The RTL-SDR Version 4 was introduced late 2023. It is one of the most popular Software-defined Radio dongles.
⚡ Quick Pick: RTL-SDR Blog V4 vs V3
Choose the RTL-SDR Blog V4 if you want the newer model with improved HF reception, better filtering, and stronger overall performance for shortwave, HF, VHF, UHF, ADS-B, airband, and general SDR listening.
Choose the RTL-SDR Blog V3 if you want the proven classic dongle with broad software support, excellent documentation, and reliable performance for most beginner and hobby SDR applications.
🏆 Best Overall: RTL-SDR Blog V4
The V4 is the better pick for most new buyers. It improves on the V3 with upgraded filtering and enhanced HF performance, making it more versatile if you want to explore everything from shortwave and HF signals to VHF/UHF monitoring.
💰 Best Proven Classic: RTL-SDR Blog V3
The V3 remains a dependable SDR dongle with a huge user base, mature software support, and plenty of tutorials. It is still a good choice if you want a simple, well-documented receiver for basic SDR projects.
Bottom line: Buy the RTL-SDR Blog V4 if you want the newer, more capable SDR dongle with better HF and filtering performance. Buy the RTL-SDR Blog V3 if you want the established classic with broad community support and reliable everyday performance.
In this post we provide a detailed comparison of the RTL-SDR V4 against the RTL-SDR V3.
What are the improvements and should you upgrade?
Frequency Range and Receiver Architecture
The frequency range of both V3 and V4 are 500 kHz to 1.7 GHz.
The V3 processed low frequency signals in the range DC to 28.8 MHz using direct sampling mode. There are no filters and therefore any input signals are aliased. This can cause spurious signals to appear as artifacts in the FFT response. Put simply these signals don’t actually exist.
The V4 uses a built in upconverter instead of using a direct sampling circuit. In other words signals in the range 0 to 28.8 MHz are upconverted and processed by the receiver in the same way that signals up to 1.7 GHz are.
Other Improvements
- Notch filters in V4 reject strong AM and FM signals. The new R828D tuner chip has three inputs. The SMA input is split into three bands, HF (0-30 MHz), VHF (30 MHz to 300 MHz) and UHF (300 MHz+). This provides isolation between the three bands
- V4 has improvements in both Phase Noise and thermal heat dissipation,
- Bias Tee LED in V4 indicates when the BT is powering an amplifier.
Comparison Table
Here is a table that summarizes the key differences between RTL-SDR V4 and the earlier V3. We recommend the upgrade if you’re monitoring HF bands and want a cleaner spectrum over all.
| Specification | V3 | V4 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Direct Sampling in HF band | HF Upconversion |
| Chipset | R860 | R828D |
| AM/FM Notch Filters | No | Yes |
| Phase Noise | Improved | |
| Bias Tee Indicator LED | No | Yes |
| Heat dissipation | Lower | |
| 💳 Pricing | 💲 Check Price | 💲 Check Price |
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