Comparison

HAM Test Prep Lite vs RST Decoder

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

Head to head
About

HAM Test Prep Lite

Prepare for your Amateur Radio General license exam with practice questions and mock tests. Review FCC rule text and track your proficiency across question groups. This lite version includes a subset of the full question pool.

Highlights
  • General question pool practice
  • Practice exams
  • Proficiency tracking
  • Immediate feedback option
  • View FCC rule text
  • Zoomable figures
  • Dark mode support
Features
Read full description

Includes the General Question Pool effective July 1, 2023! NOTE: This "Lite" version contains only 2 of the 10 subelements in the question pool. Click the 'Buy Now' link in the app to get the FULL version. Upgrade your HAM license from Technician to General! With the elimination of the Morse Code requirement, there is no reason not to upgrade your license to gain additional privileges! Amateur Radio License exams are composed of questions from a pool. Use this application prior to taking your exam to review and practice all possible questions. Then, test your knowledge with practice exams! After completing your first practice exam, the question pool screen will display your proficiency in each question group for all practice exams you have completed. You may choose to receive immediate feedback on right and wrong answers when taking a practice test. On practice tests, questions in a group will not be repeated until all of them have been used. Some questions require you to review associated Figures. These figures may be zoomed and panned on iPhone/iPod touch. FCC rule text is viewable within the application. All sections can be browsed from the main screen. Additionally, for questions where rule sections have been identified, the rule text can be viewed on the question screen when studying the question pool or reviewing test results. An in-progress practice test can be resumed if you exit the test or the application. Current General question pool is valid through June 30, 2027. This "Lite" version only contains questions from subelements G1 and G7. Versions of this application for both the Technician and Extra license classes are also available. This app has these additional features: • Accessibility option for vision-impaired users to exclude questions with figures • Dark mode support • Portrait and Landscape support on iPad • Swipe gestures to navigate between questions • Tap on answer to select it • Double-tap or use pinch gesture to zoom Figures on iPhone and iPod touch • Buttons to skip to next/previous wrong answer in test results • ARRL question number displayed on practice tests • Configurable Test Settings • Optional randomizing of test answers • Optional auto-advance during test

About

RST Decoder

This application decodes Morse code from your microphone, acting as a practice tool to verify your keying accuracy. It offers advanced features like BPF and FFT decoders with automatic frequency and gain control, allowing for fine-tuning of reception parameters.

Highlights
  • Microphone Morse code decoding
  • Morse practice and keying check
  • BPF and FFT decoder options
  • Auto Frequency Detector (AFD)
  • Auto Gain Control (AGC)
  • Real-time CW signal display
  • Input signal recording/playback
Read full description

This is an App that decodes Morse code input from the microphone. It is a Morse practice App that you can use to check if you are keying the correct code. Signals with good S/N can be decoded correctly, but signals with bad S/N cannot be decoded correctly. Also, the performance will be degraded for extremely slow or fast signals. Usually about 5 to 10 characters are required for speed synchronization of Morse Code. Adjust the input signal so that the peak value changes from level 6 to level 7. Make fine adjustments to each parameter according to the reception status. [Additional Functions] -In addition to the decoder using BPF, a new decoder using FFT has been added so that it can be switched according to the usage. -AFD (Auto Frequency Detector) function has been added to the decoder using BPF, and BPF can be set automatically by pressing the AFD button. -The decoder using FFT automatically follows the strongest signal in the band by AFD (Auto Frequency Detector) and AGC (Auto Gain Control). You can also hold the AFD / AGC parameters by pressing the Lock button. * There will be a time lag of about 1 to 2 seconds for AFD tracking. [Control parameters] 1. Audio Input Level 2.BPF ON/OFF 3.BPF of Center Frequency 4.BPF of Band Width 5.CW Speed Control ON/OFF 6.CW Speed Control Low, Mid1, Mid2 or High 7.Delete All Decoded Text 8.Realtime CW Signal Display 9.Input signal recording / playback function *Japanese/KANA text is not supported. [Note] Since the signal after BPF is output to the audio output, it can also be used as an AF-CW filter. [URL of this App working example video] https://youtu.be/Pwp7W4m-m34

Screenshots

HAM Test Prep Lite4 screens
RST Decoder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: RST Decoder at 5.0 against HAM Test Prep Lite's 4.4. RST Decoder also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months) and monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). HAM Test Prep Lite's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (89% vs 67%). On price and in-app purchases 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RST Decoder holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HAM Test Prep Lite has 46 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 89% of HAM Test Prep Lite's written reviews are positive against 67% of RST Decoder's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HAM Test Prep Lite ships an update every 7 months, RST Decoder every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
HAM Test Prep Lite versus RST Decoder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHAM Test Prep LiteRST Decoder
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (46 ratings)5.0 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews89.4% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings46 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.5 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB6 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperPatrick J Maloney LLCkoji kamogawa

Customer experience

HAM Test Prep Lite

All ratings46 ratings
Positive87.0%
Neutral2.2%
Negative10.9%
Written reviews66 reviews
Positive89.4%
Neutral4.5%
Negative6.1%

RST Decoder

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

HAM Test Prep Lite

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App crashed iPod
  • Some questions ask about schematic symbols but the necessary picture is not shown

Requested features

2 requests
  • Include schematic symbol images for relevant questions
  • Consider a UK version

RST Decoder

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

HAM Test Prep Lite

No in-app purchases

None

RST Decoder

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HAM Test Prep Lite free?
HAM Test Prep Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RST Decoder free?
RST Decoder is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HAM Test Prep Lite or RST Decoder?
RST Decoder is rated higher. HAM Test Prep Lite averages 4.4 out of 5 from 46 ratings, while RST Decoder averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.
Do HAM Test Prep Lite or RST Decoder have ads?
RST Decoder shows ads; HAM Test Prep Lite does not.
Which is updated more often, HAM Test Prep Lite or RST Decoder?
HAM Test Prep Lite ships an update every 7 months, and RST Decoder every 2 months. Most recently, HAM Test Prep Lite was updated on September 30, 2026 and RST Decoder on September 27, 2026.

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