Comparison

Echo vs Pitch Hunter

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

Head to head
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," said he has "loved using" the app, and later described Echo Pro's transcription as "very responsive." Designed for radio enthusiasts and curious listeners alike, Echo is a powerful aggregator that connects you to nearly 3,000 community-hosted Software Defined Radio (SDR) receivers. By integrating these reliable streams into a dedicated native environment, Echo delivers true background audio, high-performance mapping, and features that are difficult to achieve in 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 nearly 3,000+ 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 Automatically cycle through station lists at set intervals. 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 broad 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 tracking servers, and no ad IDs. Your listening activity is not tracked. Echo Pro syncs supported data through 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 • Station cards, player, recording, and scanner controls announce 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/

About

Pitch Hunter

This app transforms your iPhone into a sophisticated audio analysis tool. It detects and displays sound frequencies, identifies notes, and visualizes energy across the spectrum in real-time. It also features sound generation, pest repelling, and a library of animal calls.

Highlights
  • Real-time spectrogram with peak-hold pitch tracker
  • Band presets for various ultrasonic frequencies
  • Built-in classifier for common ultrasonic sounds
  • Tone generation with multiple waveforms (20 Hz - 22 kHz)
  • Automated hearing test and room resonance finder
  • Ultrasonic pest repeller with adjustable settings
  • Library of animal calls organized by region
Features
Read full description

Pitch Hunter turns your iPhone into a pocket lab for the sounds around you — and the sounds you can't quite hear. Point it at a speaker, a mosquito, or a wall that hums at 2 a.m. and see the frequency, the note name, and the energy across the spectrum in real time. Pitch Hunter listens up to the limit of your microphone and shows you what's there. — What's inside — DETECT A live 48 kHz spectrogram with a peak-hold pitch tracker and a lock-state gauge that firms up as a signal holds steady. Band presets for Mosquito (14–20 kHz), Electronics (10–20 kHz), Coil Whine (15–22 kHz), CRT Flyback (8–12 kHz), and Full Range (2–22 kHz). A built-in classifier tags mosquito wingbeats, flyback whine, ultrasonic repellers, and switching-supply noise. The gauge reads dB above a per-band ambient baseline the app measures on the fly — each band remembers the lowest baseline it has ever seen, so moving somewhere quieter sharpens the reading. GENERATE Play any frequency from 20 Hz to 22 kHz with clean sine, square, triangle, or sawtooth waveforms. Useful for testing speakers, checking hearing thresholds, tuning instruments, and hunting rogue room resonances. A built-in Hearing Test sweeps your audible range and plots where your ears roll off. A Room Resonance Finder sweeps a tone while listening back, and flags the frequencies your walls are amplifying. REPEL Tuned ultrasonic pulses in the 15–22 kHz band for common pests, with adjustable duty cycle, auto-shutoff up to 8 hours, and a first-run safety confirmation. Works only while the app is foregrounded — the tone cannot run in the background. A short disclaimer explains what the science does and does not support. No snake oil. CRITTERS A curated library of animal calls organized by region — Aquatics (humpback whale, orca, bottlenose dolphin, beluga, sperm whale, blue whale), Africa, Americas, and Asia. Each species card shows the natural frequency range, the subset your iPhone speaker can actually reproduce, and a stylized preview. Europe and Down Under are scaffolded for upcoming updates. CALIBRATION SWEEP Long-press the header to kick off a hidden sweep that measures your specific phone's microphone + speaker response curve. The app adapts its scale to your hardware so the numbers on screen are meaningful — the kind of self-test that usually needs a measurement mic. — Built for — • People who want to see what sound is actually in the room, not a pretty animation • Pest-control pros tracking ultrasonic deterrents • Electronics hobbyists chasing switching-supply noise • Field sound designers scouting mosquito-free locations • Biology students comparing marine-mammal vocalizations • Anyone whose hearing rolls off above 14 kHz and wants to see what they're missing — Privacy & build — • All analysis runs on device. No audio leaves the phone. • No account, no cloud, no tracking SDKs, no network calls. • Microphone permission only. • Accessibility-first: VoiceOver labels everywhere, full Dynamic Type, Reduce Motion opt-out. • One-time Pro unlock for Repel and Critters. No subscription. — Important — Pitch Hunter is an enthusiast tool, not a medical device. It does not diagnose hearing loss, tinnitus, or infestations. Repel-mode tones are below the level of general audibility for most adults but may still be perceptible to pets and young children — use at sensible volumes, especially around animals. Questions, feature requests, or bug reports: pitchhunter@jaredgrover.com

Screenshots

Echo4 screens
Pitch Hunter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Echo at 4.9 against Pitch Hunter's 2.3. Echo also leads on ratings volume (36 vs 3). Pitch Hunter's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 9 days). On price, review sentiment, ads and monetization model 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. Echo sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Pitch Hunter asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Echo holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Echo has 36 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Echo ships an update every 9 days, Pitch Hunter every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Echo versus Pitch Hunter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEchoPitch Hunter
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (36 ratings) — better2.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings36 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMark Garrison Jr.Jared Grover

Customer experience

Echo

All ratings35 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Pitch Hunter

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Echo

Subscriptions2
  • Echo Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Echo Pro Annual$39.991 Year
None

Pitch Hunter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Echo free?
Echo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pitch Hunter free?
Pitch Hunter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Echo or Pitch Hunter?
Echo is rated higher. Echo averages 4.9 out of 5 from 36 ratings, while Pitch Hunter averages 2.3 from 3 ratings.
Do Echo or Pitch Hunter have ads?
Neither Echo nor Pitch Hunter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Echo or Pitch Hunter?
Echo ships an update every 9 days, and Pitch Hunter every 2 days. Most recently, Echo was updated on October 24, 2026 and Pitch Hunter on October 24, 2026.

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