Comparison

ACARS vs MorseKeyer

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

MorseKeyer

This app simulates an electronic telegraph keyer with a dual-lever paddle for sending Morse code. It offers various keying modes, buffers paddle presses for higher speeds, and displays transmitted symbols, including international Morse code and extensions for multiple languages. It also recognizes and formats abbreviations used in amateur radio and other communications.

Highlights
  • Dual-lever paddle simulation
  • Dot and dash memories
  • Multiple keying modes (iambic, ultimatic, bug)
  • Buffered paddle presses for speed
  • Support for international Morse code and language extensions
  • Recognition of CW abbreviations and prosigns
  • Smart text formatting and dynamic alphabet switching
Read full description

The app operates like a real electronic keyer with a dual-lever paddle, dot and dash memories and various keying modes including "iambic". It produces a series of short sound signals (dots) when one of the paddles is pressed and a series of long signals (dashes) when the other one is pressed. Letters, digits, procedural signals (prosigns) and other transmitted symbols are displayed on the screen. Additionally, Morse code abbreviations used in amateur radio, maritime, aviation and military communications are recognized and formatted appropriately. ADVANCED CW KEYER The keyer buffers paddle presses, that eases the manipulation and helps to transmit at higher speeds. High accuracy of generated signals contributes to high-quality transmission of Morse code. Keying modes: - Ultimatic — "last paddle wins" - Iambic (modes A and B) - Single lever - Semi-automatic, aka "bug" EXTENDED MORSE CODE When displaying the transmitted text, the app "knows" in addition to International Morse code a number of extensions for different languages. Supported alphabets include Japanese (Wabun code), Greek, Cyrillic-based and Latin-based alphabets with diacritical marks. The app recognizes details and nuances of Morse code for the following alphabets: Belarusian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Esperanto, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Moldovan, Montenegrin, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian. SMART DISPLAY MorseKeyer does a lot to display the Morse code you transmit in the most readable form. For this purpose the app is equipped with the following functions: - Sophisticated text formatting - Dynamic switching between alphabets - Reasonable representation of errors These innovative features use multilevel content analysis to detect CW abbreviations, Q-codes, Z-codes, amateur radio callsigns and other special words. SOPHISTICATED TEXT FORMATTING The transmitted text can be displayed not only in the traditional all-capital format, but also using a kind of "smart" formatting. In this mode each word is displayed in the accepted form, as in the following CW session snippet: GM dr OM tnx fer call = ur RST is 599 = my QTH is nr London DYNAMIC SWITCHING BETWEEN ALPHABETS Even if you choose to use a non-Lating version of Morse code in your communication session, special words and Morse code abbreviations still can be displayed in Latin script. - In Wabun code the prosigns DO and SN as well as codes for Japanese parenthesis indicate switching between International and Japanese alphabets. MorseKeyer follows this convention and switches alphabets in such cases automatically. - A Cyrillic alphabet can be selected as the primary one to display most of the transmitted text, but all Morse code abbreviations and special words (CQ, de, ur, RST, my, QTH, name, tnx, etc.) as well as callsigns can still be represented in Latin script. REASONABLE REPRESENTATION OF ERRORS If you transmit a non-existent Morse code sign, the app displays it either as a dot-dash sequence or in another form depending on the current settings. In many cases MorseKeyer highlights a mistake, indicating its source and making it readable. ADVANCED SETTINGS MorseKeyer is ready to use out of the box. However, it has a lot of settings allowing you to fine tune it, customize and make more convenient in different use cases. NICE SOUND A special attention in the app is paid to the sound signal quality, its timbre, the optimal level of clicks and other characteristics, that make the sound of Morse code authentic and recognizable by any radio operator and comfortable to listen to.

Screenshots

ACARS3 screens
MorseKeyer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ACARS at 41% against MorseKeyer's 0%. ACARS also leads on price ($2.99 vs $7.99) and update cadence (every 12 months vs every 42 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

ACARS costs $2.99 and MorseKeyer $7.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ACARS ships an update every 12 months, MorseKeyer every 42 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ACARS versus MorseKeyer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterACARSMorseKeyer
Price$2.99 — better$7.99
Rating3.0 (14 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews41.4% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings14 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 12 months — betterEvery 42 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS6.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlack Cat SystemsYuri Wolf

Customer experience

ACARS

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

MorseKeyer

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

ACARS

No in-app purchases

None

MorseKeyer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ACARS free?
ACARS costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is MorseKeyer free?
MorseKeyer costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do ACARS or MorseKeyer have ads?
Neither ACARS nor MorseKeyer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ACARS or MorseKeyer?
ACARS ships an update every 12 months, and MorseKeyer every 42 months. Most recently, ACARS was updated on October 18, 2026 and MorseKeyer on October 11, 2026.

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