Part of our Getting On The Air guide. Both EchoLink and AllStarLink let you talk to hams and repeaters anywhere in the world using nothing more than a phone or an internet connection. That’s about where the similarities end. I’ve ran both and after using them for a while I’ve got real opinions about where each one shines and where it falls flat. Here’s the breakdown.
The Hardware
EchoLink is built to work with almost nothing. You can log in from a phone app and talk to a distant repeater without owning a radio at all, since the software itself acts as your station. If you do want an RF link, a basic node just needs a radio, a computer or Raspberry Pi, and a simple interface.
AllStarLink leans harder into the repeater linking side of things. Most nodes are built around a URI interface connected to a dedicated radio, usually paired with a Raspberry Pi running the Asterisk based app_rpt software. You can run a radioless node too (just a mic and speaker, no transceiver), but the ecosystem was designed with real RF nodes in mind, so setup tends to feel more like building a small repeater controller than installing an app.
The Audio Quality
This is where the two systems really part ways. EchoLink uses an older, narrowband codec that sounds fine for a casual QSO but gets muddy and compressed on longer conversations or nets, especially over a cell connection.
AllStarLink uses modern, wideband capable codecs that get much closer to full FM quality. Conversations sound more natural, there’s less listener fatigue on long nets, and the lower latency makes back and forth exchanges feel less choppy. If audio quality is your top priority, AllStarLink wins outright.
The Benefits
EchoLink’s biggest strength is how low the barrier to entry is. Download the app, get your license validated, and you’re talking within minutes. It has a huge directory of repeaters and conference servers, and because it’s been around since 2002, nearly every club and net you’d want to find already has a presence there.
AllStarLink’s strength is control and quality. Node owners can build custom linking setups, connect to specific network hubs, and get audio that sounds like you’re standing next to the repeater. It’s also decentralized, so there’s no single company or server that the whole network depends on.
The Limitations
EchoLink’s narrowband audio and centralized validation system are its main weak points. Everything routes through EchoLink’s own servers, and audio quality suffers noticeably compared to modern alternatives.
AllStarLink asks more of you up front. Setting up a node means dealing with Asterisk configuration, DTMF codes, and IP addressing that a lot of newer hams find intimidating. The learning curve is real, and casual users bounce off it more often than they do EchoLink.
The Apps
EchoLink has an official app for Android and iOS, plus a desktop client for Windows. It’s a single, polished ecosystem maintained by the EchoLink team, so there’s really only one way to connect.
AllStarLink doesn’t have one official app. Instead you’ll pick from third party options like DVSwitch Mobile, RepeaterPhone (iOS, paid), or DroidStar, which also handles other digital modes. That flexibility is nice once you know what you’re doing, but it means more research before you get started, and less consistency between users.
The User Count
EchoLink has the numbers. It’s reported hundreds of thousands of validated users across more than 150 countries, with several thousand online at any given moment. It’s the more populated, more social of the two.
AllStarLink is smaller and more decentralized by nature, built around individual nodes and hubs rather than one big user directory, so there’s no equivalent headline number. What it lacks in raw user count it makes up for with dedicated, technically engaged node owners running quality focused systems.
Where PotaCat Fits In
It’s worth pointing out how PotaCat and its EchoCat companion app fit into this picture, since it solves a related but different problem. EchoLink and AllStarLink connect you to other people, linking your voice into a repeater or conference network. PotaCat connects you to your own radio, letting you operate your rig remotely from your phone through a Cloud Tunnel, without port forwarding or a VPN.
Where they overlap is the core idea behind all three: none of them require you to be sitting in front of your radio to use it. EchoLink turns your phone into a virtual station, AllStarLink turns a node into a bridge between repeaters, and PotaCat turns your phone into a remote control for the radio you already own. If you’re setting up a shack for true remote access, running PotaCat alongside either EchoLink or AllStarLink gives you both sides of that coin, remote control of your own gear plus remote access to the wider network.
Why You’d Use One (or Both)
Pick EchoLink if you want the fastest path to talking with someone on a repeater across the country, or if you’re chasing the widest possible network of contacts. It’s the better system for beginners and casual users.
Pick AllStarLink if you care about audio quality, want to build your own linking setup, or you’re the type who enjoys tinkering with a Pi and Asterisk configs as much as making contacts. It’s the better system for node owners and serious net control operators.
Honestly, I use both. EchoLink for quick access to nets and repeaters I don’t otherwise reach, AllStarLink for the systems where audio quality actually matters. They’re not really competitors so much as different tools that happen to solve a similar problem.