Comparison

ACARS vs Knives Illustrated

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

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

ACARS3 screens
Knives Illustrated4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
ACARS versus Knives Illustrated: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterACARSKnives Illustrated
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating3.0 (14 ratings)4.4 (47 ratings) — better
Positive reviews41.4% of reviews42.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1447 — 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 — better11.2
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB63 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%

Knives Illustrated

All ratings47 ratings
Positive87.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.8%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral4.8%
Negative52.4%

In-app purchases

None

ACARS

No in-app purchases

14 purchases

Knives Illustrated

Subscriptions3
  • Knives Illustrated$8.996 Months
  • Knives Illustrated3 Days trial$12.991 Year
  • Knives Illustrated1 Month trial$15.991 Year
One-time11
  • January-February 2013$3.99
  • December 2012$3.99
  • November 2013$3.99
Show 8 more
  • 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

Questions

Is ACARS free?
ACARS costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Knives Illustrated free?
Knives Illustrated is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ACARS or Knives Illustrated?
Knives Illustrated is rated higher. ACARS averages 3.0 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while Knives Illustrated averages 4.4 from 47 ratings.
Do ACARS or Knives Illustrated have ads?
Neither ACARS nor Knives Illustrated shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ACARS or Knives Illustrated?
ACARS ships an update every 12 months, and Knives Illustrated every 6 months. Most recently, ACARS was updated on September 23, 2026 and Knives Illustrated on September 16, 2026.

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