# RS vs HAM

The clearest difference is review sentiment: HAM at 69% against RS's 16%. HAM also leads on rating (4.0 vs 1.9) and update cadence (monthly vs every 8 months). RS's advantage is price (Free vs $14.99) and ratings volume (75 vs 7). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

RS is free to download; HAM costs $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

HAM holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RS has 75 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of RS's written reviews are positive against 69% of HAM's.

RS ships an update every 8 months, HAM monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | RS | HAM |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $14.99 |
| Rating | [1.9 (75 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rs-ms1i/id1193842632/reviews) | **[4.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ham-toolbox/id1630108109/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **75** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 15.6% of reviews | **69.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#177** |
| Size | 34 MB | 83 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ICOM INCORPORATED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1193842631) | [Marcus Roskosch](https://appshunter.io/developer/334053438) |

## What reviewers say

### RS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rs-ms1i/id1193842632)

Control compatible transceivers, share voice and pictures, and view station locations on a map. Access received station information, send text messages, and manage call sign and repeater lists. Customize transceiver and application settings for a streamlined experience.

**Highlights:** Transceiver DR functions, Send and receive voice and pictures, Map repeater and station locations, Read and edit received station information, Send and receive text messages, Manage call sign and repeater lists, Import/Export data

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Works with IC-705
- 👍 Works with ID-52
- 👍 Map feature useful
- 👍 Past contacts visible
- 👍 Quick bug fixes

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes on map screen
- 🐛 Crashes when sending photos
- 🐛 Bluetooth connectivity issues
- 🐛 Not connecting to ID-52
- 🐛 Not connecting to iPhone

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when using map function
- App crashes on map screen
- App closes when opening map
- Not staying connected to the app
- Connection unsuccessful error message

**Requested features**

- Add support for ID-5100
- Add support for ID-51A Plus 2
- Add support for ID-50
- Add support for IC-705
- Improve repeater list


### HAM

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ham-toolbox/id1630108109)

**Currently charting:** #177 Top Paid · Utilities (US App Store)

This utility app offers a comprehensive suite of tools for amateur radio operators, including band conditions, DX-Cluster monitoring, and a logbook. It features direct radio integration for tuning and automatic logging, along with various calculations and resource information.

**Highlights:** DX-Cluster and PSK-Reporter activity monitoring, Bandplan, Glossar, and AWG resource information, Built-in radio integration for direct tuning, Fully featured logbook with QSO editing, LOTW and QRZ.com log submission, Calculations for Ohm's law, VSWR, and antennas, CW Encoder and Decoder

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is RS free?

RS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is HAM free?

HAM costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, RS or HAM?

HAM is rated higher. RS averages 1.9 out of 5 from 75 ratings, while HAM averages 4.0 from 7 ratings.

### Do RS or HAM have ads?

Neither RS nor HAM shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, RS or HAM?

RS ships an update every 8 months, and HAM monthly. Most recently, RS was updated on September 22, 2026 and HAM on September 8, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*