ACARS vs Knives Illustrated
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.
Knives Illustrated
This digital magazine subscription covers all aspects of knives, from tactical and pocket to outdoor blades. It offers safety tips, survival strategies, and the latest information on manufacturers, dealers, and new gear. Ideal for enthusiasts, hunters, campers, and professionals who value preparedness.
- Tactical, pocket, and outdoor knife coverage
- Safety tips and survival strategies
- New gear and accessories showcases
- Expert tests and evaluations
- Knife manufacturer and dealer information
- Digital magazine subscription format
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Knives Illustrated is a one-of-a-kind magazine for everything from the world of knives. From tactical knives to pocket and outdoor knives and blades, it covers all the essential areas of interest for hunting and camping enthusiasts, the military and law enforcement. Packed with safety tips, survival strategies, and the hottest weapons information from knife manufacturers and dealers, readers get all they need to know to stay sharp. The Knives Illustrated app delivers all this exciting content in a convenient digital magazine subscription. Whether it’s survivalists, hunters, campers, law enforcement or the military, knife enthusiasts understand the importance of being prepared so they can do their job or hobby more efficiently.Which is why readers rely on Knives Illustrated.It features special themes on tactical, survival, camping and more enthusiasts read about the newest knives to hit the market, the best ways to maintain their knives, the latest knife makers to enter the industry, the results of the rigorous tests and evaluations our experts conduct on the knives, and more. But that’s not all. New gear and accessories are showcased in each and every issue. Readers rely on Knives Illustrated... because they want to be prepared and on the cutting edge of knife news. ---------------------------------------------- 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
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Knives Illustrated at Free against ACARS's $2.99. Knives Illustrated also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 6 months vs every 12 months). ACARS's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 14) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 11.2). On review sentiment, 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
Knives Illustrated is free to download; ACARS costs $2.99 up front. Knives Illustrated sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per 6 months. ACARS asks for nothing beyond the download.
Knives Illustrated holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 47 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of ACARS's written reviews are positive against 43% of Knives Illustrated's.
ACARS ships an update every 12 months, Knives Illustrated every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ACARS | Knives Illustrated |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.0 (14 ratings) | 4.4 (47 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 41.4% of reviews | 42.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 14 | 47 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | Every 6 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 11.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 63 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Black Cat Systems | Engaged Media Inc. |
Customer experience
ACARS
Knives Illustrated
In-app purchases
ACARS
No in-app purchases
Knives Illustrated
- Knives Illustrated$8.996 Months
- Knives Illustrated3 Days trial$12.991 Year
- Knives Illustrated1 Month trial$15.991 Year
- January-February 2013$3.99
- December 2012$3.99
- November 2013$3.99
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- January-February 2015$3.99
- January-February 2014$3.99
- January-February 2016$3.99
- Jan-Feb 2017$3.99
- May-June 2015$4.99
- May-June 2014$4.99
- Knives BG Jan/F... (id:715391)$4.99
- Knive Illustrated 2 Back Issue Bundle$6.99









