FT Ham vs VibeSDR
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
VibeSDR
This app acts as a versatile receiver client for various software-defined radio servers. It offers advanced display, tuning, and audio features, along with on-device decoders and voice control for a comprehensive radio experience.
- Connects to multiple SDR server protocols
- GPU-rendered waterfall and spectrum display
- Native background audio playback
- On-device decoders for RTTY, NAVTEX, WEFAX, SSTV, Morse
- Voice control via Siri
- CarPlay and Apple Watch integration
- Deep linking for station tuning
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VibeSDR is a mobile-first software-defined radio (SDR) receiver — and far more than a single-server client. It speaks multiple SDR server protocols and does its own demodulation of the raw IQ with a clean-room DSP engine. Pair that with a GPU-rendered waterfall, native background audio, on-device decoders and maps, plus voice and in-car control, for a genuinely great SDR experience on any iPhone — whatever receiver is behind it. WHAT YOU CAN CONNECT TO • Remote SDR servers — native support for UberSDR, OpenWebRX / OpenWebRX+, and KiwiSDR, all behind one interface, with a directory chooser in the instance picker. • Networked rtl_tcp — connect to a remote rtl_tcp server and VibeSDR demodulates the raw IQ itself. DISPLAY & WATERFALL • Custom GPU waterfall and spectrum, rendered with a Skia shader for a smooth, high-frame-rate display independent of the server. • Portrait and landscape layouts, ProMotion 120 Hz, haptic tuning feedback. • Classic colour palettes (GQRX, KiwiSDR, CuteSDR, SdrDx, OpenWebRX), VFO glow controls, and a spectrum backdrop image. TUNING & CONTROLS • VFO drum with inertia scrolling and a dual-drum waterfall zoom. • Full mode set — USB, LSB, AM, SAM, FM, NFM, CW — with passband sliders. • Noise reduction, noise blanker, squelch, AGC, volume and mute. AUDIO • Native audio engines running outside any WebView, so playback survives app suspension. • Background audio on both platforms. • Lock-screen, Now Playing, CarPlay and Apple Watch controls with frequency + station metadata and station/bookmark skipping. • AAC recorder with share sheet. VOICE CONTROL • Siri — "Hey Siri, tune VibeSDR" then a frequency, a station name, or a band; it tunes with the right demodulator and step, even in the background over headphones, CarPlay or the lock screen. DECODERS & MAPS • On-device decoders — RTTY, NAVTEX, WEFAX, SSTV, Morse, and speech-to-text. • Server maps — HFDL aircraft, digital and CW activity maps, fully embedded. STATIONS & BOOKMARKS • Instance picker directory across UberSDR, OpenWebRX/OpenWebRX+ and KiwiSDR receivers, with country flags, favourites and an auto-connect default. • Bookmark and band-plan search with live EiBi schedules. • Visual Tuning System (VTS) — nearby-station bar, band-crossing popups and station skipping. • Live chat, and Share a tuned station as a tappable deep link. NEW: DEEP LINKING • Tap a vibesdr:// link to connect straight to a receiver and tune to the shared frequency — no hunting through the picker. VibeSDR is free software under the GNU GPL-3.0, built by Stuart Carr with AI assistance from Claude (Anthropic). VibeSDR is a receiver client and is not affiliated with the SDR servers it connects to.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: FT Ham at Free against VibeSDR's $2.99. VibeSDR's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On review sentiment, ratings volume, update cadence 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
FT Ham is free to download; VibeSDR costs $2.99 up front. FT Ham sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. VibeSDR asks for nothing beyond the download.
VibeSDR holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
FT Ham ships an update every 6 days, VibeSDR every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FT Ham | VibeSDR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 105 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | PABLO TURRION SAN PEDRO | Stuart Carr |
Customer experience
FT Ham
VibeSDR
In-app purchases
FT Ham
- Donation of 0.99 €$0.99
- FT Ham premium access$1.99
- Donation of 2,99 €$2.99
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- Donation of 4,99 €$3.99
VibeSDR
No in-app purchases









