Comparison

DXLens vs Overhead 1090

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

Head to head
About

DXLens

Explore shortwave radio broadcasts with this comprehensive guide. Discover schedules, understand reception conditions, and access public SDR receivers. Log your reception and set alerts for your favorite stations.

Highlights
  • Shortwave broadcast schedules
  • On Air broadcast views
  • Station search and filtering
  • Interactive maps and station details
  • Reception forecasts and reliability
  • Access to public SDR receivers
  • Reception logbook and alerts
Read full description

DXLens is a shortwave listening companion designed to help listeners explore broadcast schedules, understand reception conditions, and access compatible public SDR receivers. Key features: • Shortwave schedules compiled from multiple established sources • On Air views for broadcasts scheduled at the current time • Search and filtering by station, frequency, language, band, target area, and source • Interactive maps, station details, and transmitter information • Reception forecasts, modeled path reliability, and propagation context • Access to compatible public KiwiSDR receivers • Support for compatible personal rtl_tcp receivers • Favorites, saved receivers, alerts, and a reception logbook • Home Screen widgets • Optional iCloud synchronization for supported user data • Manual location selection when location access is not granted All features in this release are available without a subscription or in-app purchase. No account or sign-in is required. DXLens provides schedule-based guidance and transparent reception information. It does not claim to measure live signal strength unless data is obtained from an actual receiver. Some features require an internet connection. Public SDR availability depends on third-party receiver operators and network conditions. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://dxlens.app/privacy

About

Overhead 1090

Features
Read full description

Overhead 1090 turns your own ADS-B receiver into a beautiful live radar picture of the sky above you. No accounts. No subscriptions. No aircraft data leaving your network. If your antenna can hear it, Overhead 1090 shows it — with the low-latency, unfiltered view that only a local receiver can deliver. WHAT YOU GET • Live radar map — every aircraft your receiver hears, updated in real time on a gorgeous dark map • Aircraft details — callsign, registration, type, altitude, speed, heading, and distance from home • Reports — traffic by hour and day, busiest hours, top operators and types • Sightings — a feed of the notable stuff: military contacts, low passes, rare types, new airframes, closest approaches • Logbook — a searchable log of every flight your receiver has heard, each with its ground track • All your receivers — run more than one antenna? Add them all and filter by who heard what • Built for iPad — a full-screen radar display • Apple TV — the living-room big board. Put the sky above your house on the biggest screen you own • One purchase unlocks iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV WORKS WITH YOUR RECEIVER Overhead 1090 connects to ADS-B receivers on your local network that expose dump1090-compatible data — including popular Raspberry Pi feeder setups. Setup is as simple as pointing the app at your receiver's address; it can even find it for you. No receiver yet? Demo mode lets you explore the full app with realistic sample traffic. WHY LOCAL IS BETTER Internet flight trackers filter, delay, and aggregate. Your receiver doesn't. Overhead 1090 shows exactly what's broadcast over your head the moment it's received — including traffic that never appears on the big tracking sites. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your aircraft data stays on your network. Overhead 1090 has no analytics, no ads, and no accounts. The app's privacy label is "Data Not Collected." — Overhead 1090 is for hobbyist and educational use. It is not certified for real-world navigation, air traffic control, or safety-of-life use. Requires a dump1090-compatible ADS-B receiver on your local network for live data (demo mode works without one). The app logs traffic while it is open.

Screenshots

DXLens4 screens
Overhead 10904 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: DXLens at Free against Overhead 1090's $4.99. DXLens also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 4 weeks). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

DXLens is free to download; Overhead 1090 costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DXLens ships an update every 10 days, Overhead 1090 every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
DXLens versus Overhead 1090: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDXLensOverhead 1090
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating3.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size160 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMuayyad QalalwahMichael Russo

In-app purchases

None

DXLens

No in-app purchases

None

Overhead 1090

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DXLens free?
DXLens is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Overhead 1090 free?
Overhead 1090 costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do DXLens or Overhead 1090 have ads?
Neither DXLens nor Overhead 1090 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DXLens or Overhead 1090?
DXLens ships an update every 10 days, and Overhead 1090 every 4 weeks. Most recently, DXLens was updated on October 31, 2026 and Overhead 1090 on October 31, 2026.

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