Koch Trainer vs HamAlert
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Koch Trainer
Learn Morse code efficiently using the Koch Method. This app trains your reflexes to receive code at a faster speed, enabling quicker mastery of the language.
- Koch Method training
- Learn at receiving speed
- Faster reflex training
- Morse code practice
- 20 WPM training speed
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Koch Trainer is a morse code trainer that uses the Koch Method developed by the German psychologist Ludwig Koch in the 1930's. The method basically states that you should learn morse code at the speed you expect to receive, by training your reflexes to respond to code sent at 20 WPM you'll learn the code much faster. Thank you and 73, Nick N3WG
HamAlert
Receive instant push notifications for desired amateur radio contacts. Filter alerts by various criteria like callsign, band, mode, and location. Stay updated on DX spots from multiple sources.
- Push notifications for desired stations
- Filter spots by DXCC, callsign, and location
- Support for Reverse Beacon Network, SOTAwatch, DX cluster, PSK Reporter
- Filter by band, mode, and time
- Filter by spotter callsign and DXCC
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This app is a companion to the HamAlert web site (hamalert.org) and lets you receive push notifications from HamAlert. HamAlert is a system that allows amateur radio operators to get notifications when a desired station appears on the Reverse Beacon Network, SOTAwatch, the DX cluster or PSK Reporter. Spots can be filtered by various criteria, including: • DXCC (both actual and callsign home DXCC) • Callsign • Island reference • Summit reference • Park reference • CQ zone • Continent • Band • Mode • Time and days of week • Source • Spotter callsign and DXCC
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: HamAlert at Free against Koch Trainer's $0.99. HamAlert also leads on rating (4.2 vs 3.2) and review sentiment (70% vs 49%). Koch Trainer's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 15.6). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
HamAlert is free to download; Koch Trainer costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
HamAlert holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18 and 29 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of Koch Trainer's written reviews are positive against 70% of HamAlert's.
Koch Trainer ships an update every 2 months, HamAlert every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Koch Trainer | HamAlert |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.2 (18 ratings) | 4.2 (29 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 49.0% of reviews | 70.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 18 | 29 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Pignology, LLC | Manuel Kasper |
Customer experience
Koch Trainer
HamAlert
In-app purchases
Koch Trainer
No in-app purchases
HamAlert
No in-app purchases
