HamStudy.org vs HamWaves
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
HamWaves
This app guides aspiring amateur radio operators in the US through the licensing process. It covers exam study, taking the test, getting on the air, and understanding radio equipment and operations. It's designed for new and prospective Technician level operators.
- FCC license process navigation
- Exam study and testing information
- Getting on-the-air guidance
- Radio equipment selection
- Technician level band-plan
- Online and in-person event resources
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HamWaves will de-mystify the process of getting started in amateur radio in the United States. HamWaves explains each step in the process of getting your license and provides full information on studying and taking your license exam. HamWaves has more than 30 topics for prospective and new Technician level amateur radio operators. Topics include: - Navigating through the FCC license process. - How to study for your exam. - Options and tips for taking the exam. - Getting on-the-air. - Types of on-air activities you can participate in. - Online resources for hams. - Clubs and groups. - Live on-the-air events. - Live in-person events. - Emergency Communications. - Choosing radio equipment. - Radio Programming. - Proper online etiquette. - Learning phonetics. - Using Allstar and EchoLink for remote communications. - Technician level band-plan with frequencies and types of operations allowed. - Several other reference categories to help you. This app is a must-have for all new and prospective hams. It was written by the president of a large amateur radio club with over a decade of experience helping new hams. Best of all, it's free and will be updated regularly as information changes or new topics are suggested.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: HamWaves at Free against HamStudy.org's $3.99. HamStudy.org's advantage is ratings volume (2.6K vs 2) and chart position (#12 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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
HamWaves is free to download; HamStudy.org costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for HamStudy.org against 5.0 for HamWaves. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HamStudy.org has 2.6K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 94% of HamStudy.org's written reviews are positive against 100% of HamWaves's.
| Parameter | HamStudy.org | HamWaves |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.9 (2.6K ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 93.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.6K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #12 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 16.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Signal Stuff | Brian MILBURN |
Customer experience
HamStudy.org
HamWaves
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
HamWaves
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
HamStudy.org
No in-app purchases
HamWaves
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is HamStudy.org free?
Is HamWaves free?
Which has better reviews, HamStudy.org or HamWaves?
Do HamStudy.org or HamWaves have ads?
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