Comparison

HamSat vs Ham Imaging

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

Head to head
About

HamSat

Track satellite passes with real-time azimuth, elevation, and Doppler-corrected frequencies. Features an Apple Watch companion for wrist-based aiming and pass tracking, and allows users to stamp photos with operational data.

Highlights
  • Apple Watch companion for pass tracking and antenna aiming
  • Live sky dome with real-time satellite arcs
  • Aim mode with phone compass and haptic feedback
  • Doppler-corrected frequencies for operating during passes
  • Photo stamping with callsign, grid, satellite, and UTC time
  • Offline satellite tracking and propagation
  • Geostationary satellite tracking
Features
Read full description

HamSat is the satellite tracker built for amateur radio operators — with an Apple Watch companion on your wrist and, new in 2.1, a sked planner that finds the passes you and another operator can work together. NEW — SKED PLANNER (Pro) • Plan a contact, not just a pass: enter another operator's grid square and find every window where a satellite sees you both • Set a minimum elevation for each end of the link — a window only counts if it's workable at both stations • One tap adds the sked to your calendar with the overlap times, a 10-minute reminder, and the radio setup PLAN AHEAD • Pass predictions up to 7 days out • Add any pass to Apple Calendar — times, reminder, and frequencies in the notes. HamSat never reads your calendar. • Choose your pass-alert tone — including a CW "HI" in Morse APPLE WATCH (Pro) • Your next favorite pass on your wrist: live azimuth, elevation, Doppler-corrected frequencies, and a countdown to AOS • Guided wrist-aim — follow an arrow straight to the satellite and feel a haptic tap the instant you're locked on. Aim your antenna without looking at a screen, hands free for the radio. • Propagated on the watch itself, so it keeps tracking even when your phone is out of range PASS TRACKING • Live sky dome with the satellite's arc and a glyph riding it in real time • Fullscreen Live tracker — big AZ/EL, Doppler-corrected frequencies, landscape split-pane • Aim mode uses your phone's compass to show where you're pointing — no forced figure-8 calibration, just point and go • Apple Maps ground track with horizon footprint OPERATING DURING A PASS • Doppler-corrected RX (and TX for SSB/linear) dial frequencies, updated every second • 10-minute and AOS notifications that deep-link straight to the pass • Live Activity + Dynamic Island on the lock screen, elevation and azimuth ticking live • Bell badge on any pass you've set an alert for ROVER PROOF PHOTOS • Stamp a photo at your site with your callsign, grid, satellite, and UTC time — proof of where you were on the air • Fresh photo or one from your library; share to X, Messages, AirDrop — or submit for the AMSAT Rover Award ALWAYS OVERHEAD (free) • Lists any geostationary satellite in your sky — QO-100 (Es'hail 2) for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East • "Find it in the sky" — point your phone and check your line-of-sight to the bird is clear • No Pro required for geostationary satellites SATELLITE CATALOG • Friendly designations everywhere — SO-50, AO-91, RS-44, JO-97 — with launch names as subtitles • Search by name or NORAD ID • Curated radio data for the most-worked birds, plus live SatNOGS for the long tail — kept fresh by HamSat's catalog service • Filter by mode (FM, linear, beacon, data, telemetry) ACCURATE & OFFLINE • Full SGP4 propagation on-device — the model the pros use, so times and positions match apps like ISS Detector • Works completely offline — every pass, sky dome, ground track, and Doppler computed locally. No API keys, no rate limits. • Always-fresh orbital data via HamSat's catalog service, with direct CelesTrak/AMSAT fallback — or pin a source • Settings shows how fresh your orbital data is PRIVACY-FIRST • Your location stays on-device — nothing about you is sent to any server • Orbital data from public sources (CelesTrak, AMSAT, SatNOGS) • No accounts, no tracking, no ads HamSat Pro — the field operator's toolkit • Sked planner — mutual passes with any partner grid • Apple Watch tracking & guided wrist-aim • Fullscreen Live tracker with second-by-second Doppler (landscape split-pane) • Live in-pass Doppler — corrected RX/TX at AOS, max, and LOS • Overhead-now live tracker for your favorites • Unlimited scheduled alerts — not just three • Shareable Rover proof photos One-time purchase, no subscription. 73 — and good DX!

About

Ham Imaging

Read full description

Ham Imaging is the picture side of amateur radio. Hold your phone to any receiver's speaker and watch slow-scan television pictures decode live, or transmit your own with your callsign printed on them — no interface box, no cables, no computer. RECEIVE • Live SSTV decode straight from your radio's audio through the device microphone • Automatic mode detection from the VIS header — leave it on Auto and the picture just appears • 20 modes decoded and encoded: Scottie 1, 2, 3, 4 and DX; Martin 1, 2 and 3; Robot 12, 24, 36 and 72; PD 50, 90, 120, 160, 180, 240 and 290; and Wraase SC2-180 • A live tuning meter and signal-confidence readout so you can peak the audio before the picture starts • Slant correction for the small clock differences that make a picture lean • The picture paints in as it arrives — you do not have to wait for the end of the frame TRANSMIT • Send any photo from your camera or gallery as an SSTV picture • Optional overlay printing your callsign, grid and a free text line onto the image • Pick the mode to suit the band and the time you have • A progress bar tracks the transmission, and you can cancel at any point • Putting a signal on the air stays your decision — the app makes the tones, you key the radio GALLERY & LOGGING • Everything you receive or send is kept together on the device with its mode and UTC time • Share a watermarked copy anywhere • Clean export — a plain copy at 800 px, exactly the format ARISS asks for in award submissions • Copy an ADIF line to paste an SSTV contact straight into Ham Logging or your desktop logger • Delete a single picture or clear the whole gallery. Nothing is ever uploaded BUILT FOR THE SHACK • Works fully offline — decoding and encoding never need an internet connection • Light and dark themes, adjustable font size, weekly tips and in-app version history • Your callsign and grid stay on your device • No account, no ads, no analytics and no tracking PERFECT FOR • Operators working the HF SSTV picture nets • Anyone chasing ISS / ARISS SSTV events and award submissions • Shortwave listeners who want to see what those warbling tones actually are • Newcomers who want to try SSTV without buying an interface • Clubs demonstrating amateur radio to visitors and students PRIVACY • Your callsign, grid and email are stored only on your device. • No account, no sign-up, no ads, no analytics SDKs, no advertising ID and no tracking of any kind. 73 de A41UX Yousuf AL Balushi — Unixeer, Oman

Screenshots

HamSat4 screens
Ham Imaging4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ham Imaging at none against HamSat's 1. Ham Imaging also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.4). HamSat's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 11 days). On price, 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

Both are free to download. HamSat sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Ham Imaging asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HamSat ships an update every 2 days, Ham Imaging every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
HamSat versus Ham Imaging: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHamSatHam Imaging
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 11 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS26.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVasco BarreirosYousif AL Balushi

In-app purchases

1 purchases

HamSat

One-time1
  • HamSat Pro$9.99
None

Ham Imaging

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HamSat free?
HamSat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ham Imaging free?
Ham Imaging is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do HamSat or Ham Imaging have ads?
Neither HamSat nor Ham Imaging shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HamSat or Ham Imaging?
HamSat ships an update every 2 days, and Ham Imaging every 11 days. Most recently, HamSat was updated on October 25, 2026 and Ham Imaging on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons