Comparison

Police Radio Scanner + vs DispatchLink

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

Head to head
About

Police Radio Scanner +

Access live police, fire, and EMS radio feeds from around the globe. Stay informed about local incidents, breaking news, and emergencies with real-time audio streams. Enjoy a simple, fast interface for easy navigation and background listening.

Highlights
  • Live police, fire, and EMS radio
  • Real-time incident tracking
  • Quick access to popular channels
  • One-tap streaming
  • Browse by location and category
  • Background playback
Features
Read full description

Listen to live police, fire, and EMS radio right from your phone. Police Radio Scanner + streams thousands of public safety feeds from across the United States and around the world. Follow your local dispatch, keep an ear on breaking incidents, or explore departments in another state or country. Now powered by official Broadcastify feeds for reliable, up-to-date audio. WHAT YOU CAN DO Browse by state or country Pick any U.S. state to see every available feed, or switch to country view to explore feeds from Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, the Netherlands, and dozens more. Find stations near you Tap the location button and the app surfaces feeds close to where you are. Search everywhere One search box covers countries, states, and individual stations. Filter by scope to narrow results fast. Save your favorites Star any feed and it appears on your Favorites tab, ready the next time you open the app. See what's active right now The Top Stations list ranks feeds by how many people are listening, so you can jump straight to where something is happening. Clips and Activity Recent transmissions are collected as clips you can replay on demand. Load earlier calls to catch up on the past hour, filter by Police, Fire, or EMS, and see bursts of related traffic grouped together. Station details at a glance Frequency, channel description, talkgroup, listener count, and how long ago each transmission came in. Open an approximate map of a station's coverage area. Background listening Audio keeps playing when you leave the app or lock your screen. PREMIUM Upgrade to Premium to remove every banner and full-screen ad, and to unlock lock screen playback controls so you can switch feeds without unlocking your phone. Premium is available as a monthly subscription, a yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Prices are shown in the app before you buy. Subscription details - Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase. - Subscriptions renew automatically for the same period unless auto-renew is switched off at least 24 hours before the current period ends. - Renewal is charged within 24 hours before the current period ends. - Manage or cancel a subscription in Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions. IMPORTANT Police Radio Scanner + is for entertainment and informational use. It is not an emergency service and is not affiliated with any police, fire, or emergency department. In an emergency, always call your local emergency number. Feeds come from a community of volunteer broadcasters. Coverage, audio quality, and availability vary by area and can change without notice. Some transmissions are encrypted or otherwise unavailable, so not every department can be heard. Scanner rules differ by location. Please check the laws where you live before listening, especially while driving. An internet connection is required. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

DispatchLink

Access real-time Utah public safety radio audio, including police and fire dispatches. Features AI-transcribed text, incident feeds with addresses, and detailed coverage information. Enjoy background audio, push notifications, and call history playback for comprehensive awareness.

Highlights
  • Live audio streaming of 14 Utah channels
  • AI-transcribed dispatches
  • Real-time incident feed with addresses
  • City-by-city activity breakdown
  • Channel coverage information
  • Call history with playback
  • Push notifications for high-priority incidents
Features
Read full description

DispatchLink brings Utah’s public-safety radio to your phone, live, and explains what you’re hearing. LISTEN LIVE • 51 police, fire and EMS channels across Utah, Salt Lake, Davis and Wasatch counties • Tiles light up the moment a channel is talking • Tap the (i) on any channel to see the towns it covers, how busy it is, and when it’s usually busiest SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING • Incidents: calls turned into clear, plain-English summaries, grouped by town • Just in: what’s happened in the last 15 minutes • Today’s majors: fires, serious crashes and pursuits in one place WATCH LIKE A DISPATCHER • Console: every transmission as it happens, live • Follow any unit to see where it works and when it’s busiest Built in Utah by radio enthusiasts. DISPATCHLINK PLUS Live radio is free. DispatchLink Plus unlocks Incidents and Today’s majors. Plus is an auto-renewing subscription, billed monthly or yearly to your Apple ID, and includes a free trial for new subscribers. It renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings. DispatchLink is not an emergency service. In an emergency, call 911. Privacy: https://dispatchlink.org/privacy Terms: https://dispatchlink.org/terms License (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Police Radio Scanner +4 screens
DispatchLink4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: DispatchLink at none against Police Radio Scanner +'s shown. DispatchLink also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 27%). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Police Radio Scanner + sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and DispatchLink sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Police Radio Scanner + versus DispatchLink: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPolice Radio Scanner +DispatchLink
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews26.7% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 6 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.217.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB6 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperWe Are Interfaces ABNathan Hayes

Customer experience

Police Radio Scanner +

Written reviews15 reviews
Positive26.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative73.3%

DispatchLink

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Police Radio Scanner +

Subscriptions1
  • Premium Access$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99
2 purchases

DispatchLink

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium Access7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Annual Premium Access7 Days trial$79.991 Year

Questions

Is Police Radio Scanner + free?
Police Radio Scanner + is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DispatchLink free?
DispatchLink is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Police Radio Scanner + or DispatchLink have ads?
Police Radio Scanner + shows ads; DispatchLink does not.
Which is updated more often, Police Radio Scanner + or DispatchLink?
Police Radio Scanner + ships an update every 6 weeks, and DispatchLink every 6 weeks. Most recently, Police Radio Scanner + was updated on October 24, 2026 and DispatchLink on October 24, 2026.

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