Comparison

HamBand vs Greyline FT8

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

Head to head
About

HamBand

This app provides amateur radio operators with real-time HF band condition assessments using live solar weather data. It offers band ratings, a greyline visualizer, and trend charts to help predict propagation. An Apple Watch companion app is also available for quick access to information.

Highlights
  • Real-time HF band condition ratings
  • Greyline visualizer for propagation
  • 7-day trend charts for solar data
  • Live Solar Flux Index and K-Index
  • Apple Watch companion app and complication
  • No subscriptions, accounts, or ads
Features
Read full description

HamBand - HF Band Conditions HamBand gives amateur radio operators instant, real-time HF band condition assessments based on live solar weather data from NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. Whether you're heading out for a Parks on the Air (POTA) activation, setting up for Field Day, or just checking conditions from the shack, HamBand tells you what the bands are doing right now - no account, no setup, no clutter. Band Conditions Get instant Good, Fair, or Poor ratings for the five primary HF bands - 10m, 15m, 20m, 40m, and 80m - based on real solar physics. Ratings are calculated from the Solar Flux Index (SFI) and K-Index using band-specific propagation thresholds. Greyline Visualizer Watch the day/night terminator move across a live world map in real time. When your QTH sits on the greyline, low-band DX on 160m, 80m, and 40m lights up — so instead of guessing when that sweet spot rolls through, you can see it coming. 7-Day Trend Charts Track how solar conditions have evolved over the past week with interactive K-Index and SFI trend charts. Spot incoming geomagnetic storms before they kill your signal. Live Solar Data See the current Solar Flux Index, K-Index, and last updated time at a glance. Tap either metric for a plain-English explanation of what it means for your operating. Apple Watch Companion Check band conditions right from your wrist. The Apple Watch app and complication keep key solar indices and band ratings accessible without touching your phone - perfect when both hands are on the antenna. Pull to Refresh Always fetching fresh data directly from NOAA. No subscriptions, no accounts, no ads. HamBand is built by KD3CLW, a licensed amateur radio operator in western Pennsylvania. 73 de KD3CLW

About

Greyline FT8

This app provides a portable digital ham radio experience for field operations on iOS devices. It automates callsign lookups, displays real-time spot data, and offers automated calling or manual control for QSOs. Features include intelligent frequency selection, audio delay adjustment, and direct logging to QRZ.

Highlights
  • Field-ready digital ham radio
  • Automated callsign and DXCC lookups
  • Real-time PSK Reporter spot data
  • Automated CQ Gatherer and Hunter modes
  • Intelligent automatic frequency selection
  • Direct-to-QRZ logging and ADI export
Features
Read full description

Greyline FT8 is a highly portable, capable amateur radio app designed specifically for field operation with an iOS device. I designed this app because I got very used to my full-stack FT8 solution: GridTracker, WSJT-X, PSK Reporter, WRL Desktop, several browser tabs, and more. But I didn't want the bulk and weight of a full Windows PC in the field. At the same time, while there are excellent and lightweight FT8 iOS solutions out there, they were lacking features I really wanted. Greyline is everything you need and nothing you don't. It automatically locates your grid square, performs callsign and calling station DXCC lookups (internet access required), and can even show you real-time spot data from PSK Reporter. Want to adjust your directional antenna? Now you've got the info you need to do it! Greyline also incorporates automated calling features. Gatherer mode calls CQ, responds to the first reply it gets, finishes the QSO and returns to calling CQ all without your input. On the other side of things, Hunter mode listens for CQ calls and pounces on them, finishing a QSO then returning to the live band to find the next. Or, take control of the conversation yourself with standard mode. That's the experience you're already used to from WSJT-X and other digital mode apps. Some other noteworthy features are: - Intelligent automatic free frequency selection - Dynamically adjusted audio delay for virtually drift-free message timing - PSK Reporter integrated Live Spots - Direct-to-QRZ, WRL and private Cloudlog logging and ADI export - Configurable waterfall settings - CQ addendums - CQ filtering for contesting and general courteous operation - Configurable retransmissions - Intelligent log recovery (didn't get that last 73 but want to log the contact anyway? Now you can!) - Log import and export - Antenna tuning - POTA Autospotting - One touch POTA activation and POTA.app-compatible ADIF export - Multiple POTA activation support - And so much more! Greyline uses audio VOX and not serial PTT. Most radios support this with simple cabling or an audio interface like a Digirig. For helpful tips on cabling and configuring popular radios, visit the Support URL below. Built by a ham, for hams, I'm very open to your feedback and hope Greyline can be your field companion. Want to share your own Field Notes (https://greylineft8.com/fieldnotes.html)? Email me at support@greylineft8.com!

Screenshots

HamBand4 screens
Greyline FT84 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: HamBand at Free against Greyline FT8's $3.99. Greyline FT8's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 days) and ratings volume (14 vs 2). On rating, ads, in-app purchases 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

HamBand is free to download; Greyline FT8 costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for HamBand against 4.9 for Greyline FT8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Greyline FT8 has 14 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HamBand ships an update every 10 days, Greyline FT8 every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
HamBand versus Greyline FT8: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHamBandGreyline FT8
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.9 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews—90.0% of reviews
Number of ratings214 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.0 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTAYLOR JOHN TRANSUEJONATHAN MARK SCHULMAN

Customer experience

HamBand

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Greyline FT8

All ratings13 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive90.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

HamBand

No in-app purchases

None

Greyline FT8

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HamBand free?
HamBand is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Greyline FT8 free?
Greyline FT8 costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HamBand or Greyline FT8?
HamBand is rated higher. HamBand averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Greyline FT8 averages 4.9 from 14 ratings.
Do HamBand or Greyline FT8 have ads?
Neither HamBand nor Greyline FT8 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HamBand or Greyline FT8?
HamBand ships an update every 10 days, and Greyline FT8 every 4 days. Most recently, HamBand was updated on October 19, 2026 and Greyline FT8 on October 24, 2026.

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