# Shellback vs NAVAIR 6.8.5 Smart Tabs

The clearest difference is rating: NAVAIR 6.8.5 Smart Tabs at 5.0 against Shellback's 3.2. NAVAIR 6.8.5 Smart Tabs also leads on update cadence (every 4 months vs every 10 months). Shellback's advantage is ratings volume (38 vs 3). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

NAVAIR 6.8.5 Smart Tabs holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shellback has 38 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Shellback ships an update every 10 months, NAVAIR 6.8.5 Smart Tabs every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on June 9, 2026 and August 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shellback | NAVAIR 6.8.5 Smart Tabs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.2 (38 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shellback/id955157952/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/navair-685-smart-tabs/id1340393338/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **38** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 45.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | **Every 4 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 71 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems, Sea Warrior Program](https://appshunter.io/developer/1477503418) | [Naval Air Systems Command](https://appshunter.io/developer/1023730302) |

## What reviewers say

### Shellback

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shellback/id955157952)

This app provides US Naval Surface Force personnel with offline access to essential information. It includes manuals and resources for administration, medical, operations, personnel management, safety, and navigation rules. Content is updated annually for relevance.

**Highlights:** Offline access to SURFOR information, Admin/Training manuals, Medical readiness resources, Operations and navigation training, Personnel management documents, Safety information and lessons learned, Rules of the Road quiz

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### NAVAIR 6.8.5 Smart Tabs

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/navair-685-smart-tabs/id1340393338)

This reference app provides visual aids for Navy/Marine Aviation professionals on Product Data/Technical Data and Intellectual Property rights. It simplifies complex concepts related to management, acquisition, and marking of data, offering decisional tools and best practices.

**Highlights:** Visual aids for aviation data rights, Best practices for PD/TD IP, Decisional logic trees, Conformal assertion markings samples, References and links for practitioners, Supplementation to DR SAVE toolset

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shellback free?

Shellback is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is NAVAIR 6.8.5 Smart Tabs free?

NAVAIR 6.8.5 Smart Tabs is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Shellback or NAVAIR 6.8.5 Smart Tabs?

NAVAIR 6.8.5 Smart Tabs is rated higher. Shellback averages 3.2 out of 5 from 38 ratings, while NAVAIR 6.8.5 Smart Tabs averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Shellback or NAVAIR 6.8.5 Smart Tabs have ads?

Neither Shellback nor NAVAIR 6.8.5 Smart Tabs shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Shellback or NAVAIR 6.8.5 Smart Tabs?

Shellback ships an update every 10 months, and NAVAIR 6.8.5 Smart Tabs every 4 months. Most recently, Shellback was updated on June 9, 2026 and NAVAIR 6.8.5 Smart Tabs on August 20, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*