Comparison

ARRL magazines vs ReadyPlan

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Monthly QST digital delivery
  • News and updates
  • Construction projects
  • Tutorials and guides
  • Exclusive digital content
Read full description

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

About

ReadyPlan

This app helps you create detailed emergency preparedness plans, including evacuation routes, communication strategies, and essential checklists. It offers secure sharing and offline access to critical information, ensuring you and your group are ready for any crisis.

Highlights
  • Step-by-step emergency plans
  • Evacuation route mapping
  • Backup communication organization
  • Secure group identification
  • Sensitive message protection
  • Essential gear checklists
  • Secure group and family sharing
Features
Read full description

ReadyPlan™ provides dedicated tools to cover every angle of your emergency preparedness: Step-by-Step Emergency Plans: Create detailed action plans tailored to potential situations like severe weather, power outages, or personal emergencies. Our structure makes planning straightforward, even for beginners. Plan Evacuation Routes: Map out primary and alternate escape routes, safe locations (rendezvous points), transportation details, and essential gear for leaving an area quickly and safely during an emergency. Organize Backup Communications: Ensure you can always stay in touch, even if your primary method fails. Easily organize all your communication options from primary methods down to emergency backups, including equipment details. Think through your options: Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency (often called a PACE plan). Secure Group Identification: Enhance your group's security, especially when linking up or verifying identities. Use pre-arranged challenge-response codes for confirmation. Protect Sensitive Messages: Keep critical information private using proven security principles. This section lets you record unique keys for manual encoding/decode (encrypt) sensitive messages, ideal for information needing extra protection. Essential Checklists: Never forget crucial gear again. Utilize easy-to-use, resettable checklists for your master Inventory List, Go-Bag Packing List, and Vehicle Checklist – perfect for getting your gear organized systematically. Secure Group & Family Sharing: Collaboration made safe. Securely share specific plans or checklists with designated group members or family, ensuring everyone stays informed and coordinated for enhanced group safety. PDF Export: Need a hard copy? Generate PDF versions of your plans for printing physical backups or offline reference (COMING SOON) Offline Access: Critical information when you need it most. Access your saved plans directly on your device, even when cell signal or Wi-Fi is unavailable. Terms of Use: https://madgear.shop/pages/readyplan-terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://madgear.shop/pages/readyplan-privacy-policy

Screenshots

ARRL magazines4 screens
ReadyPlan4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ReadyPlan at 85% against ARRL magazines's 12%. ReadyPlan also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.8) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). ARRL magazines's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ratings volume (265 vs 48). On price, 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

Both are free to download. ReadyPlan sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. ARRL magazines asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ReadyPlan holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ARRL magazines has 265 ratings behind it against 48, 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 85% of ReadyPlan's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ARRL magazines ships an update every 4 months, ReadyPlan every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
ARRL magazines versus ReadyPlan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterARRL magazinesReadyPlan
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.8 (265 ratings)4.7 (48 ratings) — better
Positive reviews12.2% of reviews84.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings265 — better48
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size126 MB52 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperARRL, American Radio Relay League, Inc.M.A.D. Gear, LLC

Customer experience

ARRL magazines

All ratings258 ratings
Positive15.9%
Neutral3.1%
Negative81.0%
Written reviews123 reviews
Positive12.2%
Neutral5.7%
Negative82.1%

ReadyPlan

All ratings45 ratings
Positive91.1%
Neutral4.4%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral7.7%
Negative7.7%

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

ReadyPlan

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ARRL magazines

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

ReadyPlan

Subscriptions4
  • Premium Unlimited Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Premium Unlimited Monthly$6.991 Month
  • Premium Unlimited Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Premium Unlimited Annual7 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time2
  • Premium Unlimited Lifetime$89.99
  • Premium Unlimited Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is ARRL magazines free?
ARRL magazines is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ReadyPlan free?
ReadyPlan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ARRL magazines or ReadyPlan?
ReadyPlan is rated higher. ARRL magazines averages 1.8 out of 5 from 265 ratings, while ReadyPlan averages 4.7 from 48 ratings.
Do ARRL magazines or ReadyPlan have ads?
Neither ARRL magazines nor ReadyPlan shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ARRL magazines or ReadyPlan?
ARRL magazines ships an update every 4 months, and ReadyPlan every 2 weeks. Most recently, ARRL magazines was updated on October 23, 2026 and ReadyPlan on October 24, 2026.

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