Comparison

HamStudy.org vs NMRA Magazine

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

HamStudy.org

This app offers an intelligent study mode that tracks your progress and focuses on areas where you struggle. It allows you to tailor your study to specific chapters and topics from license manuals, with explanations for difficult questions. Practice exams are also available.

Highlights
  • Intelligent study algorithms
  • Vetted user-submitted explanations
  • Infinite practice exams
  • Study all US Amateur Radio question pools
  • International question pools
  • Multi-user support
  • Cross-device progress sync
Features
Read full description

HamStudy is not your typical study app. Most study apps focus on practice exams, which is like studying for your math test by trying 20% of the questions on repeat. Study smarter with HamStudy. Instead of taking practice tests with random questions over and over, our intelligent Study Mode tracks your progress as you move through the questions—what you’ve seen, what you haven’t, and where you’re struggling—and focuses your study on the questions you need to see most. Full statistics are provided along the way, giving you insight into how many times you’ve gotten a question right or wrong as well as your overall study progress. Don’t worry, you can still take practice exams whenever you want. You won’t find a better tool to use alongside your favorite learning material. Through collaboration with some of the most recognized names in amateur radio, HamStudy allows you to simply choose from a selection of license manuals, then instantly adapts so you can match your study to the chapters, topics, and sections you’re used to†. Want to study just the questions from chapters 4 and 5? No problem. And when a question trips you up, just tap the Explain button to understand what you missed, review formulas, and read helpful study tips. Features: • HamStudy's intelligent study algorithms work with you to ensure you learn the questions, tracking your progress and adjusting the pace to keep you challenged but not frustrated. • Vetted user-submitted explanations help you avoid the pitfall of just memorizing answers. • Infinite practice exams. Fun fact: it takes around 70 practice exams before you’ll see every Technician question just once. Study more, test less! • Study all current US Amateur Radio question pools: Technician, General, and Amateur Extra. Updates are downloaded automatically, and new pools are always included free when they are revised every four years. • English and Spanish translations included for US Amateur Radio pools. • Includes an ever-growing selection of international question pools, such as Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and Argentina. • Supports multiple users on the same device, each with independent study history. • Sync your progress across all devices and study online with a free hamstudy.org account. • Share your progress with friends, instructors, or other HamStudy.org users and help each other keep progressing towards that next license exam! HamStudy is proud to be sponsored by Icom. † Disclaimer: HamStudy does not contain the actual instructional material from linked books, but works great with the book sitting on the table next to you! Images, names, and trademarks used with permission.

About

NMRA Magazine

Access digital editions of the official publication for model railroad enthusiasts. Membership provides automatic downloads of new issues as they are released, ensuring you never miss an update on the hobby.

Highlights
  • Digital magazine editions
  • Automatic new issue downloads
  • Membership access
  • Subscription management
  • Free trial option
Features
Read full description

Official publication of the National Model Railroad Association. The NMRA advances the worldwide scale model railroading community through education and standards as well as advocacy and fellowship. Download our app for free, and get access to your digital editions via membership. By becoming a member, you’ll never miss an issue and each new issue will automatically be available for download to your device as soon as it is released. Please note the following: • Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period • You will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period, for the same duration and at the current subscription rate for that product • You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings after purchase • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription • The app may offer a free trial. At the end of the free trial period, the full price of the subscription will be charged thereafter • The subscription will include the current issue and subsequently published future issues. The subscription will still include the current issue even if that issue has been purchased separately. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase You can find our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use here: Privacy policy: https://www.nmra.org/privacy-policy-c-11 Terms of use: https://www.nmra.org/nmra-terms-use-c-12

Screenshots

HamStudy.org4 screens
NMRA Magazine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: NMRA Magazine at Free against HamStudy.org's $3.99. NMRA Magazine also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). HamStudy.org's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 9 months). On ads and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

NMRA Magazine is free to download; HamStudy.org costs $3.99 up front. NMRA Magazine sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $13.99 per year. HamStudy.org asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HamStudy.org holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HamStudy.org has 2.7K ratings behind it against 84, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of HamStudy.org's written reviews are positive against 67% of NMRA Magazine's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HamStudy.org ships an update every 3 weeks, NMRA Magazine every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
HamStudy.org versus NMRA Magazine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHamStudy.orgNMRA Magazine
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (2.7K ratings) — better4.7 (84 ratings)
Positive reviews93.7% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings2.7K — better84
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#5 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.413.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB77 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSignal StuffNational Model Railroad Association, Inc.

Customer experience

HamStudy.org

All ratings2,655 ratings
Positive98.5%
Neutral0.6%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews191 reviews
Positive93.7%
Neutral2.6%
Negative3.7%

NMRA Magazine

All ratings82 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral1.2%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

HamStudy.org

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Email support not working
  • Occasional freezing or crashing

Requested features

4 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Ability to clear test history
  • More detailed performance analytics
  • Spell out acronyms and define technical terms

NMRA Magazine

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

HamStudy.org

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

NMRA Magazine

Subscriptions1
  • 1 Year$13.991 Year
One-time9
  • 2021 March$3.99
  • 2021 April$3.99
  • 2021 May$3.99
Show 6 more
  • 2021 June$3.99
  • 2021 July$3.99
  • 2021 August$3.99
  • 2021 September$3.99
  • 2021 October$3.99
  • 2021 November$3.99

Questions

Is HamStudy.org free?
HamStudy.org costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is NMRA Magazine free?
NMRA Magazine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, HamStudy.org or NMRA Magazine?
HamStudy.org is rated higher. HamStudy.org averages 4.9 out of 5 from 2.7K ratings, while NMRA Magazine averages 4.7 from 84 ratings.
Do HamStudy.org or NMRA Magazine have ads?
Neither HamStudy.org nor NMRA Magazine shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HamStudy.org or NMRA Magazine?
HamStudy.org ships an update every 3 weeks, and NMRA Magazine every 9 months. Most recently, HamStudy.org was updated on October 29, 2026 and NMRA Magazine on October 24, 2026.

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