RagChew vs Morse Buddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
RagChew
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RagChew is a companion app for amateur radio operators who want to follow nets without being at their radio. It connects to NetLogger and shows you what's happening on active nets in real time. EchoLink (Still in Beta and may be buggy): RagChew now includes EchoLink support. You can listen to nets over EchoLink audio directly in the app and transmit using the built-in push-to-talk button. A live audio level bar and connection quality indicator keep you informed while you're connected. Node descriptions are available to help you identify links and repeaters. Notifications: RagChew can send you push notifications so you don't have to keep the app open to stay informed. You can receive alerts when a net you've favorited goes active, when a favorited station checks into any net, and for other activity you choose to follow. Notifications are configurable so you only hear about what's relevant to you. Check-ins: The full check-in roster is displayed as operators join, including callsign, name, and status. You can see who is currently operating, who is mobile, and who has checked out. Tapping a check-in expands additional details and provides a link to the operator's QRZ profile. Net chat: If you monitor a net, you can read and send messages in the net's chat. The full message history is available, and you can react to individual messages. NetLogger-style text formatting is supported. Map: Check-ins are plotted on a map based on their logged positions, giving you a geographic view of who is participating in the net. Favorites and monitors: You can favorite nets and individual callsigns to track activity that matters to you. You can also see which other operators are currently monitoring any given net. Net history: Recently closed nets are available to browse, including their full check-in rosters and session information. Groups: Nets can be browsed by club or group, with group descriptions and associated net listings. iPad and landscape layouts: On iPad, the net detail screen uses a split layout that displays net information, the station map, check-ins, and chat simultaneously. On iPhone, a landscape layout presents check-ins and chat side by side. Both portrait and landscape orientations are supported on all devices. Account: Sign in with your existing NetLogger credentials. No separate account is required. Favorites, monitors, and chat require a login; active net listings and basic check-in information are available without one. The app supports light, dark, and automatic appearance modes and is available on iPhone and iPad.
Morse Buddy
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Morse Buddy is a live CW decoder for operators, listeners, and Morse enthusiasts who want more visibility into what a signal is doing in real time. Point your device at live audio and Morse Buddy runs four tuned ggmorse variants in parallel on the same signal. Instead of trusting a single decoder setup, you compare stock and enhanced processing side by side and see which view locks on best. Morse Buddy combines: - two stock ggmorse decoder variants - two enhanced ggmorse decoder variants - short-frame and long-frame behavior for different signal conditions - side-by-side live comparison in one focused 2ร2 layout The enhanced panels show live frequency and confidence readouts so you can tell when a decoder is really on the tone. Whether you are experimenting with off-air audio, checking signal quality, or exploring Morse decoding on Apple devices, Morse Buddy gives you a fast, landscape-first interface built around live results. The display stays awake while the app is active so you can monitor without the screen dimming.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Morse Buddy at Free against RagChew's $4.99. RagChew's advantage is device support. On in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Morse Buddy is free to download; RagChew costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | RagChew | Morse Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free โ better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | โ |
| Ads | No | โ |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better | โ |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 โ better | 15.6 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tim Morgan | Jouni Erola |
In-app purchases
RagChew
No in-app purchases
Morse Buddy
No in-app purchases









