# aprs.fi vs Grid Square Life

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Grid Square Life at none against aprs.fi's 3. Grid Square Life also leads on price ($3.99 vs $6.99). aprs.fi's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 5). On review sentiment, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

aprs.fi costs $6.99 and Grid Square Life $3.99 up front. aprs.fi sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Grid Square Life asks for nothing beyond the download.

aprs.fi holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: aprs.fi has 1.2K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of aprs.fi's written reviews are positive against 67% of Grid Square Life's.

aprs.fi ships an update fortnightly, Grid Square Life every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | aprs.fi | Grid Square Life |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $6.99 | **$3.99** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aprsfi/id922155038/reviews)** | [4.4 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grid-square-life/id1570759190/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.2K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **70.4% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#19** | — |
| Size | 28 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [GainIO](https://appshunter.io/developer/922155037) | [Borys Buslovskyi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1724242207) |

## What reviewers say

### aprs.fi

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aprsfi/id922155038)

**Currently charting:** #19 Top Paid · Navigation, #199 Top Grossing · Navigation (US App Store)

Access real-time APRS position data, weather reports, and telemetry graphs globally. Offers route guidance, station tracking, and map filtering. Some advanced features require an in-app subscription.

**Highlights:** Real-time APRS position data, Route guidance and driving directions, Search callsigns and addresses, Track multiple stations, Filter map information, View weather and telemetry graphs, Beacon your position

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Extra features, monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Extra features, yearly | $6.49 | per year |
| Extra features, fair trade | $13.49 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Solid product
- 👍 Works great with external hardware
- 💡 Useful for public service events
- 🚀 Reliable way to participate in APRS network
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Beaconing issues (inconsistent timing, lack of smart beaconing)
- 🔒 Messaging requires subscription
- 💰 Expensive for limited functionality
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🔒 Subscription required for full features

**Reported bugs**

- Beacon not clickable
- Freezing on settings screen
- Incompatible with older iOS versions
- Inconsistent behavior with VOX on radios

**Requested features**

- Offline maps support
- Ability to change nickname without creating new account
- Smart beaconing mode
- Bulk message deletion
- CarPlay support


### Grid Square Life

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grid-square-life/id1570759190)

This app calculates your Maidenhead Locator (Grid Square Locator) using GPS coordinates. It also displays nearby points of interest like radio beacons, lighthouses, and national parks, along with your geographic coordinates, altitude, and a compass. You can track your distance from home and visualize your position within grid squares.

**Highlights:** Grid Square Locator calculation, Nearby points of interest, Geographic coordinates and altitude, Compass for orientation, Distance to home location, Graphical grid square visualization

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is aprs.fi free?

aprs.fi costs $6.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Grid Square Life free?

Grid Square Life costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, aprs.fi or Grid Square Life?

aprs.fi is rated higher. aprs.fi averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Grid Square Life averages 4.4 from 5 ratings.

### Do aprs.fi or Grid Square Life have ads?

Neither aprs.fi nor Grid Square Life shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, aprs.fi or Grid Square Life?

aprs.fi ships an update fortnightly, and Grid Square Life every 6 months. Most recently, aprs.fi was updated on November 1, 2026 and Grid Square Life on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*