# Planes Control! vs Pocket Lander

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Planes Control! at 79% against Pocket Lander's 20%. Planes Control! also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (6.8K vs 45). Pocket Lander's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Planes Control! sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Pocket Lander asks for nothing beyond the download.

Planes Control! holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Planes Control! has 6.8K ratings behind it against 45, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Planes Control!'s written reviews are positive against 20% of Pocket Lander's.

Planes Control! ships an update monthly, Pocket Lander every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and July 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Planes Control! | Pocket Lander |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planes-control/id1015114550/reviews)** | [3.0 (45 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-lander/id1372487723/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.8K** | 45 |
| Positive reviews | **79.1% of reviews** | 20.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 40 MB | 63 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Antonio Calvino Esquer](https://appshunter.io/developer/995217234) | [Stuart Bermingham](https://appshunter.io/developer/854383681) |

## What reviewers say

### Planes Control!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planes-control/id1015114550)

Guide aircraft to safe landings while avoiding hazards like storms and enemy attacks. Control over 60 different planes and helicopters across 13 challenging levels. Engage in aerial combat, fight wildfires, and manage air traffic in this addictive simulation game.

**Highlights:** Draw flight paths for aircraft, Avoid collisions and environmental hazards, Pilot over 60 types of planes and helicopters, Engage in aerial combat, Fight wildfires with air tankers, Navigate diverse and challenging levels

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pack of 5× Rescue Teams. | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock all HD Levels | $0.99 | one-time |
| Classic levels | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock "Time Machine" levels! | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock "10th Anniversary" levels! | $0.99 | one-time |
| Three crashes per game. | $1.99 | one-time |
| Classic levels and no ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 20× Rescue Teams. | $2.99 | one-time |
| No Ads. | $2.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 50× Rescue Teams. | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fun game
- 👍 Simple yet challenging
- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Good variety of levels
- 🚀 Responsive controls

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 🐛 Progress not saved
- 🐛 Collision detection issues
- 🐛 Planes spawning off-screen

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes on iOS 14
- High score not recorded correctly
- Planes colliding off-screen
- Notification bar interfering with gameplay

**Requested features**

- More level options and customization
- Ability to pause and resume games
- Improved tutorial and instructions
- Difficulty settings for each level
- Leaderboards and achievements


### Pocket Lander

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-lander/id1372487723)

Experience the thrill of lunar exploration with a realistic physics-based landing simulator. Carefully manage fuel and thrusters to achieve a gentle touchdown, or face the consequences of a damaged module and permanent stranding. Choose between third-person or immersive cockpit views.

**Highlights:** Realistic physics simulation, Descent thruster control, Fuel management, Lunar environment steering, 3rd person and cockpit views, Damage and stranding consequences

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Planes Control! free?

Planes Control! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Pocket Lander free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Planes Control! or Pocket Lander?

Planes Control! is rated higher. Planes Control! averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.8K ratings, while Pocket Lander averages 3.0 from 45 ratings.

### Do Planes Control! or Pocket Lander have ads?

Planes Control! shows ads; Pocket Lander does not.

### Which is updated more often, Planes Control! or Pocket Lander?

Planes Control! ships an update monthly, and Pocket Lander every 6 weeks. Most recently, Planes Control! was updated on September 24, 2026 and Pocket Lander on July 5, 2026.

---

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