Comparison

HAM QuickLog vs rtl_tcp SDR

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

Head to head
About

HAM QuickLog

This app offers rapid logging for amateur radio operators, featuring customizable templates and offline tools. It allows for direct logging on mobile devices, eliminating the need for later transcription, and can generate printable PDF logs.

Highlights
  • Lightning-fast contact logging
  • Purpose-built logging templates
  • Offline utility tools
  • Home screen widget
  • PDF log creation
  • ADIF import/export
  • One-tap callsign lookup
Features
Read full description

Log contacts in seconds, not minutes. HAM QuickLog is the complete HAM radio app combining lightning-fast logging with 11 built-in tools, perfect for casual operators, POTA activators, contesters and SWLs. Why operators choose HAM QuickLog: * Purpose-built templates: HF, SWL, Contest, POTA, minimal and Full templates show only the fields you need * Lightning-fast entry: Auto-fill some fields, field copying, and smart defaults minimize typing * Works anywhere: Includes several online and 6 fully offline tools (Grid Calculator, Azimuth Calculator, Q-Codes, UTC Clock, ITU Prefixes, My Grid & Location) * Zero paper in the field: Log directly on your iPhone or iPad, no transcribing later Home Screen Widget: See your latest QSOs and log stats at a glance — right from your Home Screen. No need to open the app. PDF creation: Generate a clean, printable PDF of your log. Print it directly from the app or share it — perfect for club submissions, personal archives or Field Day documentation. Built-in HAM Tools: * DX Cluster * Contest Calendar * Grid & Azimuth Calculators * QRZ & HamQTH Browsers * SOTA Cluster * Q-Codes Reference * ITU Callsign Prefixes * UTC Clock * And more Professional features: * Full ADIF import/export * Automatic duplicate checking (Contest mode) * One-tap callsign lookup (QRZ & HamQTH) * Dedicated SWL template * Works on iPhone and iPad Perfect for: * Quick portable logging on iPhone or iPad * POTA activators logging from parks * Contest operators needing speed * Field Day operations * SWLs tracking what they hear * Home station everyday logging Whether you're activating a park, working a contest, or enjoying casual QSOs, HAM QuickLog keeps you on the air - not buried in paperwork.

About

rtl_tcp SDR

This app acts as a software-defined radio receiver for iOS devices, allowing you to listen to various radio signals and view RF spectrum data. It connects to external SDR peripherals via a network protocol, requiring a separate server setup.

Highlights
  • Listen to AM, FM, SSB, CW signals
  • View RF spectrum and waterfall
  • Connect to networked RTL-SDR peripherals
  • Supports Airspy HF+, SDRPlay, LimeSDR Mini
  • Direct connection to Hermes Lite 2
Features
Read full description

An RTL-SDR Software Defined Radio receiver app for iOS devices.  Listen to AM, FM, SSB and CW radio signals. View an RF spectrum and waterfall. Connect, via the rtl_tcp network protocol, to networked RTL-SDR USB peripherals. This app requires an external rtl_tcp server. iOS devices do not currently support the direct connection of USB peripherals such as an RTL-SDR. Thus, the use of this app requires network access to a server, such as a Raspberry Pi (or Mac), with an RTL-SDR unit plugged into its USB port, and running the rtl_tcp protocol at an TCP/IP network address accessible from your iOS device. This allows a Raspberry Pi (or Mac) to act, essentially, as the USB port adapter for your iOS device. The rtl_tcp SDR app can also connect to hfp_tcp for the Airspy HF+, rsp_tcp for SDRPlay devices, and lmm_tcp for the LimeSDR Mini; see GitHub for server source code. This app can also connect to a Hermes Lite 2 QRP transceiver directly, if it has a known IP address, or through an hl2_tcp server. No support is provided for installing any of the rtl_tcp or other tcp software needed to use this app (with a Raspberry Pi, or otherwise). Please do not download this app unless you are already familiar with Software Defined Radio, have an RTL-SDR or equivalent USB SDR peripheral, and have already installed and tested rtl_tcp on your Raspberry Pi, Mac, or other server. Note that this app requires a very high bandwidth network connection in order to receive streams of real-time RF samples from an RTL-SDR. It is recommended that your rtl_tcp server be on a wired connection rather than on the same WiFi as your iOS device.

Screenshots

HAM QuickLog4 screens
rtl_tcp SDR3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: HAM QuickLog at 92% against rtl_tcp SDR's 40%. HAM QuickLog also leads on price ($2.99 vs $12.99) and rating (5.0 vs 3.9). rtl_tcp SDR's advantage is ratings volume (32 vs 1). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

HAM QuickLog costs $2.99 and rtl_tcp SDR $12.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HAM QuickLog holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: rtl_tcp SDR has 32 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of HAM QuickLog's written reviews are positive against 40% of rtl_tcp SDR's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HAM QuickLog ships an update every 5 weeks, rtl_tcp SDR every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
HAM QuickLog versus rtl_tcp SDR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHAM QuickLogrtl_tcp SDR
Price$2.99 — better$12.99
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better3.9 (32 ratings)
Positive reviews91.7% of reviews — better40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings132 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMirculesHotPaw Productions

Customer experience

HAM QuickLog

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%

rtl_tcp SDR

All ratings32 ratings
Positive68.8%
Neutral9.4%
Negative21.9%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral16.7%
Negative43.3%

In-app purchases

None

HAM QuickLog

No in-app purchases

None

rtl_tcp SDR

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HAM QuickLog free?
HAM QuickLog costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is rtl_tcp SDR free?
rtl_tcp SDR costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HAM QuickLog or rtl_tcp SDR?
HAM QuickLog is rated higher. HAM QuickLog averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while rtl_tcp SDR averages 3.9 from 32 ratings.
Do HAM QuickLog or rtl_tcp SDR have ads?
Neither HAM QuickLog nor rtl_tcp SDR shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HAM QuickLog or rtl_tcp SDR?
HAM QuickLog ships an update every 5 weeks, and rtl_tcp SDR every 4 months. Most recently, HAM QuickLog was updated on September 22, 2026 and rtl_tcp SDR on October 12, 2026.

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