Comparison

Ham Radio Prep vs ShellRef

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Covers all 3 license levels
  • Premium video lessons
  • Progress tracking per lesson
  • FCC-style practice tests
  • Exam readiness dashboards
Features
Read full description

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.

About

ShellRef

This app provides an offline reference for Bash, Zsh, and terminal editors, mimicking a retro technical manual. It's ideal for quickly looking up commands, syntax, and scripting practices without needing an internet connection. Features include search, bookmarks, and customizable display themes.

Highlights
  • Offline Bash and Zsh reference
  • Terminal editor guides (Nano, Vim, Emacs)
  • Quick command lookup
  • Searchable content
  • Customizable themes
  • Adjustable text size
  • Bookmarks
Features
Read full description

ShellRef is an offline reference for Bash, Zsh, and terminal editors, presented as a focused CRT console reference manual. It’s designed for quick lookup while you work—whether you’re writing your first shell script, checking quoting rules, reviewing Zsh behavior, or trying to remember a Vim command without opening a browser. The app includes reference sections for: • Bash fundamentals, control flow, functions, strings and arrays, file I/O, processes, and scripting practices • Zsh differences, globbing, arrays, and configuration • Common command-line tools for text processing, file operations, and system tasks • Terminal editors including Nano, Vim, and Emacs Topics are organized as short reference entries with examples, notes, warnings, and tables where they help clarify syntax and behavior. ShellRef also includes: • Offline access to the full reference library • Search across commands, topics, examples, and notes • My Quick Refs for saving frequently used entries • A CRT-inspired interface with White, Green, and Amber phosphor display modes • Optional scanlines and adjustable display glow • Reduced-effects controls for a cleaner reading experience • Adjustable text size for easier reading on iPhone and iPad ShellRef is intended for developers, sysadmins, students, and anyone who wants a readable shell reference without ads, accounts, or an internet connection.

Screenshots

Ham Radio Prep4 screens
ShellRef4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Ham Radio Prep at Free against ShellRef's $0.99. Ham Radio Prep also leads on ratings volume (2.2K vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). ShellRef's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On update cadence, 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

Ham Radio Prep is free to download; ShellRef costs $0.99 up front. Ham Radio Prep sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. ShellRef asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ShellRef 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 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ham Radio Prep ships an update every 2 weeks, ShellRef every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Ham Radio Prep versus ShellRef: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHam Radio PrepShellRef
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.8 (2.2K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.2K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWorld Radio League Inc.Andrew Bacon

Customer experience

Ham Radio Prep

All ratings2,181 ratings
Positive95.6%
Neutral1.1%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews196 reviews
Positive79.6%
Neutral5.1%
Negative15.3%

ShellRef

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

ShellRef

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Ham Radio Prep

One-time4
  • Technician License Exam Course$34.99
  • In-App Video Bundle$49.99
  • General + Technician Course$55.00
Show 1 more
  • Full Course Access, All Levels$79.99
None

ShellRef

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ham Radio Prep free?
Ham Radio Prep is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ShellRef free?
ShellRef costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ham Radio Prep or ShellRef?
ShellRef is rated higher. Ham Radio Prep averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while ShellRef averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Ham Radio Prep or ShellRef have ads?
Neither Ham Radio Prep nor ShellRef shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ham Radio Prep or ShellRef?
Ham Radio Prep ships an update every 2 weeks, and ShellRef every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ham Radio Prep was updated on October 14, 2026 and ShellRef on October 2, 2026.

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