Comparison

HamRadar vs Echo

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

Head to head
About

HamRadar

Instantly find and connect to amateur radio repeaters with a comprehensive database and an aircraft-style radar interface. View detailed information for over 62,000 active repeaters across all U.S. states, with offline access and Apple Watch complications.

Highlights
  • Offline repeater database
  • Aircraft-style radar sweep
  • Integrated compass
  • Configurable scan range
  • List view sorted by distance
  • Apple Watch complications
Features
Read full description

HamRadar makes finding and connecting to amateur radio repeaters a breeze. Instantly see nearby repeaters at a glance—online or offline. The app includes a database of over 62,000 active repeaters across all 50 U.S. states. Every listing provides: Callsign Frequency CTCSS/PL tone Distance & direction from your location HamRadar features an aircraft-style radar sweep animation with integrated compass bezel, configurable scan range up to 25 miles, list view sorted by distance, and Apple Watch complications showing nearby repeater count, frequency, tone, direction, and distance. Perfect for mobile operators, hikers, travelers, and anyone needing fast situational awareness of local repeater activity. Subscription & Free Trial Information HamRadar offers an optional HamRadar Annual Subscription, which unlocks full access after the trial period. Title: HamRadar Annual Subscription Length: 1 year (auto-renewing) Price: $9.99 per year Free Trial: Try all features at no cost during the trial period. After the trial ends, your subscription will automatically begin unless canceled at least 24 hours before the trial expires. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase (or after the trial ends if applicable). Subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel your subscription anytime in your App Store account settings. Privacy & Terms By using HamRadar, you agree to our policies: Privacy Policy: https://www.gridbase.net/pages/privacy-policy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

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" and called it an app he has "loved using." Designed for radio enthusiasts and curious listeners alike, Echo is a powerful aggregator that connects you to over 2,000 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 impossible to achieve with 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 2,000+ 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 100% 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 servers, and no ad IDs. Your logs and favorites remain stored locally on your device. Echo Pro recording sync uses 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

HamRadar4 screens
Echo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Echo at 5.0 against HamRadar's 4.0. Echo also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (100% vs 67%). HamRadar's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 9 days). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. HamRadar sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. Echo asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Echo holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Echo has 32 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of HamRadar's written reviews are positive against 100% of Echo's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HamRadar ships an update daily, Echo every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on June 6, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
HamRadar versus Echo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHamRadarEcho
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (5 ratings)5.0 (32 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings532 — better
Update frequencyDaily — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.2 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJacob KnightMark Garrison Jr.

Customer experience

HamRadar

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

Echo

All ratings32 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

HamRadar

Subscriptions1
  • United States$9.991 Year
None

Echo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HamRadar free?
HamRadar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Echo free?
Echo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HamRadar or Echo?
Echo is rated higher. HamRadar averages 4.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Echo averages 5.0 from 32 ratings.
Do HamRadar or Echo have ads?
Neither HamRadar nor Echo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HamRadar or Echo?
HamRadar ships an update daily, and Echo every 9 days. Most recently, HamRadar was updated on June 6, 2026 and Echo on September 25, 2026.

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