# Ham Radio Prep vs ShellRef

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ham Radio Prep | ShellRef |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | [4.8 (2.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ham-radio-prep/id1525090989/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shellref/id6759814118/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.2K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 79.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 53 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [World Radio League Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1525090991) | [Andrew Bacon](https://appshunter.io/developer/1817531814) |

## What reviewers say

### Ham Radio Prep

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ham-radio-prep/id1525090989)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Technician License Exam Course | $34.99 | one-time |
| In-App Video Bundle | $49.99 | one-time |
| General + Technician Course | $55.00 | one-time |
| Full Course Access, All Levels | $79.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Very helpful
- 🚀 Excellent prep
- 👍 Clear and easy to understand
- 👍 Comprehensive lessons
- 👍 Effective study tool

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Requires payment after initial lessons
- 🐛 Sync issues between app and website
- 🐛 Slow video loading
- 🐛 Incorrect answers in practice tests

**Reported bugs**

- Lessons locked after initial free content
- Advertisements causing app to freeze
- Progress not tracking across platforms

**Requested features**

- Online proctoring for exams
- Improved sync between app and website
- More practice questions and tests


### ShellRef

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shellref/id6759814118)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*