# Carrier Wave vs CairnOS

The clearest difference is price: CairnOS at Free against Carrier Wave's $4.99. CairnOS also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.2). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

CairnOS is free to download; Carrier Wave costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Carrier Wave against 5.0 for CairnOS. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.

Carrier Wave ships an update weekly, CairnOS every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Carrier Wave | CairnOS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carrier-wave/id6758229084/reviews) | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cairnos/id6819076554/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 64 MB | 54 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.2 | **18.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [James Vana](https://appshunter.io/developer/1871615875) | [Christopher Van Hoose](https://appshunter.io/developer/1510007987) |

## What reviewers say

### Carrier Wave

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carrier-wave/id6758229084)

This application is a modern QSO logger for amateur radio operators, designed for fast and reliable contact logging from any location. It offers seamless syncing with popular services, real-time monitoring, and advanced features like AI-powered transcription.

**Highlights:** Fast command-driven logging, Sync contacts to QRZ, POTA, Ham2K, Real-time POTA and RBN monitoring, POTA activation management, AI-powered CW transcription, iCloud sync, Detailed statistics

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### CairnOS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cairnos/id6819076554)

Communicate off-grid using a mesh network of radios. Send messages, monitor network status, and explore maps without cell service or internet. Features include direct messages, channels, and on-device translation.

**Highlights:** LoRa mesh network communication, Direct messages and channels, On-device message translation, Network status dashboard, Offline map downloads, Message signing and verification

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Siri integration, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Carrier Wave free?

Carrier Wave costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is CairnOS free?

CairnOS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Carrier Wave or CairnOS?

Carrier Wave and CairnOS are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 2 ratings respectively.

### Do Carrier Wave or CairnOS have ads?

Neither Carrier Wave nor CairnOS shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Carrier Wave or CairnOS?

Carrier Wave ships an update weekly, and CairnOS every 4 days. Most recently, Carrier Wave was updated on November 5, 2026 and CairnOS on October 31, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*