Comparison

U/AWARE vs Echo

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

Head to head
About

U/AWARE

Control and monitor your Uniden SDS150 scanner remotely via Bluetooth. View transmissions visually, hear audio, and record incoming signals directly on your device.

Highlights
  • Remote operation via Bluetooth
  • Visual display of transmissions
  • Audio playback of scanned signals
  • Record incoming transmissions
  • Full control replication of SDS150
Read full description

Provides remote operation functionality via Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE), a visual display and audio of scanned radio transmissions. The display and all controls of the SDS150 are replicated on the app allowing you to access and control all the functions within the range. All incoming audio from the transmissions can be recorded and heard through your devices.

About

Echo

Tune into thousands of remote radio servers worldwide from your iPhone or iPad. Explore shortwave broadcasts, aviation communications, and more with a global interactive map and advanced tuning features. Enjoy uninterrupted background audio and a privacy-first experience.

Highlights
  • Global interactive map and search
  • Support for multiple SDR architectures
  • Scanner mode and OpenMHz archives
  • Pro-level tuning and analytics
  • Offline frequency library and logging
  • Uninterrupted background audio
  • Privacy-first design
Features
Read full description

Echo is the ultimate, natively-built iOS client for tuning into remote radio servers. Listen to anything, from anywhere. Dive into international shortwave broadcasts from Asia, monitor aviation communications over the Atlantic, discover mysterious numbers stations, or tune into distant FM stations across the globe, all from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac with Apple silicon. Featured in Radio World, on RTL-SDR.com, and in the SWLing Post. Radio World's Nick Langan praised Echo's "thoughtfully designed interface," said he has "loved using" the app, and later described Echo Pro's transcription as "very responsive." Designed for radio enthusiasts and curious listeners alike, Echo is a powerful aggregator that connects you to nearly 3,000 community-hosted Software Defined Radio (SDR) receivers and OpenMHz archives. By integrating these reliable streams into a dedicated native environment, Echo delivers true background audio, high-performance mapping, and features that are difficult to achieve in a standard web browser. KEY FEATURES Global Interactive Map & Search Visually browse thousands of remote SDR servers worldwide using our smooth, native MapKit clustering engine, or instantly search nearly 3,000+ receivers by name or location. Unmatched SDR Compatibility Seamless support for KiwiSDR, OpenWebRX, WebSDR, and FM-DX Webserver architectures. Want to listen to a private node? Add your own unlisted servers with custom URL entry. Scanner Mode & OpenMHz Automatically cycle through station lists at set intervals. Listen directly to public safety, fire, and EMS radio systems via vast OpenMHz archives. Advanced Tuning & Analytics • Smart Manual Tuner: Instantly tune by entering kHz or MHz; Echo intelligently detects the band format. • Audio Engine Passthrough: Interfaces directly with server-side signal processors for broad compatibility with waterfall rendering, plugins, and decoding extensions. • Intelligent Profile Switching: Automatically switches to the correct server band profile as you tune on supported networks. Offline Frequency Library & Logging Search an offline, built-in EIBI database of over 9,000 global shortwave and utility frequencies. Save and log your favorite stations to your local device. Uninterrupted Background Audio Keep listening when your screen is locked or while using other apps. Our custom audio bridge intercepts complex SDR streams to provide true iOS background playback and lock-screen controls. ECHO PRO Take Echo further with recording, live transcription, translation, and iCloud sync. • Record the Airwaves: Record live radio and revisit important moments anytime. • Live Transcription: Turn live radio into on-screen text as you listen. • Translation: Transcribe foreign-language broadcasts and translate them into readable English. • iCloud Sync: Sync recordings, transcripts, translations, notes, favorites, saved servers, and supported settings across your Apple devices. Echo Pro requires a monthly or annual subscription. Privacy First Zero tracking. No analytics, no proprietary tracking servers, and no ad IDs. Your listening activity is not tracked. Echo Pro syncs supported data through your private iCloud account. Built with speed, aesthetics, and privacy in mind, Echo ensures a fast, premium listening experience. Start exploring the airwaves today! VoiceOver & Accessibility Support • Every button, control, and station card announces meaningful context to VoiceOver • Scanner controls (play/pause/skip/favorite) are fully labeled and navigable • Station changes, server connections, and scanner state are announced in real-time • Reduce Transparency support: glass effects swap to solid backgrounds when enabled • Reduce Motion support: animations are simplified when enabled in iOS settings • Decorative elements hidden from assistive technology for a cleaner navigation experience Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

U/AWARE4 screens
Echo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Echo at 5.0 against U/AWARE's 3.8. Echo also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 63%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). U/AWARE's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and monetization model 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. Echo sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. U/AWARE asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Echo holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 33 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of U/AWARE's written reviews are positive against 100% of Echo's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

U/AWARE ships an update every 2 months, Echo weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
U/AWARE versus Echo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterU/AWAREEcho
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (12 ratings)5.0 (33 ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1233 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB11 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperUniden CorporationMark Garrison Jr.

Customer experience

U/AWARE

All ratings12 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral8.3%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative25.0%

Echo

All ratings33 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

U/AWARE

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Echo

Subscriptions2
  • Echo Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Echo Pro Annual$39.991 Year

Questions

Is U/AWARE free?
U/AWARE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Echo free?
Echo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, U/AWARE or Echo?
Echo is rated higher. U/AWARE averages 3.8 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Echo averages 5.0 from 33 ratings.
Do U/AWARE or Echo have ads?
Neither U/AWARE nor Echo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, U/AWARE or Echo?
U/AWARE ships an update every 2 months, and Echo weekly. Most recently, U/AWARE was updated on October 6, 2026 and Echo on October 12, 2026.

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