Gearboxe vs Packet Commander
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Gearboxe
Organize your vehicle's complete history, including maintenance, repairs, and service receipts. Receive smart reminders for upcoming services and manage multiple cars with ease. Connect with a community of car enthusiasts to share builds and tips.
- Log maintenance, repairs, and modifications
- Smart maintenance reminders
- Manage multiple vehicles
- Generate PDF history reports
- Community feed for builds and tips
- Sync across iPhone and web
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You own the car. Own the record. Gearboxe turns every oil change, brake job, and mod into a permanent, verifiable service record — the kind that answers "when did I last do that?" in two seconds and proves it to the next owner when you sell. Most cars' histories live on a shop's computer or in a glovebox full of faded receipts. Gearboxe puts the whole history in your pocket, where it belongs. A RECORD THAT'S WORTH MONEY Log maintenance, repairs, and mods with cost, mileage, notes, and photos Attach receipts and part numbers as proof of work Publish a public share page with a verified-history badge — a clean, window-sticker view buyers trust Generate a PDF of the full history for resale, warranty, or a dispute Transfer the car — and its complete record — to the next owner ASK YOUR LOGBOOK (AI) Ask questions in plain English and get answers from YOUR service history Gearboxe Advisor suggests what's due and what to watch Generate for-sale listing copy from the record in one tap Add a service by voice or by snapping a photo of the invoice NEVER MISS WHAT'S DUE Custom schedules by mileage or time — oil, brakes, tires, and more Color-coded status: overdue, due soon, on-track Smart reminders warn you before anything's due KNOW YOUR NUMBERS Track every fill-up and watch MPG trends over time See cost per mile and what your car really costs to run BUILT FOR PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT THE DETAILS Track multiple vehicles — daily drivers, project cars, the whole fleet Add a car fast: scan the VIN or pick year/make/model Capture mods with brand, notes, date, and mileage Document builds and share your garage with the community GEARBOXE PRO — $6.99/month or $59.99/year, 7-day free trial Unlocks AI (Ask your Logbook, Advisor, listing copy, smart capture), unlimited vehicles, smart reminders, fuel insights, PDF reports, and vehicle transfers. Cancel anytime. Straight talk, no fluff: keep the record, prove the value. Download Gearboxe.
Packet Commander
This app provides a classic terminal experience for packet radio communication on mobile devices. It offers powerful terminal features, smart connection management, and real-time over-the-air traffic monitoring. It's designed for amateur radio operators to connect with nodes, BBS, and decode traffic.
- Full-screen terminal for packet nodes and BBS
- Classic color themes and adjustable layout
- YAPP protocol support for file transfers
- Location-aware digipeater routing
- Seamless iCloud sync
- Over-the-air traffic decoding
- Auto-discovery of TNCs
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Packet Commander brings a classic terminal experience for packet radio to your iPhone or iPad. Try it free. The download includes 5 full connection sessions so you can explore the features and confirm compatibility before purchasing. After that, a purchase is required to continue connecting. Note: An amateur radio license is required to operate on the air. Powerful Terminal • Full-screen terminal for interacting with packet nodes and BBS over amateur radio • Classic color themes inspired by iconic computers • Adjustable fonts and layout for readability and screen efficiency • YAPP protocol support for file transfers • Dictation-ready for composing messages hands-free • Smart filename selection — double tap to highlight and copy Smarter Packet Connections • Location-aware digipeater routing: automatically recalls the last-used path at each location • Seamless iCloud sync for nodes and digipeaters across all your devices • Compatible with popular packet node software including BPQ32, URONode, and others Over-the-Air Monitor Connect to your radio and decode over-the-air traffic in real time. AX.25 frames are decoded and presented in an easy-to-read format. • Filter traffic to display exactly what you’re looking for • Search by address or content • Export the log to a file for later analysis Works with the Gear You Love • Auto-discovery of Bluetooth and TCP TNCs, including Dire Wolf on DigiPi • Automatic frequency set/restore on supported radios • Built-in, high-performance 1200 baud AFSK software modem • Optimized for VHF/UHF packet at both 1200 and 9600 baud Compatible with the Following Radios and TNCs: Radios with Built-in TNCs (Auto-sets and restores frequency on those radios) · BTECH UV-PRO, UV-50PRO · VERO VR-N76, VR-N7600 · RADIODITY GA-5WB, DB50-B · Kenwood TH-D74*, TH-D75* · PicoAPRS V4 *Requires B.B. Link Bluetooth adapter Portable KISS TNCs · Mobilinkd TNC3, TNC4 · LiNK500 TNC · DigiPi · Dire Wolf Software TNC Audio Interfaces (Using built-in software modem) · Digirig Lite · Digirig VOX PTT Cable · AIOC (All-In-One Cable) Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Packet Commander at 48 against Gearboxe's 4. On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. Gearboxe sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Packet Commander sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Gearboxe against 4.9 for Packet Commander. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Packet Commander has 48 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Gearboxe ships an update every 5 weeks, Packet Commander every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Gearboxe | Packet Commander |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better | 4.9 (48 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 48 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 58 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | NineOneNine Digital LLC | Island Magic Co. |
Customer experience
Gearboxe
Packet Commander
In-app purchases
Gearboxe
- Gearboxe Pro7 Days trial$6.991 Month
- Gearboxe Pro7 Days trial$59.991 Year
Packet Commander
- Yearly Subscription$8.991 Year
- One-Time Purchase$24.99









