Comparison

FT Ham vs Spectrum SDR (RTL

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

Head to head
About

FT Ham

This application decodes and transmits FT8/FT4 signals for amateur radio operators. It features a live waterfall, real-time decoding, and automated QSO sequencing, all processed on your device. Optional premium features enhance radio control and logging capabilities.

Highlights
  • Live waterfall display
  • Real-time FT8/FT4 decoding
  • Audio transmission for QSOs
  • Auto QSO sequencing
  • Logbook with ADIF import/export
  • Call alerts
  • Contact map visualization
Features
Read full description

FT Ham – FT8/FT4 Decoder & Audio Transmitter for Amateur Radio. FT Ham puts a complete FT8 and FT4 station in your pocket. Decode, reply and log QSOs from your iPhone or iPad in real time. Decoding runs entirely on your device. WHAT FT HAM DOES - Live waterfall: color palettes, level controls and a label on every decoded signal. Tap near a signal to reply. - Real-time decoding: FT8 and FT4 from the microphone or a USB audio interface, with callsign, report, SNR and country. - Transmit: FT8 and FT4 audio for CQ, reports, RRR and 73, aligned to UTC slots and played through the speaker or your radio interface. - Auto QSO sequencing: answers CQ, follows even and odd cycles, retries when needed and logs the QSO when it is complete. - Manual control at any time: choose any message yourself. - Clear decode list: columns, an active QSO bar, NEW GRID and NEW DXCC badges and a Needed filter. - Call alerts: sound, vibration or a notification when someone calls you or a watched station is heard. - Accurate timing: slots follow network time for more reliable decodes. - Compound callsigns, optional 11 m and CB callsigns, and HF to 23 cm bands. - Logbook: edit, batch select, filter by date, undo, and ADIF import and export. - Contact map: see your logged QSOs and coverage on a map. - English, German, Spanish, French and Italian. FT HAM PREMIUM (OPTIONAL ONE-TIME PURCHASE) - CAT radio control through rigctld on your computer, with frequency sync and PTT. - QRZ Logbook, LoTW and eQSL upload with confirmation sync. - PSK Reporter spotting. - QSO statistics: charts by band and mode, DXCC counter and activity heatmaps. - iPad dashboard with the waterfall and messages side by side. Everything that was free before stays free. Premium is not a subscription. PRIVACY Your logbook and settings stay on your device. FT Ham sends anonymous crash reports and usage statistics (you can turn statistics off). QRZ, LoTW, eQSL and PSK Reporter only receive data after you turn them on. Full details at ftham.turrion.dev/privacy. GOOD TO KNOW Transmitting requires an amateur radio license. FT Ham only produces audio and your radio does the transmitting. Always follow your local regulations. The FT Ham core is open source under the MIT License. Premium features are proprietary. Third-party licenses are listed in the app.

About

Spectrum SDR (RTL

Explore radio signals with your RTL-SDR dongle. Listen to AM/FM/SSB/CW, view FFT and waterfall displays, and customize your experience. Requires a remote rtl_tcp instance over WiFi.

Highlights
  • Full frequency range support
  • AM, FM, SSB, CW reception
  • FFT and Waterfall displays
  • Adjustable sample rates
  • Bias tee and gain controls
  • Squelch functionality
  • Customizable display options
Features
Read full description

This application is about having a bit of fun with those amazing little RTL-SDR dongles, whilst listening to AM/FM/SSB/CW radio signals. It's nice and easy to use so why not give it a try? - Covers the full frequency range of your RTL-SDR dongle. - AM and FM, wide and narrow, SSB, CW. - FFT and Waterfall displays. - Sample rates 240000 Hz to 2160000 Hz. - Bias tee control. - 75 presets over 5 pages. - Gain controls. - Squelch. - Flexible display options, hide things you don't need to see. - Built-in help. The application needs to be connected to an instance of rtl_tcp running on a remote computer, most likely over WiFi. You will need a good network connection for this to work reliably when using the higher sample rates. It can be installed on an iPhone, iPad or Apple Silicon Mac. We hope you enjoy using this application.

Screenshots

FT Ham4 screens
Spectrum SDR (RTL3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Spectrum SDR (RTL at free against FT Ham's free with in-app purchases. FT Ham's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and iOS requirement (16.6 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. FT Ham sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Spectrum SDR (RTL 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

FT Ham holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FT Ham ships an update every 6 days, Spectrum SDR (RTL every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
FT Ham versus Spectrum SDR (RTL: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFT HamSpectrum SDR (RTL
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (4 ratings) — better4.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings4 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 11 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPABLO TURRION SAN PEDROJames Mainwaring

Customer experience

FT Ham

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Spectrum SDR (RTL

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

FT Ham

One-time4
  • Donation of 0.99 €$0.99
  • FT Ham premium access$1.99
  • Donation of 2,99 €$2.99
Show 1 more
  • Donation of 4,99 €$3.99
1 purchases

Spectrum SDR (RTL

One-time1
  • Full Version$2.99

Questions

Is FT Ham free?
FT Ham is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Spectrum SDR (RTL free?
Spectrum SDR (RTL is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FT Ham or Spectrum SDR (RTL?
FT Ham is rated higher. FT Ham averages 4.8 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Spectrum SDR (RTL averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.
Do FT Ham or Spectrum SDR (RTL have ads?
Neither FT Ham nor Spectrum SDR (RTL shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FT Ham or Spectrum SDR (RTL?
FT Ham ships an update every 6 days, and Spectrum SDR (RTL every 11 days. Most recently, FT Ham was updated on November 9, 2026 and Spectrum SDR (RTL on October 31, 2026.

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