Comparison

HamStudy.org vs New Chessnut

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

New Chessnut

Connect your electronic chessboard to a redesigned mobile interface for enhanced gameplay. Experience improved features and a streamlined user experience for all your chess matches.

Highlights
  • Connect electronic chessboards
  • Redesigned UI
  • Enhanced gameplay features
  • iOS compatibility
Features
Read full description

The new version of the Chessnut app for iOS. The redesigned UI and features allow you to connect your Chessnut electronic chessboard (Air/Air+/Pro/Go, etc.) for gameplay.

Screenshots

HamStudy.org4 screens
New Chessnut4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: New Chessnut at Free against HamStudy.org's $3.99. HamStudy.org's advantage is review sentiment (94% vs 50%) and rating (4.9 vs 3.3). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

New Chessnut is free to download; HamStudy.org costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HamStudy.org holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HamStudy.org has 2.7K ratings behind it against 36, 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 50% of New Chessnut's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HamStudy.org ships an update every 3 weeks, New Chessnut monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
HamStudy.org versus New Chessnut: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHamStudy.orgNew Chessnut
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (2.7K ratings) — better3.3 (36 ratings)
Positive reviews93.7% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2.7K — better36
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#6 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.415.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB527 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSignal StuffXenx Technology Limited

Customer experience

HamStudy.org

All ratings2,655 ratings
Positive98.5%
Neutral0.6%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews189 reviews
Positive93.7%
Neutral2.6%
Negative3.7%

New Chessnut

All ratings30 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral6.7%
Negative43.3%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative30.0%

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

New Chessnut

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

HamStudy.org

No in-app purchases

None

New Chessnut

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HamStudy.org free?
HamStudy.org costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is New Chessnut free?
New Chessnut is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HamStudy.org or New Chessnut?
HamStudy.org is rated higher. HamStudy.org averages 4.9 out of 5 from 2.7K ratings, while New Chessnut averages 3.3 from 36 ratings.
Do HamStudy.org or New Chessnut have ads?
Neither HamStudy.org nor New Chessnut shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HamStudy.org or New Chessnut?
HamStudy.org ships an update every 3 weeks, and New Chessnut monthly. Most recently, HamStudy.org was updated on October 14, 2026 and New Chessnut on October 7, 2026.

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