Comparison

HAM Test Prep Lite vs RST 599

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 Extra license exam with practice questions and tests. Review FCC rule text, track your proficiency, and utilize features like zoomable figures and immediate feedback. This lite version offers a sample of the full question pool.

Highlights
  • Practice question pool
  • Practice exams
  • Proficiency tracking
  • Immediate feedback option
  • Zoomable figures
  • Viewable FCC rule text
  • Resumable practice tests
Features
Read full description

Includes the Extra Question Pool effective July 1, 2024! 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 General to Amateur Extra! With the elimination of the Morse Code requirement, there is no reason not to upgrade your license to the highest level to obtain all 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 Extra question pool is valid through June 30, 2028. This "Lite" version only contains questions from subelements E1 and E5. Versions of this application for both the Technician and General 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 599

This application simulates amateur radio CW QSOs with realistic call signs, signal levels, and CW speeds. It supports various QSO styles, including contest and rubber stamp types, with adjustable settings for a personalized training experience.

Highlights
  • Multiple QSO styles supported
  • Realistic signal meter
  • Spectrum scope display
  • Adjustable CW speed and call sign
  • Pile-up simulation
  • QRN presence toggle
Features
Read full description

This app is a real CW QSO simulator for Amateur Radio. "599BK type QSO", "Rubber stamp type QSO" and "Contest type QSO" are supported. In addition, the call sign, signal level, CW speed, etc. that occur differ for each QSO in order to achieve realism. Furthermore, the call sign and CW speed of your own station that issues CQ can be set arbitrarily. 【Characteristic】 1. "599BK","Rubber Stamp"and "AADX Contest" style support. 2.RIT functions support. 3.Realistic signal meter according to audio signal level. 4.Status display showing TX / RX operation. 5.Pile-up supported by 100QSOs/200QSOs (Try Press Class button) 6.The spectrum scope display 【Other features】 1. Function to select the number of QSOs to communicate (5, 20) 2.A function to select the presence or absence (ON / OFF) of QRN 3. Function to select the call area from JA, W/W 4.Easy mode support function (constant pitch / volume) 5.Supported the Rubber Stamp training mode. 6.Supported the ESC button for escaping from the long TX/RX. 7.Supported the Score Clear button of your Hi-Score Data. 8.Support the capture function of Hi-Score dialog.(Does not work on Easy mode.) Supported keyboard input from Apple Silicon Mac. (Not compatible with iOS) [Support Key] A-Z, 0-9, / Enter:return ESC:esc BS:delete CQ:UpArrow AGN:DownArrow TU:[ LEFT:LeftArrow RIGHT:RightArrow

Screenshots

HAM Test Prep Lite4 screens
RST 5994 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: HAM Test Prep Lite at 93% against RST 599's 50%. HAM Test Prep Lite also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (24 vs 8). RST 599's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). On price, in-app purchases 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

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 599 holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24 and 8 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 93% of HAM Test Prep Lite's written reviews are positive against 50% of RST 599'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 5 months, RST 599 every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and August 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
HAM Test Prep Lite versus RST 599: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHAM Test Prep LiteRST 599
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (24 ratings)4.8 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews92.5% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings24 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.513.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPatrick J Maloney LLCkoji kamogawa

Customer experience

HAM Test Prep Lite

All ratings24 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral4.2%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive92.5%
Neutral5.0%
Negative2.5%

RST 599

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

None

HAM Test Prep Lite

No in-app purchases

None

RST 599

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 599 free?
RST 599 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HAM Test Prep Lite or RST 599?
RST 599 is rated higher. HAM Test Prep Lite averages 4.6 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while RST 599 averages 4.8 from 8 ratings.
Do HAM Test Prep Lite or RST 599 have ads?
RST 599 shows ads; HAM Test Prep Lite does not.
Which is updated more often, HAM Test Prep Lite or RST 599?
HAM Test Prep Lite ships an update every 5 months, and RST 599 every 2 months. Most recently, HAM Test Prep Lite was updated on September 18, 2026 and RST 599 on August 22, 2026.

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