Comparison

Kestrel Sight vs SDS Remote

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

Head to head
About

Kestrel Sight

Features
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Kestrel Sight brings professional packet capture analysis to iPhone and iPad. Every byte is processed on-device — Kestrel makes no network connections, and collects no analytics. WHAT'S NEW CSV Export — Three profiles: Summary (Excel-ready, 9 columns), Detailed (every protocol layer, ~24 columns), Flow (one row per conversation). Export everything or just bookmarked packets, with bookmark notes preserved as columns. Filenames indicate scope at a glance. Smart Bookmarks — Bookmarking a flow, host, DNS query, or stream now resolves to all related packets in CSV exports. Tap "View" on any bookmark to jump straight to that data with the right filter applied. Expanded Protocol Detection — Added classification for SMB, mDNS, DHCP, NTP, SNMP, SSDP, and QUIC. Dashboard Navigation — Every dashboard widget is now interactive. Tap Total Packets to open Packets, tap a Top Talker to filter Hosts to that IP, tap "TCP" in Protocol Distribution to filter the Packets list, and so on. Subtle chevrons indicate what's tappable. Haptic Feedback — Bike-spoke clicker feedback when scrolling lists. Crisp tap feedback on buttons. Adjustable row density. New filter-bar toggle cycles between Classic, Compact, and Comfortable layouts in the Packets browser. Compact fits ~22 rows per phone screen; Comfortable mirrors iOS Mail's two-line look. On iPad, Classic uses a denser style single-line row. App Switcher privacy. Sight now hides the analysis surface behind the Kestrel logo whenever the app leaves the foreground, so the iOS App Switcher thumbnail and AirPlay mirroring. Faster first-tap haptic response and internal robustness improvements. CORE FEATURES Dashboard — Protocol distribution, encryption stats, top talkers, session summary Packets — Browse and filter with detailed per-layer inspection Raw Data Search — Query any byte sequence in its original form Flows — Bidirectional reconstruction with byte counts, packet counts, timing Hosts — Per-IP profile with traffic stats, port activity, connection mapping DNS — Extract and search all DNS queries and responses Streams — TCP stream reassembly with full-content viewer (auto-runs under 1 GB) Timeline — Visual event timeline with filtering Audit Log — SHA-256 file hashing and session audit log included in PDF exports CAPACITY Up to 1 GB — Full feature set with automatic TCP reassembly Over 1 GB — TCP reassembly disabled; packets, flows, hosts, DNS, and timeline remain fully functional Over 2 GB — Application performance may degrade SUPPORTED FORMATS PCAP, PCAPNG IDEAL FOR SOC analysts reviewing captures away from the workstation Network administrators troubleshooting connectivity Incident responders triaging captures in the field Penetration testers reviewing engagement data Educators and students learning protocol behavior PRIVACY AND SECURITY Zero network access — no outbound connections No analytics, tracking, or advertising Kestrel is designed as an analytical and educational starting point. Always verify findings independently before acting on them. No software can guarantee absolute security; follow your organization's evidence-handling procedures when working with sensitive captures. IMPORTANT NOTES Kestrel analyzes pre-captured PCAP files only — live capture is not permitted within iOS by the platform itself. Screenshots may combine demo and real data. Large captures may extend load times. Devices with 8 GB RAM or more are recommended for multi-gigabyte files. The demo uses fabricated sample packets.

About

SDS Remote

Control and monitor your Uniden SDS150 & SDS200 ham scanners remotely over your local network. View live scanner displays, control keypads, volume, and squelch from another room. Stream audio and log transmissions with Pro features.

Highlights
  • Live scanner display mirroring
  • Remote keypad, volume, and squelch control
  • Save and sync scanner configurations
  • Live audio streaming (Pro)
  • Multi-scanner monitoring (Pro)
  • Transmission logging with recordings (Pro)
Features
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SDS Remote puts your Uniden SDS150 & SDS200 on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. See the live scanner display—system, department, talkgroup, frequency, and signal—while you work the keypad, volume, and squelch from another room. Your scanner stays where it is. You don't have to. THREE WAYS TO CONNECT • SDS200 over Ethernet, on your network • SDS150 over Bluetooth, no network needed • Through a hub: leave one device at home with your scanners and connect to it from anywhere, including on cellular WHAT YOU GET • Live display mirroring of your SDS150 & SDS200 • Save scanners by name, host, and port • iCloud sync of your scanner list across your Apple devices • Free to start with one scanner; Pro unlocks more PRO FEATURES • Remote keypad, volume, and squelch control • Live audio streaming from the scanner to your device • Listen from anywhere through a hub—the one setup where scanner audio reaches you on cellular • Now Playing on the Lock Screen and in Control Center—channel and system as they change, with play/pause from headphones or your car's controls • Choose how scanner audio shares with your music: take over, or mix and duck it while the scanner talks • Multi-view: monitor up to four scanners in a 2×2 layout • Transmission logging with optional recordings and on-device captions • Web Remote: drive your scanners from a browser on your network • Display Layout editor for building screens and sending them to the radio • Elgato Stream Deck control on iPad • Unlimited scanners IN THE CAR Mix and Duck keeps your music playing and turns it down while the scanner talks. Boost lifts quiet traffic over road noise, and Keep Display Awake stops the screen dimming on a dash mount. Built for listeners who already run a scanner on the desk—and want the same view and control from the couch, the shop, the car, or anywhere else. PRIVACY BY DESIGN We run no servers and your scanner traffic never passes through us. A hub is simply a second copy of this app on a device you own, talking directly to your other devices over a connection secured by a pairing code. Transmission logs and recordings stay on your device, and captions are produced on-device—no audio is ever uploaded. Subscriptions are handled through your Apple ID. REQUIREMENTS A Uniden SDS200 connected by Ethernet to your network, or a Uniden SDS150 paired over Bluetooth. Listening away from home additionally needs a second device left at home running SDS Remote as a hub, with Pro on both. Free includes one scanner and iCloud sync. Pro is an optional auto-renewable subscription with a free trial (see in-app details). Subscriptions renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period in your Apple ID settings.

Screenshots

Kestrel Sight4 screens
SDS Remote4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: SDS Remote at Free against Kestrel Sight's $1.99. Kestrel Sight's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (18.6 vs 26.0). On update cadence, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

SDS Remote is free to download; Kestrel Sight costs $1.99 up front. SDS Remote sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Kestrel Sight asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kestrel Sight ships an update every 6 days, SDS Remote every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Kestrel Sight versus SDS Remote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKestrel SightSDS Remote
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS18.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTracivex LLCmobiadroit, llc

In-app purchases

None

Kestrel Sight

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

SDS Remote

Subscriptions2
  • Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Pro - Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Kestrel Sight free?
Kestrel Sight costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SDS Remote free?
SDS Remote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Kestrel Sight or SDS Remote have ads?
Neither Kestrel Sight nor SDS Remote shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kestrel Sight or SDS Remote?
Kestrel Sight ships an update every 6 days, and SDS Remote every 10 days. Most recently, Kestrel Sight was updated on October 5, 2026 and SDS Remote on October 16, 2026.

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