Life Flight - Orem Fire Paging MORE THAN JUST A SCANNER - AI-transcribed dispatches you can read - Real-time incident feed with addresses and units - City-by-city activity breakdown (Pleasant Grove, Lehi, American Fork, and more) - Built-in coverage info — tap any channel to see exactly what it monitors - Call history with playback — hear what happened earlier today BUILT FOR RELIABILITY - Low-latency live streaming on the new UCA 700 MHz P25 system - Background audio, CarPlay, and AirPlay support - Push notifications for high-priority incidents - Works great on WiFi and cellular WHY DISPATCHLINK Other scanner apps just give you audio. DispatchLink shows you what's happening, where, and who's involved. Every channel has detailed coverage info so you know exactly what you're listening to. Every call is transcribed and indexed so you never miss anything. FOR EVERYONE Whether you're a first responder, a news reporter, a concerned community member, or just curious about what's happening in your neighborhood — DispatchLink keeps you informed. SUBSCRIPTION SUPPORTS DEVELOPMENT Your subscription funds new channel additions, better audio infrastructure, and smarter features. DispatchLink is independently built by Utah radio enthusiasts — your support keeps it growing. Built in Utah. Powered by the community. Thank you. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Police Scanner

Explore live radio traffic from police, fire, and EMS agencies worldwide on an interactive globe. Tap glowing dots to instantly listen to real-time dispatch audio without any complex setup. Save your favorite systems and access them across all your devices.

Highlights
  • Live radio traffic on a spinning globe
  • Color-coded agency dots
  • Instant audio streaming
  • Favorites sync with iCloud
  • Talkgroup filters (Pro)
  • 30-day call archive (Pro)
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Every siren in the country, live on a spinning globe. Police Scanner turns real radio traffic from police, fire, and EMS agencies into a living map. Spin the photorealistic globe, find a glowing dot, tap it, and hear what's happening right now — in that city, on that system. A LIVING GLOBE Hundreds of radio systems across the United States — plus Canada and Australia — rendered as glowing dots on a realistic satellite globe. Dots light up when a system is live, color-coded for police, fire, EMS, and mixed systems. LISTEN IN SECONDS Tap a dot, tap Listen, and you're hearing real dispatch audio. No frequencies to program, no setup — the scanner does the work. REAL CALLS, NOT STATIC Audio comes from trunked radio systems captured by community-run receivers and decoded call by call. You hear clean, complete transmissions with talkgroup names — not noise. FAVORITES ON EVERY DEVICE Star the systems you follow and they sync across your devices with iCloud. The free tier includes two favorites. GO PRO — ONE PURCHASE, FOREVER - Unlimited Favorites: star every system you follow - Talkgroup Filters: scan only the channels you care about — dispatch, fire, EMS - 30-Day Archive: scroll back through a month of calls on any system - All future Pro features included One-time purchase. No subscription. PRIVACY FIRST No account. No ads. No tracking. All audio comes from publicly accessible, unencrypted radio broadcasts. Coverage varies by region and depends on volunteer-operated receivers. Tap a dot. The country is talking.

Screenshots

DispatchLink4 screens
Police Scanner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: DispatchLink at 5.0 against Police Scanner's 4.4. Police Scanner's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly) and chart position (#127 vs unranked). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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. DispatchLink sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Police Scanner sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DispatchLink holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 7 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DispatchLink ships an update monthly, Police Scanner every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 13, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
DispatchLink versus Police Scanner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDispatchLinkPolice Scanner
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better4.4 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings47 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#127 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.218.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size149 MB2 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNathan HayesCinnamon Mobile LLC

Customer experience

DispatchLink

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Police Scanner

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

DispatchLink

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium Access3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Annual Premium Access$14.991 Year
1 purchases

Police Scanner

One-time1
  • Police Scanner Pro$9.99

Questions

Is DispatchLink free?
DispatchLink is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Police Scanner free?
Police Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, DispatchLink or Police Scanner?
DispatchLink is rated higher. DispatchLink averages 5.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Police Scanner averages 4.4 from 7 ratings.
Do DispatchLink or Police Scanner have ads?
Neither DispatchLink nor Police Scanner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DispatchLink or Police Scanner?
DispatchLink ships an update monthly, and Police Scanner every 9 days. Most recently, DispatchLink was updated on October 13, 2026 and Police Scanner on October 13, 2026.

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