Comparison

CommStudy vs HamWaves

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

Head to head
About

CommStudy

Prepare for your FCC Commercial License exam with this comprehensive study tool. Practice with sample questions and full elements, review figures, and track your proficiency across all topics. Take realistic practice exams and get immediate feedback to identify areas needing more study.

Highlights
  • Practice with sample and full FCC license exam elements
  • Review associated figures for questions
  • Track proficiency by subelement/topic
  • Realistic practice exams
  • Immediate feedback option
  • Resume in-progress tests
  • Configurable test settings
Features
Read full description

CommStudy is THE app for studying for the written portion of your FCC Commercial License exam! Download this FREE app and try out the sample Elements! Each sample contains only 20% of the questions contained in the full Element. If you decide you want to purchase the full Element, this is done via an in-app purchase. All seven elements are included: 1, 3, 6, 7, 7R, 8, and 9. FCC Commercial 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! Some questions require you to review associated Figures. On the iPad, the figures appear below the question. These figures may be zoomed and panned on the iPhone/iPod touch. After completing your first practice exam, the question pool screen will display your proficiency in each question subelement/topic for all practice exams you have completed. This will help you determine what areas need further study! You may choose to receive immediate feedback on right and wrong answers when taking a practice test or you can wait until the test is completed and review the questions in the Test History section. On practice tests, no question will be repeated until all of the questions have been used in a particular subelement/topic. The practice tests do adhere to the requirements of the actual tests. They are each composed of the proper number of questions from each section of the corresponding question pool. An in-progress practice test can be resumed if you exit the test or the application. This app has these additional features: • Portrait and Landscape support on iPad • Swipe gestures to navigate between questions • Tap on answer to select it • Buttons to skip to next/previous wrong answer in test history • Configurable Test Settings • Optional randomizing of test answers • Optional auto-advance during test

About

HamWaves

This app guides aspiring amateur radio operators in the US through the licensing process. It covers exam study, taking the test, getting on the air, and understanding radio equipment and operations. It's designed for new and prospective Technician level operators.

Highlights
  • FCC license process navigation
  • Exam study and testing information
  • Getting on-the-air guidance
  • Radio equipment selection
  • Technician level band-plan
  • Online and in-person event resources
Features
Read full description

HamWaves will de-mystify the process of getting started in amateur radio in the United States. HamWaves explains each step in the process of getting your license and provides full information on studying and taking your license exam. HamWaves has more than 30 topics for prospective and new Technician level amateur radio operators.  Topics include: - Navigating through the FCC license process. - How to study for your exam. - Options and tips for taking the exam. - Getting on-the-air. - Types of on-air activities you can participate in. - Online resources for hams. - Clubs and groups. - Live on-the-air events. - Live in-person events. - Emergency Communications. - Choosing radio equipment. - Radio Programming. - Proper online etiquette. - Learning phonetics. - Using Allstar and EchoLink for remote communications. - Technician level band-plan with frequencies and types of operations allowed. - Several other reference categories to help you. This app is a must-have for all new and prospective hams. It was written by the president of a large amateur radio club with over a decade of experience helping new hams. Best of all, it's free and will be updated regularly as information changes or new topics are suggested.

Screenshots

CommStudy4 screens
HamWaves4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: HamWaves at 5.0 against CommStudy's 4.5. HamWaves also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 7) and review sentiment (100% vs 91%). CommStudy's advantage is ratings volume (49 vs 2) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 16.1). On price, ads 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. CommStudy sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. HamWaves asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HamWaves holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CommStudy has 49 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of CommStudy's written reviews are positive against 100% of HamWaves's.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
CommStudy versus HamWaves: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCommStudyHamWaves
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (49 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews91.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings49 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 20 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS9.3 — better16.1
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPatrick J Maloney LLCBrian MILBURN

Customer experience

CommStudy

All ratings49 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.2%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive91.3%
Neutral4.3%
Negative4.3%

HamWaves

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

7 purchases

CommStudy

One-time7
  • Element 1$2.99
  • Element 8$3.99
  • Element 7R$3.99
Show 4 more
  • Element 9$3.99
  • Element 3$4.99
  • Element 6$4.99
  • Element 7$4.99
None

HamWaves

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CommStudy free?
CommStudy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HamWaves free?
HamWaves is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, CommStudy or HamWaves?
HamWaves is rated higher. CommStudy averages 4.5 out of 5 from 49 ratings, while HamWaves averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do CommStudy or HamWaves have ads?
Neither CommStudy nor HamWaves shows ads.

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