# ACARS vs DxQSO

The clearest difference is price: DxQSO at Free against ACARS's $2.99. DxQSO also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 12 months). ACARS's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (14 vs 1). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

DxQSO is free to download; ACARS costs $2.99 up front. DxQSO sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $29.99 per year. ACARS asks for nothing beyond the download.

DxQSO holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ACARS has 14 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

ACARS ships an update every 12 months, DxQSO every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 15, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | ACARS | DxQSO |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.0 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acars/id386825917/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dxqso/id6680187988/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **14** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 41.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Size | 2 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | **6.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Black Cat Systems](https://appshunter.io/developer/301047032) | [DX Development Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/1768237525) |

## 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


### DxQSO

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dxqso/id6680187988)

Access and manage your amateur radio logbook from any mobile device. This app synchronizes with your PC/Mac logbook software, providing real-time updates, filtering options, and QSL alert notifications. Upload and download log data easily for various operations.

**Highlights:** Real-time logbook synchronization, Mobile access to logbook data, QSL alert notifications, Filter log entries by various criteria, Upload and download log data in ADIF format, Support for multiple stations, Bidirectional integration with LoTW

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| DxQSO Annually | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ACARS free?

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

### Is DxQSO free?

DxQSO is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, ACARS or DxQSO?

DxQSO is rated higher. ACARS averages 3.0 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while DxQSO averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do ACARS or DxQSO have ads?

Neither ACARS nor DxQSO shows ads.

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

ACARS ships an update every 12 months, and DxQSO every 3 weeks. Most recently, ACARS was updated on October 15, 2026 and DxQSO on October 15, 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.*