Comparison

EarthWatch vs Greyline FT8

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

Head to head
About

EarthWatch

Get live satellite imagery of Earth for your iPhone's Lock and Home screens. The background updates automatically with the latest views from around the world approximately every 30 minutes.

Highlights
  • Live satellite imagery
  • Lock Screen customization
  • Home Screen customization
  • Automatic background updates
  • Global and regional views
Read full description

Bring Planet Earth to your Lock Screen and Home Screen with EarthWatch! We bring current images from the world's greatest weather satellites to your iPhone Lock Screen and Home Screen background. As the satellites send us new images, we update your background to the latest view, approximately every 30 min. Choose from 2 of our best views of North & South America and the Good ol' US of A, or enjoy views from around the world of Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific!

About

Greyline FT8

This app provides a portable digital ham radio experience for field operations on iOS devices. It automates callsign lookups, displays real-time spot data, and offers automated calling or manual control for QSOs. Features include intelligent frequency selection, audio delay adjustment, and direct logging to QRZ.

Highlights
  • Field-ready digital ham radio
  • Automated callsign and DXCC lookups
  • Real-time PSK Reporter spot data
  • Automated CQ Gatherer and Hunter modes
  • Intelligent automatic frequency selection
  • Direct-to-QRZ logging and ADI export
Features
Read full description

Greyline FT8 is a highly portable, capable amateur radio app designed specifically for field operation with an iOS device. I designed this app because I got very used to my full-stack FT8 solution: GridTracker, WSJT-X, PSK Reporter, WRL Desktop, several browser tabs, and more. But I didn't want the bulk and weight of a full Windows PC in the field. At the same time, while there are excellent and lightweight FT8 iOS solutions out there, they were lacking features I really wanted. Greyline is everything you need and nothing you don't. It automatically locates your grid square, performs callsign and calling station DXCC lookups (internet access required), and can even show you real-time spot data from PSK Reporter. Want to adjust your directional antenna? Now you've got the info you need to do it! Greyline also incorporates automated calling features. Gatherer mode calls CQ, responds to the first reply it gets, finishes the QSO and returns to calling CQ all without your input. On the other side of things, Hunter mode listens for CQ calls and pounces on them, finishing a QSO then returning to the live band to find the next. Or, take control of the conversation yourself with standard mode. That's the experience you're already used to from WSJT-X and other digital mode apps. Some other noteworthy features are: - Intelligent automatic free frequency selection - Dynamically adjusted audio delay for virtually drift-free message timing - PSK Reporter integrated Live Spots - Direct-to-QRZ, WRL and private Cloudlog logging and ADI export - Configurable waterfall settings - CQ addendums - CQ filtering for contesting and general courteous operation - Configurable retransmissions - Intelligent log recovery (didn't get that last 73 but want to log the contact anyway? Now you can!) - Log import and export - Antenna tuning - POTA Autospotting - One touch POTA activation and POTA.app-compatible ADIF export - Multiple POTA activation support - And so much more! Greyline uses audio VOX and not serial PTT. Most radios support this with simple cabling or an audio interface like a Digirig. For helpful tips on cabling and configuring popular radios, visit the Support URL below. Built by a ham, for hams, I'm very open to your feedback and hope Greyline can be your field companion. Want to share your own Field Notes (https://greylineft8.com/fieldnotes.html)? Email me at support@greylineft8.com!

Screenshots

EarthWatch3 screens
Greyline FT84 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: EarthWatch at Free against Greyline FT8's $3.99. Greyline FT8's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks) and ratings volume (15 vs 1). On rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

EarthWatch is free to download; Greyline FT8 costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for EarthWatch against 4.9 for Greyline FT8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Greyline FT8 has 15 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

EarthWatch ships an update every 2 weeks, Greyline FT8 every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
EarthWatch versus Greyline FT8: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEarthWatchGreyline FT8
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.9 (15 ratings)
Positive reviews—91.7% of reviews
Number of ratings115 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS26.2 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichael GalliersJONATHAN MARK SCHULMAN

In-app purchases

None

EarthWatch

No in-app purchases

None

Greyline FT8

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is EarthWatch free?
EarthWatch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Greyline FT8 free?
Greyline FT8 costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, EarthWatch or Greyline FT8?
EarthWatch is rated higher. EarthWatch averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Greyline FT8 averages 4.9 from 15 ratings.
Do EarthWatch or Greyline FT8 have ads?
Neither EarthWatch nor Greyline FT8 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, EarthWatch or Greyline FT8?
EarthWatch ships an update every 2 weeks, and Greyline FT8 every 4 days. Most recently, EarthWatch was updated on October 31, 2026 and Greyline FT8 on November 7, 2026.

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