# HAM vs Packet Commander

The clearest difference is price: Packet Commander at Free against HAM's $14.99. Packet Commander also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.0) and review sentiment (100% vs 69%). HAM's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and chart position (#177 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Packet Commander is free to download; HAM costs $14.99 up front. Packet Commander sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per year. HAM asks for nothing beyond the download.

Packet Commander holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Packet Commander has 44 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of HAM's written reviews are positive against 100% of Packet Commander's.

HAM ships an update monthly, Packet Commander every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 8, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HAM | Packet Commander |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $14.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ham-toolbox/id1630108109/reviews) | **[4.9 (44 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/packet-commander/id6743951365/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 7 | **44** |
| Positive reviews | 69.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#177** | — |
| Size | 83 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **18.2** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Marcus Roskosch](https://appshunter.io/developer/334053438) | [Island Magic Co.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1529387252) |

## What reviewers say

### HAM

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ham-toolbox/id1630108109)

**Currently charting:** #177 Top Paid · Utilities (US App Store)

This utility app offers a comprehensive suite of tools for amateur radio operators, including band conditions, DX-Cluster monitoring, and a logbook. It features direct radio integration for tuning and automatic logging, along with various calculations and resource information.

**Highlights:** DX-Cluster and PSK-Reporter activity monitoring, Bandplan, Glossar, and AWG resource information, Built-in radio integration for direct tuning, Fully featured logbook with QSO editing, LOTW and QRZ.com log submission, Calculations for Ohm's law, VSWR, and antennas, CW Encoder and Decoder

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Packet Commander

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/packet-commander/id6743951365)

This app provides a classic terminal experience for packet radio communication on mobile devices. It offers powerful terminal features, smart connection management, and real-time over-the-air traffic monitoring. It's designed for amateur radio operators to connect with nodes, BBS, and decode traffic.

**Highlights:** Full-screen terminal for packet nodes and BBS, Classic color themes and adjustable layout, YAPP protocol support for file transfers, Location-aware digipeater routing, Seamless iCloud sync, Over-the-air traffic decoding, Auto-discovery of TNCs

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Yearly Subscription | $8.99 | per year |
| One-Time Purchase | $24.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HAM free?

HAM costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Packet Commander free?

Packet Commander is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, HAM or Packet Commander?

Packet Commander is rated higher. HAM averages 4.0 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Packet Commander averages 4.9 from 44 ratings.

### Do HAM or Packet Commander have ads?

Neither HAM nor Packet Commander shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HAM or Packet Commander?

HAM ships an update monthly, and Packet Commander every 2 months. Most recently, HAM was updated on September 8, 2026 and Packet Commander on September 21, 2026.

---

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