Echo vs Demod

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/

Demod turns your iPhone into a software-defined radio receiver. Connect to an SDR server on your own network or anywhere on the internet and explore the airwaves — from shortwave broadcasts and ham radio to aircraft, marine, and FM. Demod is a client for the most common SDR servers: • rtl_tcp — for RTL-SDR dongles • SpyServer — for Airspy and RTL-SDR • KiwiSDR — HF web receivers • OpenWebRX — web SDRs (HF, VHF and UHF) There's no hardware to plug into your phone. Point Demod at a server you run (a Raspberry Pi, PC, or Mac with an SDR dongle), or browse hundreds of public servers around the world and start listening in seconds. FEATURES • Real-time waterfall and spectrum display — Metal-accelerated and smooth • Pinch to zoom, drag to tune, two-finger pan • AM, NFM, WFM, USB, LSB, and CW demodulation • Decode CW (Morse), RTTY, PSK31, and FT8 on-screen (beta) • Time-Shift: pause and rewind live radio, DVR-style • Record what you hear — with a pre-roll of the moment you tapped • Live Text: on-device transcription of what you're listening to, with on-device translation of the captions (iOS 18+) and a full-screen transcript reader • Identify: one-tap "what is this signal?" — measures the signal on-device, matches it against a built-in band plan, and suggests the right mode (works with Siri: "ask Demod what this signal is") • Scanner: scan your memories, a band range, or let Smart scan find active signals across the captured spectrum • Spectral noise reduction, noise blanker, and mains-hum notch • Browse public KiwiSDR, OpenWebRX, and SpyServer receivers worldwide — list or map view • Save and recall favorite frequencies — import and export as CSV • Direct-sampling and upconverter support for HF • AirPlay output and Lock Screen playback controls • Adjustable bandwidth, gain (auto or manual), squelch, and display layouts PRIVACY Demod collects no data. No accounts, no tracking, no ads. Recording, transcription, translation, and signal identification all run entirely on your device — audio and text never leave it. Your settings, recordings, and transcripts stay under your control. Built for radio hobbyists, shortwave listeners, scanner enthusiasts, and ham operators who want a fast, native receiver in their pocket. Note: Demod is a receiver client and requires an SDR server to connect to. You can use a server you run yourself or one of the many free public servers listed in the app.