# ACARS vs SWLog

The clearest difference is price: SWLog at Free against ACARS's $2.99. SWLog also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 12 months). ACARS's advantage is review sentiment (41% vs 25%) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 16.1). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

SWLog 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, SWLog fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ACARS | SWLog |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[3.0 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acars/id386825917/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **14** | — |
| Positive reviews | **41.4% of reviews** | 25.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 2 MB | 305 MB |
| Requires iOS | **6.0** | 16.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Black Cat Systems](https://appshunter.io/developer/301047032) | [Robert Sillett](https://appshunter.io/developer/1699114535) |

## What reviewers say

### ACARS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acars/id386825917)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### SWLog

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swlog/id6452913390)

Log amateur radio QSOs and broadcast transmissions on your mobile device. Supports QRZ lookups and various broadcast schedule queries for station identification. Features GPS integration and local log browsing, with the ability to upload to a main logging program.

**Highlights:** Log amateur radio QSOs, Log broadcast transmissions, QRZ lookups, Broadcast schedule lookups, GPS integration, Upload logs to main program

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ACARS free?

ACARS costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SWLog free?

SWLog is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do ACARS or SWLog have ads?

Neither ACARS nor SWLog shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ACARS or SWLog?

ACARS ships an update every 12 months, and SWLog fortnightly. Most recently, ACARS was updated on October 15, 2026 and SWLog on October 9, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*