HAM QuickLog vs rtl_tcp SDR
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Lightning-fast contact logging
- Purpose-built logging templates
- Offline utility tools
- Home screen widget
- PDF log creation
- ADIF import/export
- One-tap callsign lookup
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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.
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | HAM QuickLog | rtl_tcp SDR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $12.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 3.9 (32 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 91.7% of reviews — better | 40.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 32 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 63 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mircules | HotPaw Productions |
Customer experience
HAM QuickLog
rtl_tcp SDR
In-app purchases
HAM QuickLog
No in-app purchases
rtl_tcp SDR
No in-app purchases









