Comparison

ACARS vs Tread Magazine

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

Head to head
About

ACARS

View ACARS aircraft transmissions on your iOS device without a bulky computer. Requires a radio scanner tuned to the aircraft band. Save decodes to a file or transfer to your computer.

Highlights
  • View ACARS transmissions on iOS
  • Save decoded packets to a file
  • Transfer data to computer via iTunes
  • Built-in aircraft model database
  • Add custom plane information
  • Color-coded packet fields
Features
Read full description

Want to display ACARS transmissions, without using a bulky computer? ACARS lets you view ACARS aircraft transmissions on your iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. A radio/scanner capable of tuning the 118-136 MHz aircraft band is required. Just set it next to the radio's speaker, tune in an ACARS frequency, and watch the decodes. Or, for even better reception, use a pair of earbuds, plugged into the radio’s headphone jack, rather than the internal speaker. You can save decoded ACARS packets to a file to view later, or transfer to your computer via iTunes. Aircraft model information for many planes in a built in database is displayed along with the decoded packets. You can also add your own plane information to the database. Packet fields are color coded on iOS 6 and later. Buy your copy right now, and start decoding and displaying ACARS transmissions in minutes.

About

Tread Magazine

Explore the intersection of the natural world and modern mechanics. This app offers a blend of automotive adventure and outdoor lifestyle content. Access current and back issues, with subscription options available.

Highlights
  • Automotive adventure content
  • Outdoor lifestyle features
  • Purchase current issues
  • Purchase back issues
  • Subscription options
  • Cross-platform access via pocketmags account
Features
Read full description

Tread is a new adventure for all. Its where one natural and ancient world meets a mechanical & modern one. A coming together of two passions: the automotive adventure and the great outdoor lifestyle. ---------------------------------------------- This is a free app download. Within the app users can purchase the current issue and back issues. Subscriptions are also available within the application. A subscription will start from the latest regular issue at the time of purchase. -The subscription will renew automatically unless cancelled more than 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will be charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the current period, for the same duration and at the current subscription rate for the product. -You may turn off the auto-renewal of subscriptions through your Account Settings, however you are not able to cancel the current subscription during its active period. -Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when a subscription to that publication is purchased. -If a subscription offers a free trial, at the end of the trial period, you will be charged the full price of the subscription. You may cancel a subscription during its free trial period via the subscription settings on your iTunes account. This must be done 24 hours before the end of the subscription period to avoid being charged. Users can register for/ login to a pocketmags account in-app. This will protect their issues in the case of a lost device and allow browsing of purchases on multiple platforms. Existing pocketmags users can retrieve their purchases by logging into their account. We recommend loading the app for the first time in a wi-fi area so that all issue data is retrieved. If your app will not load past the splash page after a first install or an update, please delete and reinstall the app from the App Store Help and frequently asked questions can be accessed in-app and on pocketmags. If you have any problems at all please do not hesitate to contact us: help@pocketmags.com -------------------- You can find our privacy policy here: http://www.pocketmags.com/privacy.aspx You can find our terms and conditions here: http://www.pocketmags.com/terms.aspx

Screenshots

ACARS3 screens
Tread Magazine2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Tread Magazine at Free against ACARS's $2.99. Tread Magazine also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (69 vs 14). ACARS's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 24) and review sentiment (41% vs 20%). On update cadence, 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

Tread Magazine is free to download; ACARS costs $2.99 up front. Tread Magazine sells 24 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 2 months. ACARS asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tread Magazine holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 69 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 41% of ACARS's written reviews are positive against 20% of Tread Magazine's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ACARS ships an update every 12 months, Tread Magazine every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
ACARS versus Tread Magazine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterACARSTread Magazine
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating3.0 (14 ratings)4.7 (69 ratings) — better
Positive reviews41.4% of reviews — better20.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1469 — better
Update frequencyEvery 12 monthsEvery 6 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS6.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB76 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlack Cat SystemsEngaged Media Inc.

Customer experience

ACARS

All ratings14 ratings
Positive42.9%
Neutral21.4%
Negative35.7%
Written reviews29 reviews
Positive41.4%
Neutral27.6%
Negative31.0%

Tread Magazine

All ratings69 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.8%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%

In-app purchases

None

ACARS

No in-app purchases

24 purchases

Tread Magazine

Subscriptions4
  • 2 Month All-Access Sub$2.992 Months
  • Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • 6 Months Subscription$12.996 Months
Show 1 more
  • Annual Subscription1 Month trial$19.991 Year
One-time20
  • July/August 2017$6.99
  • September/October 2017$6.99
  • November/December 2017$6.99
Show 17 more
  • March/April 2018$6.99
  • May/June 2018$6.99
  • May/June 2017$6.99
  • Tread Nov/Dec.$6.99
  • YOTA Win 22(ID:662447)$6.99
  • Tread Nov/Dec 23 (id:725351)$6.99
  • YOTA Spring 23 (pp:916355)$6.99
  • Tread Jan/Feb 24 (id:725349)$6.99
  • 2025-06 (Tread... (pp:1118061)$6.99
  • Tread Nov/Dec 24 (pp:1029125)$6.99
  • Tread Sep/Oct 24 (pp:1029133)$6.99
  • Tread May/Jun.$6.99
  • Tread Jul/Aug 24 (pp:1029137)$6.99
  • Tread May/Jun 24 (pp:1029141)$6.99
  • Yota 2024 (pp:1086807)$6.99
  • 2025-90 (Tread... (pp:1118092)$7.99
  • Bronco 23 (id:725353)$9.99

Questions

Is ACARS free?
ACARS costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tread Magazine free?
Tread Magazine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ACARS or Tread Magazine?
Tread Magazine is rated higher. ACARS averages 3.0 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while Tread Magazine averages 4.7 from 69 ratings.
Do ACARS or Tread Magazine have ads?
Neither ACARS nor Tread Magazine shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ACARS or Tread Magazine?
ACARS ships an update every 12 months, and Tread Magazine every 6 months. Most recently, ACARS was updated on September 23, 2026 and Tread Magazine on September 16, 2026.

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