GRAMPS Viewer vs Smith Designer Lite
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
GRAMPS Viewer
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Discover Your Family History with Gramps Viewer Gramps Viewer is the easiest way to explore your family tree on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. View your Gramps genealogy files with beautiful family trees, track changes to your family history, and keep your ancestors' stories at your fingertips—even without internet. YOUR FAMILY TREE, ANYWHERE • Multiple Family Trees - Keep track of different family branches or collaborate with relatives who maintain separate trees. Switch between multiple family histories with ease. • Smart Updates - See exactly what's new in your family tree. Get notified when relatives add new family members, update information, or make corrections to shared genealogy data. • Works Offline - Your entire family history is always available, even without internet. Perfect for research trips, family gatherings, or anywhere you go. • Easy Import - Load family trees from files on your device or connect directly to online family databases. Your files stay accessible—no need to re-import after restarting your device. BEAUTIFUL FAMILY TREES • Traditional Genealogy Charts - See your family connections the way genealogists have for generations. Clean, easy-to-read layouts show how everyone is related. • Interactive Exploration - Tap any person to see their ancestors and descendants. Zoom and pan to explore large family trees with hundreds of relatives. • Three Ways to Browse: - People - See everyone alphabetically - Families - Group relatives by family name - Surnames - Explore specific family lines RICH FAMILY STORIES • Complete Life Stories - View everything about each person: - Birth, marriage, and death information - Life events with dates and locations - Multiple marriages and relationships - Nicknames and alternate names - Family notes and stories - Photos and documents • Quick Search - Find any relative instantly by name. Search adapts to how you're browsing for faster results. • Timeline View - See life events in chronological order. Follow your ancestors' journeys through births, marriages, moves, careers, and more. EASY SYNCING • Multiple Ways to Import: - Choose files from your device - Connect to online family databases - Open files shared by family members - Scan QR codes to quickly add sources • Automatic Updates - Connect to online family trees and let the app check for changes. You'll always have the latest information without manual updates. • See What Changed - A dedicated Updates page shows you exactly what's new: new family members added, information updated, or corrections made. Mark updates as read to keep track of what you've reviewed. DESIGNED FOR EVERYONE • Beautiful Interface - Clean, modern design that's easy on the eyes. Includes dark mode for comfortable nighttime browsing. • Multiple Languages - Available in English, German, and Croatian with more languages on the way. • Privacy First - Your family data stays on your device. You control what you import and where it comes from. • Respectful Design - Built for genealogists by someone who understands family history. No ads, no subscriptions, no data mining. FULL GRAMPS COMPATIBILITY Compatible with Gramps XML format (version 1.7.2), the popular open-source genealogy software used by thousands of family historians worldwide. Works with both compressed and uncompressed Gramps files of any size. Perfect for: - Family historians exploring their ancestry - Genealogy researchers working in the field - Families collaborating on shared family trees - Anyone wanting mobile access to their Gramps data - Presenting family history at family reunions
Smith Designer Lite
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Smith Designer is a powerful and interactive Smith Chart tool for RF and Microwave professionals, students, and hobbyists. Design, analyze, and optimize impedance matching networks directly on your mobile device. This is a feature limited version, a full featured version is also available. The Smith Designer Lite version allows up to 3 elements per network and up to 2 networks per project. Whether you are designing an antenna match, an amplifier interstage, or a filter, Smith Designer provides an intuitive interface to visualize impedance transformations in real-time. Key Features: • Interactive Smith Chart: Visualize impedance trajectories as you add components. Toggle between Impedance (Z) and Admittance (Y) grids. • Schematic Editor: Build matching networks using a drag-and-drop interface. Supports Series/Shunt Inductors, Capacitors, Resistors, series and parallel RLC, Transmission Lines (Series and shunt, Open/Short Stubs), Transformers, fixed jX and jB, and S2P blocks. • Real-Time Tuning: Adjust component values using sliders or by dragging points directly on the Smith Chart to see immediate effects. • Auto Match: Automatically synthesize L-network matching circuits to match a source to a load. • Simultaneous Conjugate Matching for unconditionally stable devices, and provisions to help stabilize conditionally stable networks. • Optimization: Built-in gradient descent optimizer to fine-tune component values for the best match. • Frequency Sweeps: Analyze your design over bandwidth. Plot S-Parameters (S11, S21, S12, S22), Gain (Ga, Gp, Gt), Noise Figure, Return Loss, and Group Delay. • Monte Carlo Analysis: Simulate manufacturing tolerances. Define component variations (Uniform, Gaussian, Triangular) and visualize the spread on the Smith Chart to ensure design robustness. • S2P/Touchstone Support including noise data: Import .s2p files for S-parameter blocks and .s1p files for frequency-dependent source/load impedances. • Vendor Libraries: Easily import and use component libraries (supports Murata LPB format, see https://www.murata.com/tool/data/librarydata). • Comprehensive Overlays: Visualize VSWR circles, Constant Q arcs, Stability circles, and Noise circles (requires noise parameters). • Load Pull Contours: Import multi-frequency Load Pull and MDIF files. Frequency interpolation (nearest, linear, cubic spline). Filled contours with 5 color maps. Reference/contour plane transforms through the matching network. • Data Explorer to assess SnP data files, load-pull data files, antenna patterns and more. Advanced Tools: • Analytical Line Models: Closed-form Z₀, loss, and synthesis for Coaxial, Parallel Lines, Twisted Pair, Microstrip, Stripline, Grounded CPW, Rectangular Waveguide, and Circular Waveguide. • Transmission Line Models: Constant Phase, Electrical Length, and Physical models with loss and velocity factor. • Resonator & Attenuator Designers: Built-in calculators for common circuit blocks. Export & Share: • Export professional PDF reports with schematics, charts, and plots. • Export designs as SPICE netlists for further simulation. • Save high-resolution PNG/SVG images. • Share project files to collaborate with others. Perfect for RF engineering coursework, ham radio antenna tuning, and professional circuit design. Unlock the power of the Smith Chart in your pocket! Contact: For support or feature requests, please contact us. (c) A3DComm
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Smith Designer Lite at weekly against GRAMPS Viewer's monthly. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
GRAMPS Viewer ships an update monthly, Smith Designer Lite weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | GRAMPS Viewer | Smith Designer Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 15 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Janez Troha | Morten Vinding |
In-app purchases
GRAMPS Viewer
No in-app purchases
Smith Designer Lite
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is GRAMPS Viewer free?
Is Smith Designer Lite free?
Do GRAMPS Viewer or Smith Designer Lite have ads?
Which is updated more often, GRAMPS Viewer or Smith Designer Lite?
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