Comparison

HAM Tech, General, Extra vs CW Trainer

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

Head to head
About

HAM Tech, General, Extra

Prepare for your amateur radio operator certification with this comprehensive study aid. It offers section-by-section learning and an exam generator, complete with relevant images and figures to help you master the material and pass your tests.

Highlights
  • Section-by-section study modules
  • Built-in exam generator
  • Includes pictures and figures for questions
  • Practice tests for certification
  • Learning aid for radio amateurs
Features
Read full description

3 in 1! For all prospective Radio Amateur Operators looking to get their certification. Each type of license can be studied by section, or tested upon with the built in exam generator. Pictures and figures are also included for the questions where applicable. Practice makes perfect! Amateur Radio Certification can be tough to achieve. This app is a great tool and learning aid to get you to that finish line.

About

CW Trainer

Learn Morse code using the effective Koch method. This app introduces letters at full speed, adding new ones as proficiency increases, to build and improve your Morse code skills.

Highlights
  • Morse code learning
  • Koch method implementation
  • Proficiency-based learning
  • Skill improvement
Features
Read full description

CW Trainer — Learn & Practice Morse Code Become a real CW operator. CW Trainer takes you from your first letters all the way to real QSOs and contests, with a radio simulator that sounds and responds like the real thing. PROGRESSIVE KOCH METHOD Learn Morse code one letter at a time with the proven Koch method. A 40-lesson curriculum, per-character accuracy stats, and automatic progression when you're ready. QSO WITH AI OPERATOR Have realistic radio conversations with an intelligent operator. You call, copy, exchange RST, name, QTH — and if you miss something, the operator repeats it, just like on the air. Every QSO is with a different station from around the world, and you get a score and coaching at the end. CONTEST MODE Train for CQ WW and WPX contests in Search & Pounce or Running. Pile-ups, rapid exchanges, ever-changing callsigns, and realistic error handling. MAKE IT YOURS Speeds from 5 to 60 WPM, a level system from Bronze to Legend, daily reminders, and leaderboards to challenge other operators. TRY IT FREE, THEN DECIDE You can use the app with no sign-up and no payment: • the first 9 lessons of the Koch course • 5 Callsign Trainer sessions and 5 Pile-up sessions • 7 QSOs with the AI operator, Contest included • stats, leaderboard, ranks and achievements, always included When you want to go further there are two separate options: • Full unlock — one-time purchase, yours forever: all 40 Koch lessons, unlimited Callsign and Pile-up • DX Pass — monthly or annual subscription, with a 7-day free trial on the annual plan: unlimited AI QSOs and Contest AI, with coaching after every QSO You can cancel the subscription at any time in your Apple settings. Purchases are tied to your Apple ID — use "Restore purchases" on a new iPhone. 73 and enjoy CW! This app uses Apple's Standard End User License Agreement: http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/appstore/dev/stdeula Privacy: https://md2tech.it/privacy.html

Screenshots

HAM Tech, General, Extra4 screens
CW Trainer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: CW Trainer at Free against HAM Tech, General, Extra's $4.99. HAM Tech, General, Extra's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 1.8) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). On update cadence, ads, monetization model 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

CW Trainer is free to download; HAM Tech, General, Extra costs $4.99 up front. CW Trainer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. HAM Tech, General, Extra asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HAM Tech, General, Extra holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HAM Tech, General, Extra has 60 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of HAM Tech, General, Extra's written reviews are positive against 44% of CW Trainer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HAM Tech, General, Extra ships an update every 4 months, CW Trainer every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
HAM Tech, General, Extra versus CW Trainer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHAM Tech, General, ExtraCW Trainer
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (60 ratings) — better1.8 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews — better44.4% of reviews
Number of ratings60 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRyan Gilchristmd

Customer experience

HAM Tech, General, Extra

All ratings60 ratings
Positive85.0%
Neutral6.7%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral21.4%
Negative21.4%

CW Trainer

All ratings4 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive44.4%
Neutral11.1%
Negative44.4%

In-app purchases

None

HAM Tech, General, Extra

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

CW Trainer

Subscriptions2
  • DX Pass — Monthly$2.991 Month
  • DX Pass — Annual14 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • CW Trainer — Full Unlock$4.99

Questions

Is HAM Tech, General, Extra free?
HAM Tech, General, Extra costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is CW Trainer free?
CW Trainer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, HAM Tech, General, Extra or CW Trainer?
HAM Tech, General, Extra is rated higher. HAM Tech, General, Extra averages 4.5 out of 5 from 60 ratings, while CW Trainer averages 1.8 from 4 ratings.
Do HAM Tech, General, Extra or CW Trainer have ads?
Neither HAM Tech, General, Extra nor CW Trainer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HAM Tech, General, Extra or CW Trainer?
HAM Tech, General, Extra ships an update every 4 months, and CW Trainer every 3 months. Most recently, HAM Tech, General, Extra was updated on November 1, 2026 and CW Trainer on November 2, 2026.

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