Comparison

AimSat vs OrbitDeck

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

Head to head
About

AimSat

Features
Read full description

Point your phone - or your antenna - at any satellite in real time. AimSat gives you live azimuth and elevation for over 50 satellites: the International Space Station, MUOS military UHF birds, WGS broadband relays, amateur AMSAT passes, weather satellites, and more. WHAT IT DOES - Live sky position (azimuth + elevation) updated every second from your GPS - SGP4/SDP4 orbital propagation - the same math NASA uses, running on-device - Antenna alignment mode: hold your phone like a tray, tilt it up, and the crosshair tells you exactly where to point - Pass notifications: get alerted before a satellite rises over your horizon - Garmin watch support: az/el values mirror to your wrist hands-free - Filter by category: ISS, Amateur, Weather, GEO, MUOS, WGS - Pin, hide, and sort satellites to match your workflow - Full ground-track map with sub-satellite point AIMSAT PRO Upgrade once ($2.99) and unlock the 7-day pass planner - see every satellite window for the full week ahead, export passes to your calendar, and plan before you're in the field. No subscription, ever. BUILT FOR OPERATORS Whether you're a ham radio operator chasing FM satellites, a SATCOM technician aligning a terminal, or just someone who wants to wave at the ISS - AimSat has the precision you need without the bloat you don't. PRIVACY Your location never leaves your device. No accounts, no analytics, no tracking. Orbital data is fetched from CelesTrak and Space-Track; everything else runs offline. Map data (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, under the Open Database License (ODbL).

About

OrbitDeck

Features
Read full description

OrbitDeck is a complete amateur-radio satellite station for iPhone and iPad. Track the birds, predict passes, tune your radio for Doppler, decode images, and log your contacts — all from live orbital elements. TRACK & PREDICT • Live look angles, range, range-rate, sub-point, and footprint • Next-pass predictions with quality scoring and elevation profiles • Daily schedule of every favorite's passes, ordered by AOS • Ground-track map, multi-day pass progression, and an all-sky radar • Animated 3D globe and a polar sky plot with AOS/LOS and direction-of-travel arrows WORK THE BIRDS • Four-dial Doppler for DX plus a single-station playbook • Per-satellite calibration shared across every Doppler screen • Link budgets, SatNOGS transponder data, AO-7 mode timer, and mutual-visibility windows RIG CONTROL (CAT) • Doppler-tune your transceiver over a Bluetooth serial adapter or an Icom network (Wi-Fi) radio • Icom CI-V, Yaesu, Kenwood (including TS-2000/790 satellite mode), and any Hamlib radio via rigctld • One full-duplex radio, a separate uplink/downlink pair, or two radios; follows your dial as you tune ROTATOR CONTROL • Azimuth/elevation control via GS-232, Easycomm, SPID, rotctld, PstRotator, SAEBRTrack, and OZ9AAR URC DIGITAL MODES & AUDIO • Over a USB audio interface or Icom network audio: record a pass, decode SSTV (Doppler-aware, with a post-pass re-decode and image fix-up), and work full-duplex FT4 on a linear transponder LOGGING • On-device QSO log with ADIF export and LoTW and Cloudlog/Wavelog upload Plus orbital analysis, live space weather, MUF/propagation, and classic OSCARLOCATOR overlays. OrbitDeck works fully as a tracker with no radio and no account. Rig control, rotator control, SSTV, and FT4 require your own amateur-radio equipment and a valid license; transmit only within your privileges. Orbital elements from AMSAT and CelesTrak; transponder data from SatNOGS; space weather from NOAA SWPC. FT4/FT8 use the MIT-licensed ft8_lib.

Screenshots

AimSat3 screens
OrbitDeck4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: AimSat at 13.0 against OrbitDeck's 17.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
AimSat versus OrbitDeck: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAimSatOrbitDeck
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyDaily—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZACHARY AARON CALDWELLPaul Stoetzer

In-app purchases

None

AimSat

No in-app purchases

None

OrbitDeck

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AimSat free?
AimSat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is OrbitDeck free?
OrbitDeck is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do AimSat or OrbitDeck have ads?
Neither AimSat nor OrbitDeck shows ads.

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