MorseKey vs ARRL magazines
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MorseKey
Practice sending Morse Code with this simple touchscreen keyer. Adjust tone frequency and volume, or use the iambic keyer for speed training. Ideal for learning and practicing Morse Code transmission.
- Touchscreen Morse code key
- Adjustable tone frequency
- Adjustable volume
- Iambic keyer (mode A)
- Adjustable dot speed
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This is a very simple touchscreen-based Morse Code straight key. Practice sending Morse Code on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Touch the display screen and the device will sound out a tone. The duration of the tone is controlled by how long you touch the device screen. Send Dots using quick touches, and Dashes by touches held down 3 times longer. The tone frequency is adjustable from 300 Hz to 1200 Hz in the Settings. The volume can be adjusted to a lower level as well. There is also an iambic keyer (mode A) with adjustable dot speed available. A Morse Code tutorial is not included. You can find one on Wikipedia or on the ARRL website. Also see MorseTest, in the iPhone App Store, another educational Morse Code application by HotPaw Productions.
ARRL magazines
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.
- Monthly QST digital delivery
- News and updates
- Construction projects
- Tutorials and guides
- Exclusive digital content
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If you're a member of ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio, install this app and have QST, the ARRL membership journal, delivered to your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch every month! QST entertains and informs with news, construction projects, tutorials and much more. That's why it is the most widely read Amateur Radio publication in the world. The digital version of QST goes even further with content not found in the printed journal. Privacy & Terms of Conditions: http://www.arrl.org/online-privacy-policy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: MorseKey at 67% against ARRL magazines's 12%. MorseKey also leads on rating (4.5 vs 1.8) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). ARRL magazines's advantage is ratings volume (265 vs 28). On price, update cadence, ads 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
MorseKey holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ARRL magazines has 265 ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of MorseKey's written reviews are positive against 12% of ARRL magazines's.
MorseKey ships an update every 12 months, ARRL magazines every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MorseKey | ARRL magazines |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (28 ratings) — better | 1.8 (265 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better | 12.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 28 | 265 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | Every 8 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 0 MB | 137 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | HotPaw Productions | ARRL, American Radio Relay League, Inc. |
Customer experience
MorseKey
ARRL magazines
User reviews
MorseKey
From 28 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🚀 Very responsive with little lag
- 💰 Free to use
- 🆓 No ads
- ✅ Does exactly what it's supposed to
Room to improve
- 🔇 No sound issue reported frequently
- 🐛 Keys sometimes stick or are unresponsive
- ⏳ App seems neglected/overdue for updates
- 🪲 Bug with straight key to text conversion
- 📉 Not practical as a bug (vibroplex-like)
ARRL magazines
From 265 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 💡 Offline reading support
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🔒 Authentication issues
- 👎 Unreliable login/logout
- 🔋 High battery consumption
Bugs and requests
MorseKey
Reported bugs
5 issues- No sound or audio issues
- Keys sticking (especially dash)
- App stops working after a few seconds
- Bug with straight key to text conversion
- Does not work with Voiceover
Requested features
4 requests- Watch version
- Display text as it's typed
- Send dashes without Iambic mode
- Morse to text or text to Morse functionality
ARRL magazines
Reported bugs
3 issues- Downloading issues causes app to freeze
- Inconsistent behavior across devices
- Disappearing downloaded content
Requested features
3 requests- Seamless integration with ARRL account
- Ability to resume reading from last page
- PDF export option
In-app purchases
MorseKey
No in-app purchases
ARRL magazines
No in-app purchases
