so ive been using WSJT-X for a while now mostly for FT8 and it logs to its own thing but i want something that ties everything together better. right now my log is kind of a mess between the WSJT-X ADIF exports and whatever i manually enter when i do SSB or CW. been looking at N1MM Logger+ and Log4OM and honestly cant figure out which one makes more sense for my situation.

i do a handful of contests a year, nothing serious, maybe sweepstakes and the occasional state QSO party. but i also just do regular ragchewing and some DX chasing so i need it to work for both. from what i can tell N1MM is really built around contesting and people use it for everyday logging too but its not exactly pretty. Log4OM looks a lot more polished but i dont know how it handles contest entry, like does it actually work for submitting Cabrillo or is that still kind of half baked.

also does either one play nice with WSJT-X in real time, like the UDP broadcast thing, or do i have to keep doing the ADIF import dance every time.

N1MM is what basically every serious contester runs and theres a reason for that. the Cabrillo export is rock solid, ive been using it for CQWW and SS for years without a single issue. yeah the interface looks like its from 2003 but once you learn where everything is it gets out of the way and you can just log. for everyday use its totally fine too, i use the non-contest mode and it tracks band slots, DXCC, all that stuff.

as for WSJT-X, yes it does the UDP thing natively. you set WSJT-X to broadcast on the default port and tell N1MM to listen and they talk to each other pretty well. QSOs log automatically which is nice. only weirdness ive seen is occasionally a dupe gets through if you're running a pileup fast but thats pretty rare.

havent used Log4OM much so cant really compare but from what ive heard the contest module is still not quite there yet, at least not for the big ones.

i actually run both, sort of. Log4OM is my everyday logger because i genuinely like having the QRZ lookup and the map and all that stuff visible while im just casually working stations. it connects to WSJT-X via UDP fine in my experience, been doing that for maybe a year now with no real complaints other than it sometimes takes a second to catch up if youre logging a bunch of FT8 contacts quickly.

but when a contest comes around i switch to N1MM because theres just no comparison for that use case. the rate display, the multiplier tracking, being able to run SO2R if you ever go down that rabbit hole... Log4OM isnt even trying to compete with that honestly. so my workflow is contest weekend use N1MM, export the ADIF after, import into Log4OM to keep the master log current. its an extra step but its like a 2 minute thing so i dont really mind.