CW Trainer vs RST 599xp
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CW Trainer
Learn Morse code using the effective Koch method. This app introduces letters at full speed, adding new ones as proficiency increases, to build and improve your Morse code skills.
- Morse code learning
- Koch method implementation
- Proficiency-based learning
- Skill improvement
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CW Trainer — Learn & Practice Morse Code Become a real CW operator. CW Trainer takes you from your first letters all the way to real QSOs and contests, with a radio simulator that sounds and responds like the real thing. PROGRESSIVE KOCH METHOD Learn Morse code one letter at a time with the proven Koch method. A 40-lesson curriculum, per-character accuracy stats, and automatic progression when you're ready. QSO WITH AI OPERATOR Have realistic radio conversations with an intelligent operator. You call, copy, exchange RST, name, QTH — and if you miss something, the operator repeats it, just like on the air. Every QSO is with a different station from around the world, and you get a score and coaching at the end. CONTEST MODE Train for CQ WW and WPX contests in Search & Pounce or Running. Pile-ups, rapid exchanges, ever-changing callsigns, and realistic error handling. MAKE IT YOURS Speeds from 5 to 60 WPM, a level system from Bronze to Legend, daily reminders, and leaderboards to challenge other operators. TRY IT FREE, THEN DECIDE You can use the app with no sign-up and no payment: • the first 9 lessons of the Koch course • 5 Callsign Trainer sessions and 5 Pile-up sessions • 7 QSOs with the AI operator, Contest included • stats, leaderboard, ranks and achievements, always included When you want to go further there are two separate options: • Full unlock — one-time purchase, yours forever: all 40 Koch lessons, unlimited Callsign and Pile-up • DX Pass — monthly or annual subscription, with a 7-day free trial on the annual plan: unlimited AI QSOs and Contest AI, with coaching after every QSO You can cancel the subscription at any time in your Apple settings. Purchases are tied to your Apple ID — use "Restore purchases" on a new iPhone. 73 and enjoy CW! This app uses Apple's Standard End User License Agreement: http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/appstore/dev/stdeula Privacy: https://md2tech.it/privacy.html
RST 599xp
This app simulates amateur radio CW QSOs with realistic call signs, signal levels, and speeds. It supports various QSO styles, including contest and rubber stamp, with features like pile-up reproduction and RIT control.
- CW QSO simulation
- Realistic call signs and signal levels
- Pile-up reproduction (up to 3 stations)
- RIT and CW filter functions
- Spectrum scope display
- Contest and rubber stamp QSO styles
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This app is a real CW QSO simulator for Amateur Radio. "599BK type QSO", "Rubber stamp type QSO" and "Contest type QSO" are supported. In addition, the call sign, signal level, CW speed, etc. that occur differ for each QSO in order to achieve realism. Furthermore, the call sign and CW speed of your own station that issues CQ can be set arbitrarily. 【Characteristic】 1. Reproduction of pile-up (Called from up to 3 stations at the same time) 2. "599BK","Rubber Stamp" and "AADX Contest" style support. 3.RIT and CW filter functions Band Width(300Hz/600Hz) control supported. 4.Realistic signal meter according to audio signal level. 5.Status display showing TX / RX operation. 6.The spectrum scope display 【Other features】 1. Function to select the number of QSOs to communicate (5, 20) 2. QRN ON / OFF selection function 3. Function to select the call area (JA's, W / W) 4. Judgement of "RST, QRA and QTH" or "RST, QRA and WX" information. 5.Supported the ESC button for escaping from the long TX/RX. 6.Supported the Score Clear button of your Hi-Score Data. 7.Support the capture function of Hi-Score dialog. 8.Supported the QSB in the mode of "599BK / AADX" and "W/W" Supported keyboard input from Apple Silicon Mac. (Not compatible with iPadOS) A-Z, 0-9, / Enter:return ESC:esc BS:delete CQ:UpArrow AGN:DownArrow TU:[ LEFT:LeftArrow RIGHT:RightArrow
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: RST 599xp at 100% against CW Trainer's 44%. RST 599xp also leads on rating (5.0 vs 1.8) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). CW Trainer's advantage is price (Free vs $2.99) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On update cadence, ads 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
CW Trainer is free to download; RST 599xp costs $2.99 up front. CW Trainer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. RST 599xp asks for nothing beyond the download.
RST 599xp holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of CW Trainer's written reviews are positive against 100% of RST 599xp's.
CW Trainer ships an update every 3 months, RST 599xp every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CW Trainer | RST 599xp |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 1.8 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 44.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 44 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | md | koji kamogawa |
Customer experience
CW Trainer
RST 599xp
In-app purchases
CW Trainer
- DX Pass — Monthly$3.991 Month
- CW Trainer — Full Unlock$4.99
RST 599xp
No in-app purchases









