ARRL magazines vs Ham Shack
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
Ham Shack
This app combines amateur radio programming with real-time propagation data. Listen to news, podcasts, and educational content from the ham radio community. Access a dashboard with solar flux, sunspot numbers, and HF/VHF band conditions.
- Stream Ham Shack Radio live
- View currently playing program
- Check solar and geomagnetic conditions
- Review HF band openings
- Simple dark interface
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Ham Shack brings amateur radio programming and propagation information together in one convenient app. Listen to Ham Shack Radio wherever you go, featuring amateur radio news, podcasts, educational programs, interviews, and original content from the ham radio community. The built-in propagation dashboard provides an easy-to-read overview of current radio conditions, including: • Solar flux • Sunspot numbers • Kp index • GOES X-ray activity • Estimated HF band conditions • VHF propagation information Whether you are at home in the shack, operating portable, or traveling to your next hamfest, Ham Shack helps you stay connected to amateur radio. Features: • Stream Ham Shack Radio live • View the currently playing program • Quickly reconnect to the audio stream • Check current solar and geomagnetic conditions • Review estimated openings for popular HF bands • Simple, dark interface designed for quick viewing Propagation information is intended as a general operating guide. Actual band conditions can vary by location, antenna system, time of day, season, and local interference. Ham Shack Radio is part of HamShackTV — Live, Learn, Transmit. Welcome to the shack.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Ham Shack at 5.0 against ARRL magazines's 1.8. Ham Shack also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months). ARRL magazines's advantage is ratings volume (265 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.5). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Ham Shack holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ARRL magazines has 265 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
ARRL magazines ships an update every 4 months, Ham Shack weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ARRL magazines | Ham Shack |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.8 (265 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 12.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 265 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 26.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 126 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | ARRL, American Radio Relay League, Inc. | Josh Marler |
Customer experience
ARRL magazines
Ham Shack
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
Ham Shack
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ARRL magazines
No in-app purchases
Ham Shack
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ARRL magazines free?
Is Ham Shack free?
Which has better reviews, ARRL magazines or Ham Shack?
Do ARRL magazines or Ham Shack have ads?
Which is updated more often, ARRL magazines or Ham Shack?
Other comparisons
