# HAM Test Prep Lite vs ARRL magazines

The clearest difference is review sentiment: HAM Test Prep Lite at 88% against ARRL magazines's 12%. HAM Test Prep Lite also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.8). ARRL magazines's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.6). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

HAM Test Prep Lite holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 167 and 265 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of HAM Test Prep Lite's written reviews are positive against 12% of ARRL magazines's.

HAM Test Prep Lite ships an update every 8 months, ARRL magazines every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HAM Test Prep Lite | ARRL magazines |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (167 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ham-test-prep-lite-technician/id303413588/reviews)** | [1.8 (265 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arrl-magazines/id531766442/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 167 | **265** |
| Positive reviews | **87.7% of reviews** | 12.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Every 4 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 3 MB | 126 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Patrick J Maloney LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/297951499) | [ARRL, American Radio Relay League, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/531766445) |

## What reviewers say

### HAM Test Prep Lite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ham-test-prep-lite-technician/id303413588)

Prepare for your amateur radio Technician license exam with practice questions and tests. Review FCC rules, track your progress, and identify areas needing more study. This version includes a portion of the question pool, with a full version available for purchase.

**Highlights:** Technician question pool, Practice exams, Progress tracking, Immediate feedback, FCC rule text viewer, Zoomable figures, Dark mode support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for passing tests
- 👍 Excellent study tool
- 👍 Helpful for preparation
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Great practice test

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Paid version expensive
- ❓ Free version limited
- 🐛 Inconsistent answers
- 🐛 Clunky interface
- ❓ Unclear test completion

**Reported bugs**

- Correct answer changes
- Clunky interface
- Hard to see green letters (correct answers)
- Free version useless

**Requested features**

- More features for free app
- More test variety
- Ability to run subset of questions
- Clearer test completion indicator


### ARRL magazines

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arrl-magazines/id531766442)

Access the monthly ARRL membership journal, QST, on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. This publication offers news, construction projects, and tutorials for Amateur Radio enthusiasts. The digital version includes exclusive content not found in print.

**Highlights:** Monthly QST digital delivery, News and updates, Construction projects, Tutorials and guides, Exclusive digital content

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 💡 Offline reading support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🔒 Authentication issues
- 👎 Unreliable login/logout
- 🔋 High battery consumption

**Reported bugs**

- Downloading issues causes app to freeze
- Inconsistent behavior across devices
- Disappearing downloaded content

**Requested features**

- Seamless integration with ARRL account
- Ability to resume reading from last page
- PDF export option


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HAM Test Prep Lite free?

HAM Test Prep Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ARRL magazines free?

ARRL magazines is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, HAM Test Prep Lite or ARRL magazines?

HAM Test Prep Lite is rated higher. HAM Test Prep Lite averages 4.7 out of 5 from 167 ratings, while ARRL magazines averages 1.8 from 265 ratings.

### Do HAM Test Prep Lite or ARRL magazines have ads?

Neither HAM Test Prep Lite nor ARRL magazines shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HAM Test Prep Lite or ARRL magazines?

HAM Test Prep Lite ships an update every 8 months, and ARRL magazines every 4 months. Most recently, HAM Test Prep Lite was updated on October 16, 2026 and ARRL magazines on October 21, 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.*