Comparison

PhosphorCW vs Club Log

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

Head to head
About

PhosphorCW

Features
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PhosphorCW — Morse Code Decoder Decode CW (Morse code) signals in real time using your iPhone or iPad's microphone. PhosphorCW listens to radio audio and prints decoded text on screen with the warm glow of a vintage phosphor terminal. REAL-TIME DECODING Point your device at a radio speaker or feed audio via a line-in adapter. PhosphorCW's DSP engine continuously processes the audio stream, detecting CW tones and decoding them into readable text as they arrive. Characters appear on a teleprinter-style display that scrolls automatically, just like the machines that once clattered in radio rooms and newsrooms worldwide. AUTOMATIC SIGNAL TRACKING • Auto Frequency (AFC) — Automatically finds and locks onto the CW sidetone using FFT peak detection. No need to know the exact tone frequency. The tracker adapts as conditions change. • Auto Speed — Measures dit and dah timing to determine sending speed in words per minute. Adapts continuously from around 5 to 60 WPM as the operator's speed varies. Both can be switched to manual mode for fixed-frequency or fixed-speed operation. ON-DEVICE DSP ENGINE All signal processing happens locally on your device. Nothing is recorded, transmitted, or stored externally. The decoding pipeline includes: Bandpass filtering centred on the detected tone frequency Goertzel-based tone detection with adaptive noise floor tracking Envelope extraction with slow-decay peak tracking for reliable squelch Adaptive timing estimation for dit/dah discrimination and character/word gap detection Full ITU Morse code table including prosigns SIGNAL ANALYSIS A dedicated signal view provides: Live FFT spectrum display showing the audio frequency content Scrolling waterfall display for visualising signal activity over time Tone level indicator Real-time WPM, tone frequency, and SNR readout Lock status indicator showing when AFC has acquired a signal DISPLAY Choose from multiple phosphor colour themes — green, amber, white, and blue — inspired by the CRT terminals of the Cold War era. Adjustable decoder font size. Text selection enabled for copying decoded output. SESSION LOG Each decoding session is automatically logged with timestamp, duration, character count, WPM, and tone frequency. Review past sessions and their decoded text at any time. CONFIGURATION Input gain control (0.1x to 20x) Auto/manual frequency detection (300–1500 Hz range) Auto/manual speed tracking (5–60 WPM) Colour theme selection Font size adjustment USE CASES Monitor amateur radio CW transmissions Practice copying Morse code from on-air signals Decode CW practice recordings and training files Analyse CW signal characteristics Learn Morse code by watching the decoder work ABOUT CW Continuous Wave — the original digital mode. Samuel Morse's code has been the universal language of radio since the 1840s. From clipper ships to Cold War submarines, from Bletchley Park to amateur radio contests, CW remains the most efficient and reliable communications mode ever devised. This app decodes it from your microphone or line input. Requires microphone access for audio input. iOS 18.0 or later.

About

Club Log

This amateur radio tool helps DXers track their logbook, award progress, and chase new contacts. It provides real-time band activity, callsign lookups, and detailed award progress charts. Log new contacts and sync them to your online account.

Highlights
  • DX Dashboard with QSO, heatmap, and award progress
  • Callsign lookup for worked, confirmed, and verified status
  • Detailed award progress charts (DXCC, CQ Zones, Grid Squares)
  • Live band activity and DXpedition streams
  • Logbook browsing, searching, and new contact logging
  • Propagation charts and DXpedition information
  • Customizable interface and multiple callsign support
Features
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The companion app for Club Log, the logbook and DXCC award service used by 100,000 amateur radio operators worldwide. Sign in with your existing Club Log account to carry your logbook, award progress, and DX-chasing tools in your pocket. YOUR DX DASHBOARD Start with DX Dash: a single at-a-glance view of your recent QSOs, activity heatmap, per-band DXCC progress, and highlights from your log. NEED CHECK Instantly answer the question every DXer asks: “Do I need this one?” Look up any callsign, prefix, or DXCC entity and see worked, confirmed, and verified status across bands and modes. Filter by your enabled bands. AWARD PROGRESS • DXCC Charts: entity-by-entity progress with QSL status breakdown • CQ Zones: WAZ zone progress with an interactive zone map • Grid Squares: Maidenhead locator coverage across bands and modes • Leagues: DXCC league tables and band breakdowns • Most Wanted: the global Club Log Most Wanted list, with per-entity band/mode analysis LIVE ON THE AIR • Live Bands: unique to the app, see which bands are open right now from real QSOs, spots and skimmer feeds, with a band × continent activity heatmap - all filtered through your own log to help you find new DXCCs and slots to work • Livestreams: watch live DXpedition streams and follow QSOs on the map as they happen • Live Alerts: built on real-time notifications, with an alert history, expedition watches, and a pinned watchlist in one place YOUR LOGBOOK Browse, search, and filter your Club Log QSOs. Log new contacts from your phone and sync them to Club Log if you're away from your normal logging computer. Inspect reciprocal log matches, explore QSO timelines, and review OQRS request status. Upload and download ADIF files directly on your device. PROPAGATION & RESEARCH Propagation charts correlate solar flux with real activity evidence from Club Log’s logs. The Propagation Wizard overlays VOACAP predictions on your route. Prefixes gives you an offline DXCC reference. DXpeditions lists active and recent expeditions. Call Tester resolves callsigns, locators, and sun position. A daily Club Log DX Report and an annual DX Calendar are provided so you can keep track of what activity is on the bands. The DX Calendar includes a feed of upcoming DX, delivered in partnership with the team at DX-World.net with their generous support. BUILT FOR DXERS WORLDWIDE • Customizable tab bar: pin your four most-used tools • Multiple callsigns: switch between all logs on your account • 20+ interface languages: ham-radio terms (QSO, DXCC, CW, etc.) stay in standard English • Face ID / Touch ID lock for your session • iPhone and iPad layouts including full mobile-first versions of the Expedition Charts, light and dark modes • Translated into 22 international languages Requires a free Club Log account at clublog.org. Terms of Use: Use of this app and its associated subscription service is subject to the End User License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

PhosphorCW4 screens
Club Log4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Club Log at Free against PhosphorCW's $0.99. Club Log also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.2). PhosphorCW's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Club Log is free to download; PhosphorCW costs $0.99 up front. Club Log sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $8.99 per year. PhosphorCW asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PhosphorCW ships an update every 4 months, Club Log every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
PhosphorCW versus Club Log: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhosphorCWClub Log
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating—4.2 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—5 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.217.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStuart WoolleyCambridge AI Works Ltd.

In-app purchases

None

PhosphorCW

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Club Log

Subscriptions1
  • Club Log Subscription7 Days trial$8.991 Year

Questions

Is PhosphorCW free?
PhosphorCW costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Club Log free?
Club Log is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PhosphorCW or Club Log have ads?
Neither PhosphorCW nor Club Log shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PhosphorCW or Club Log?
PhosphorCW ships an update every 4 months, and Club Log every 2 days. Most recently, PhosphorCW was updated on October 31, 2026 and Club Log on November 6, 2026.

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