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AllStarLink apps compared

iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and the browser. Last reviewed by Justin Calvert, W0ABE. Prices and versions are from each vendor's App Store, Google Play or project page on that date.

There are a dozen ways to get on AllStarLink from a phone or computer in 2026, but only a handful are voice clients, apps you actually talk through. On iPhone and iPad the choices are OpLine and RepeaterPhone. On Android, DVSwitch Mobile and DroidStar. On Mac, OpLine and Transceive. On Windows, a DroidStar build or a SIP softphone against your own node. The browser Web Transceiver is gone. This page lists every current client with its platform, price and connection method, then says which to pick for each platform.

Who wrote this. OpLine is our app, so read the iPhone recommendation knowing that. Every fact about another app below comes from that vendor's own page or store listing, linked in Sources. If something is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
On this page
  1. The short answer, by platform
  2. Voice clients compared
  3. Node controllers (no audio)
  4. How the apps connect
  5. Why OpLine on iPhone
  6. Questions people ask
  7. Sources

1. The short answer, by platform

iPhone or iPad

OpLine

The only AllStarLink client built natively for iOS: widgets, Siri, Lock Screen Live Activity, Action Button push-to-talk, background audio, and iPad and Mac included in the $6.99 purchase. Pick RepeaterPhone ($7.99) instead if you also need outgoing EchoLink calls or an Apple Watch extension.

Android

DVSwitch Mobile

Free, with Web Transceiver mode as a paid in-app purchase, and it reaches DMR, D-STAR, YSF, P25 and NXDN through a DVSwitch server. DroidStar is the free, open-source alternative over IAX2. OpLine does not run on Android and will not.

Mac

OpLine or Transceive

OpLine's Mac app comes with the same purchase as the iPhone app. Transceive ($19.99) is Mac-only, connects up to eight nodes at once, and doubles as a node manager, which makes it the better fit if you run several nodes from a desk.

Windows or Linux

DroidStar build, or a SIP softphone

DroidStar publishes desktop builds. If you own the node, AllStarLink's manual recommends SIP direct with a stock softphone such as Linphone. Do not install IAXRpt: AllStarLink says it is abandoned and that modified copies are circulating.

Web browser

Nothing current

The original Web Transceiver was a Java applet and AllStarLink removed it when browsers dropped applets. "WT" now means the account-based sign-in that the apps use. AllScan runs in a browser but controls your node; it does not carry audio.

Just controlling a node

ClearNode app, Node Remote, AllScan

These connect, disconnect and configure a node you own but do not let you talk. OpLine covers the common cases (link status, DTMF, macros) over AMI alongside the audio, so most owners of one node do not need a separate controller.

2. Voice clients compared

Apps you talk through. "WT" is Web Transceiver authentication: sign in with your AllStarLink portal account, no node of your own required, though some node owners turn it off. "IAX2 direct" means credentials the node owner issues you, or your own node.

AppPlatformsPriceConnects viaAlso doesNotes
OpLineiPhone, iPad, Mac$6.99 onceWT (AllStarLink account) or IAX2 direct to a nodeAllStarLink onlyNative SwiftUI. Widgets, Siri, Lock Screen Live Activity, Action Button PTT, background audio, offline node directory, AMI link status. OpLine Pulse is an optional subscription. Version 1.6, October 2026.
RepeaterPhoneiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch extension$7.99 onceWT (AllStarLink account) or IAX2 node credentialsEchoLink (outgoing calls)By Weston Bustraan, W8WJB. Siri, Bluetooth PTT buttons, Watch extension for favorites and PTT. DTMF keypad only with node credentials. No Android version. Version 1.1.9, October 2026.
DVSwitch MobileAndroidFree; WT mode is a paid in-app purchaseWT (paid), IAXRpt mode with node credentials, or Node mode as your own nodeDMR, D-STAR, YSF, P25, NXDN through a DVSwitch serverA DVSwitch server is only needed for the digital modes; AllStar works with node credentials or an account. No iOS version. Updated September 2026.
DroidStarAndroid; builds for Linux, Windows and macOS; iOS only by sideloadingFree, open sourceIAX2 direct to a node (with a shorthand for WT-style host names)M17, YSF, DMR, P25, NXDN, D-STARBy Doug McLain, AD8DP. Not in the App Store or TestFlight any more. Updated October 2026.
TransceiveMac (macOS 15.5 or later)$19.99 onceWT (AllStarLink account) or IAX2 credentials for your own nodesAllStarLink onlyUp to eight nodes connected at once, plus node management: link, unlink, see who is keyed. No iPhone version. Version 1.4.2, August 2026.
SIP softphoneiPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux (Linphone and similar)FreeSIP direct to your own nodeGeneric VoIPThe node owner must configure chan_pjsip and a dial plan. Push-to-talk is a DTMF code or VOX. AllStarLink's manual names this the preferred route for stock softphones.
IAXRptWindowsFreeIAX2 node credentialsNoneAbandoned. AllStarLink's manual is headed "Don't Use IAXRpt": downloads offline since 2019 and modified copies circulating. Listed here so you know what people are talking about.

3. Node controllers (no audio)

These show up in the same searches but solve a different problem: managing a node you already own.

AppPlatformsPriceWhat it does
ClearNode appiPhone, iPad, AndroidFreeRemote control for ClearNode hardware nodes through Node-Ventures' hub: connect and disconnect, configure AllStar, EchoLink and digital modes, reboot. Does not carry your voice.
Node Remote for ALLSTARAndroid ($6.99); the iOS listing is not currently in the App Store$6.99 on AndroidSends commands to your own node over the Asterisk Manager Interface and shows TX/RX state. No audio.
AllScanAny browser; installs on your ASL3 or HamVoIP nodeFree, GPL-3.0Favorites, scanning, connect and disconnect, and network stats from a web page served by your node. No audio.

4. How the apps connect

AllStarLink's manual describes four ways a client can reach the network. Which ones an app supports decides whether you need your own node.

The node controllers use something else again: the Asterisk Manager Interface (Node Remote, and OpLine for link status), a vendor hub (ClearNode), or a web page served by the node (AllScan). For the exact fields OpLine needs in each mode, see Get on the Air.

5. Why OpLine on iPhone

Every iPhone client on this page can connect to a node and key up. The difference is what happens outside the app. OpLine is written in SwiftUI for Apple devices only, so it reaches the parts of the phone a ported client cannot: one-tap connect from a Home Screen or Lock Screen widget, "Siri, connect to OpLine", a Live Activity in the Dynamic Island for talk, lock and disconnect, push-to-talk on the Action Button with the app closed, and audio that follows you to a headset, hearing aids or a Bluetooth PTT handset. The net keeps playing with the screen locked. Every node is searchable offline. One $6.99 purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac, with no account, ads or tracking. The longer version is on the home page.

What OpLine does not do: Android, EchoLink, Apple Watch or CarPlay. If any of those is the deciding factor, the table above tells you where to go.

6. Questions people ask

What apps work with AllStarLink?

The voice clients in 2026 are OpLine (iPhone, iPad, Mac), RepeaterPhone (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch), DVSwitch Mobile (Android), DroidStar (Android, with desktop builds), Transceive (Mac), and any SIP softphone such as Linphone if the node owner has set up SIP access. ClearNode, Node Remote and AllScan control a node but do not carry audio.

What is the best AllStarLink app for iPhone?

OpLine. It is the AllStarLink client built natively for iOS, with Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, Siri, a Lock Screen Live Activity, Action Button push-to-talk, background audio, and the same $6.99 purchase covering iPad and Mac. RepeaterPhone is the alternative if you also need EchoLink or an Apple Watch extension.

Is there an AllStarLink app for Android?

Yes. DVSwitch Mobile is the usual choice: free, with Web Transceiver mode as a paid in-app purchase, and it also reaches DMR and other digital modes through a DVSwitch server. DroidStar is a free, open-source alternative that connects over IAX2. OpLine and RepeaterPhone do not run on Android.

Can I use AllStarLink without my own node?

Yes. Apps that support Web Transceiver authentication (OpLine, RepeaterPhone, Transceive, and DVSwitch Mobile's paid mode) sign in with your AllStarLink portal account and connect to any node that allows it. You need an amateur radio license and an AllStarLink account, not hardware. Some nodes, including some large networks, have Web Transceiver access turned off.

Is there a web browser client for AllStarLink?

Not any more. The original Web Transceiver was a Java applet in the browser, and AllStarLink removed it when browsers dropped applet support. The name lives on as the account-based authentication method the apps use. To talk from a computer today, use OpLine or Transceive on a Mac, DroidStar on Windows or Linux, or a SIP softphone against your own node.

AllStar or EchoLink: which app do I need?

They are different networks. OpLine, DVSwitch Mobile, DroidStar and Transceive are AllStarLink clients. RepeaterPhone does both AllStarLink and outgoing EchoLink calls from one app. EchoLink also has its own official apps. Many nodes bridge the two, so an AllStarLink client often reaches EchoLink stations through a linked node.

Does OpLine work on Android?

No. OpLine is built in SwiftUI for iPhone, iPad and Mac only, which is what makes the widgets, Siri, Live Activity and Action Button integration possible. Android users should look at DVSwitch Mobile or DroidStar.

Do I need a ham radio license to use any of these?

To transmit, yes, on every one of them: AllStarLink is amateur radio and an AllStarLink account requires a verified call sign. OpLine has a listen-only mode for people who are not licensed yet. See Get Licensed.

7. Sources

Checked October 21, 2026.