ARRL magazines vs RST Decoder
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ARRL magazines
Access the monthly ARRL membership journal, QST, on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. This publication offers news, construction projects, and tutorials for Amateur Radio enthusiasts. The digital version includes exclusive content not found in print.
- Monthly QST digital delivery
- News and updates
- Construction projects
- Tutorials and guides
- Exclusive digital content
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If you're a member of ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio, install this app and have QST, the ARRL membership journal, delivered to your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch every month! QST entertains and informs with news, construction projects, tutorials and much more. That's why it is the most widely read Amateur Radio publication in the world. The digital version of QST goes even further with content not found in the printed journal. Privacy & Terms of Conditions: http://www.arrl.org/online-privacy-policy
RST Decoder
This application decodes Morse code from your microphone, acting as a practice tool to verify your keying accuracy. It offers advanced features like BPF and FFT decoders with automatic frequency and gain control, allowing for fine-tuning of reception parameters.
- Microphone Morse code decoding
- Morse practice and keying check
- BPF and FFT decoder options
- Auto Frequency Detector (AFD)
- Auto Gain Control (AGC)
- Real-time CW signal display
- Input signal recording/playback
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This is an App that decodes Morse code input from the microphone. It is a Morse practice App that you can use to check if you are keying the correct code. Signals with good S/N can be decoded correctly, but signals with bad S/N cannot be decoded correctly. Also, the performance will be degraded for extremely slow or fast signals. Usually about 5 to 10 characters are required for speed synchronization of Morse Code. Adjust the input signal so that the peak value changes from level 6 to level 7. Make fine adjustments to each parameter according to the reception status. [Additional Functions] -In addition to the decoder using BPF, a new decoder using FFT has been added so that it can be switched according to the usage. -AFD (Auto Frequency Detector) function has been added to the decoder using BPF, and BPF can be set automatically by pressing the AFD button. -The decoder using FFT automatically follows the strongest signal in the band by AFD (Auto Frequency Detector) and AGC (Auto Gain Control). You can also hold the AFD / AGC parameters by pressing the Lock button. * There will be a time lag of about 1 to 2 seconds for AFD tracking. [Control parameters] 1. Audio Input Level 2.BPF ON/OFF 3.BPF of Center Frequency 4.BPF of Band Width 5.CW Speed Control ON/OFF 6.CW Speed Control Low, Mid1, Mid2 or High 7.Delete All Decoded Text 8.Realtime CW Signal Display 9.Input signal recording / playback function *Japanese/KANA text is not supported. [Note] Since the signal after BPF is output to the audio output, it can also be used as an AF-CW filter. [URL of this App working example video] https://youtu.be/Pwp7W4m-m34
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: RST Decoder at 67% against ARRL magazines's 12%. RST Decoder also leads on rating (5.0 vs 1.8) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). ARRL magazines's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (258 vs 7). On price and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
RST Decoder holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ARRL magazines has 258 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 12% of ARRL magazines's written reviews are positive against 67% of RST Decoder's.
ARRL magazines ships an update every 4 months, RST Decoder every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on July 6, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ARRL magazines | RST Decoder |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.8 (258 ratings) | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 12.2% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 258 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 126 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | ARRL, American Radio Relay League, Inc. | koji kamogawa |
Customer experience
ARRL magazines
RST Decoder
Bugs and requests
ARRL magazines
Reported bugs
3 issues- Downloading issues causes app to freeze
- Inconsistent behavior across devices
- Disappearing downloaded content
Requested features
3 requests- Seamless integration with ARRL account
- Ability to resume reading from last page
- PDF export option
RST Decoder
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ARRL magazines
No in-app purchases
RST Decoder
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ARRL magazines free?
Is RST Decoder free?
Which has better reviews, ARRL magazines or RST Decoder?
Do ARRL magazines or RST Decoder have ads?
Which is updated more often, ARRL magazines or RST Decoder?
Other comparisons
