ACARS vs Novlee
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Novlee
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Discover our app Real-time notifications on your phone Setting up your Novlee A history of your receptions available Keep an eye on your mailbox with Novlee
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Novlee at Free against ACARS's $2.99. Novlee also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 12 months). ACARS's advantage is chart position (#120 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 15.1). On ads, 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
Novlee is free to download; ACARS costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ACARS ships an update every 12 months, Novlee every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ACARS | Novlee |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.0 (14 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 41.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 14 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | #120 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Black Cat Systems | Novlee |
In-app purchases
ACARS
No in-app purchases
Novlee
No in-app purchases
