Ham Radio Prep vs HamWaves
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ham Radio Prep
Prepare for your ham radio license exams with comprehensive study materials. Access video lessons, track your progress, and take practice tests designed to mirror the official FCC exams for all three license levels.
- Covers all 3 license levels
- Premium video lessons
- Progress tracking per lesson
- FCC-style practice tests
- Exam readiness dashboards
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The fastest, easiest, and most informative way to get your ham radio license. > Includes all 3 Levels: Technician License, General License, and Amateur Extra License > Learn the material with premium video lessons > Track Your Progress For Each Lesson / Subpool > Practice Tests Built Using the Subpools Just Like the Real FCC Exam > Dashboards to Track Exam Readiness See why thousands of students have chosen HamRadioPrep.com to effectively study for their amateur radio license exams.
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 in-app purchases: HamWaves at none against Ham Radio Prep's 4. HamWaves also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 80%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Ham Radio Prep's advantage is ratings volume (2.2K vs 2). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Ham Radio Prep sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. HamWaves asks for nothing beyond the download.
HamWaves holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ham Radio Prep has 2.2K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Ham Radio Prep's written reviews are positive against 100% of HamWaves's.
| Parameter | Ham Radio Prep | HamWaves |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (2.2K ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 79.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.2K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 16.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 53 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | World Radio League Inc. | Brian MILBURN |
Customer experience
Ham Radio Prep
HamWaves
Bugs and requests
Ham Radio Prep
Reported bugs
3 issues- Lessons locked after initial free content
- Advertisements causing app to freeze
- Progress not tracking across platforms
Requested features
3 requests- Online proctoring for exams
- Improved sync between app and website
- More practice questions and tests
HamWaves
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Ham Radio Prep
- Technician License Exam Course$34.99
- In-App Video Bundle$49.99
- General + Technician Course$55.00
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- Full Course Access, All Levels$79.99
HamWaves
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Ham Radio Prep free?
Is HamWaves free?
Which has better reviews, Ham Radio Prep or HamWaves?
Do Ham Radio Prep or HamWaves have ads?
Other comparisons
