HAMmade GRID vs BLE Buddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HAMmade GRID
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Designed specifically for Amateur Radio Operators (Hams), HAMmade Grid is your ultimate companion for DXing, contesting, and field operations. The app now supports 6, 8, and 10 character Maidenhead Grid Locators, allowing more precise location information for advanced radio operations. Whether you are operating from your home QTH or working portable/rover; instantly find your Maidenhead Grid Locator, visualize the target station on the map, and point your antenna with precision. Key Features: -Precise Location & Grid: Instantly calculates your 6-character Maidenhead Grid Locator using real-time GPS data. -Callsign Lookup: Enter any callsign to automatically fetch location, name, and station details. (requires paid QRZ.com membership) -QRZ.com & HamDB Integration: Log in with your QRZ.com account to access detailed profiles and station photos. No account? No problem. The app automatically falls back to HamDB public data for seamless lookups. Band Availability Insight The app can now display the radio bands that are usable between two selected Maidenhead grid locators. This helps operators quickly evaluate which bands are likely to work at a given moment, making it easier to plan contacts, portable operations, and DX activities. -Smart Compass & Bearing: Calculates the exact Heading and Distance to the target station. The integrated live compass overlay helps you align your antenna directly to the signal source. -Advanced Mapping: Visualize the target Grid square with Standard, Satellite, and Hybrid map modes. -Unit Support: Switch between Kilometers (km) and Miles (mi) effortlessly. -Dark Mode: Eye-friendly interface optimized for night operations. -Multi-Language: Supports English, Turkish, Spanish, German, French, and more.
BLE Buddy
Explore nearby Bluetooth Low Energy devices and view their metadata. This tool is designed for educational and development purposes, allowing you to inspect device states and communicate directly with compatible BLE devices.
- Discover nearby BLE devices
- Display enumerable device metadata
- View device state
- Establish terminal connection
- Communicate directly with BLE devices
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Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) explorer. Discovers nearby bluetooth devices and displays any enumerable metadata. Designed for educational and development purposes. BLE Buddy is able to display device state and lets you browse the (often hidden) metadata published by common devices, such as location trackers, health and fitness devices, wireless headphones, and much more. For devices that support it, a terminal connection can be established to communicate directly with the BLE device.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: HAMmade GRID at Free against BLE Buddy's $2.99. HAMmade GRID also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On 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
HAMmade GRID is free to download; BLE Buddy costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
HAMmade GRID ships an update every 4 days, BLE Buddy every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HAMmade GRID | BLE Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Oguz Agceli | Richard Stokes |
In-app purchases
HAMmade GRID
No in-app purchases
BLE Buddy
No in-app purchases
