Sidetone CW vs Cadenza
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Sidetone CW
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Sidetone is the ultimate app for anyone looking to learn Morse code (CW) from scratch or sharpen their existing telegraphy skills. Whether you're a curious beginner or a ham radio operator wanting to increase your speed, Sidetone offers the tools you need in a clean, modern, and ad-free interface. KEY FEATURES: โข Learn with the Koch Method: Build your speed the right way. Sidetone uses the highly effective Koch method, which trains your ears to recognize characters at full speed from day one, preventing the bad habit of counting slow dots and dashes. โข AI-Powered QSO Simulator: Train for the real world! Our smart simulator uses an external API to generate realistic radio contacts (QSOs). Practice sending and receiving exchanges just like on the actual bands, giving you the confidence you need before sitting down at the rig. โข Intuitive Input: Send your Morse code using the app's responsive, circular key and get immediate visual and audio feedback on your timing. โข No Login Required: Sidetone respects your privacy. Open the app and start practicing right awayโno accounts or passwords needed. Sidetone is a passion project created for the love of amateur radio and coding. The app is completely free to use, but if you enjoy it and want to help support the server costs (and fuel the developer's coffee intake), there's a voluntary tip jar in the settings. Fire up Sidetone, put on your headphones, and start your CW journey today. 73!
Cadenza
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Cadenza teaches Morse code the way real operators actually read it: by ear. You start with just two letters at full speed and add more as you go, so you learn the sound and rhythm of each character instead of counting dots and dashes. Built on the proven Koch method with Farnsworth spacing, Cadenza adapts to you. It notices which characters you confuse, drills the exact pairs you mix up, and raises your speed only when you are ready. WHAT YOU GET - Letters trainer: the full alphabet, numbers and punctuation, one character at a time - Reference: tap any letter, prosign, Q-code or abbreviation to hear it - Tools: Listen, a decoder that turns clean Morse tones into text through your mic, a two-way Morse code translator (text to Morse and back, played as sound, screen light, camera flash or vibration) and an accessible Morse keyboard - Postcard: turn a short message into a Morse card, drawn as a rhythm score and sent as a picture with a link. Your friend hears it and decodes it in Cadenza - Progress: streaks, a daily goal, achievements, accuracy heatmaps and a daily challenge that is the same for everyone - Three channels: hear it, see it (a gentle beacon or your camera flash), feel it through vibration GO FURTHER WITH PRO - Copy whole words, random groups and full lines of text - Your lists: drill your own words, callsigns and contest exchanges; the QSO simulator answers your own callsign - Head copy with no typing - Sending practice with an on-screen key, or plug in your own straight key or paddle through a USB or Bluetooth adapter (VBand, Vail); Cadenza does the iambic keying - Realistic on-air modes: callsign trainer, QSO simulator and pile-up - Detailed analytics: confusion matrix and reaction time WHY CADENZA No accounts. No ads. No tracking. Everything works offline and your practice stays on your device. Where other trainers make you count or stare at charts, Cadenza keeps you listening. PERFECT FOR - Total beginners learning from zero - Aspiring and licensed ham radio operators preparing for on-air CW - Anyone who wants a durable, offline skill Free forever: the full Koch trainer, the reference, the tools, the daily challenge and basic stats. Cadenza Pro unlocks the copy, sending and on-air modes plus advanced analytics with a monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Cadenza Pro is offered as a monthly or annual auto-renewing subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase. Subscriptions are billed to your Apple ID and renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel in your Account Settings. Privacy Policy: https://morse-trainer.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://morse-trainer.app/terms
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Verdict
Sidetone CW and Cadenza are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters โ price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them โ neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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
Both are free to download. Sidetone CW sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Cadenza sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | Sidetone CW | Cadenza |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | โ | Every 4 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.4 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 75 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Michel Cato | Ivan Terekhin |
In-app purchases
Sidetone CW
- Buy me a coffee$1.99
Cadenza
- Cadenza Pro$6.991 Month
- Cadenza Pro3 Days trial$24.991 Year
- Cadenza Pro Lifetime$39.99
Questions
Is Sidetone CW free?
Is Cadenza free?
Do Sidetone CW or Cadenza have ads?
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