# PilotPal vs SimFly Pad

The clearest difference is update cadence: SimFly Pad at every 10 days against PilotPal's every 3 months. SimFly Pad also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). PilotPal's advantage is ratings volume (663 vs 15). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PilotPal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and SimFly Pad sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for PilotPal against 4.7 for SimFly Pad. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PilotPal has 663 ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 55% of PilotPal's written reviews are positive against 60% of SimFly Pad's.

PilotPal ships an update every 3 months, SimFly Pad every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PilotPal | SimFly Pad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (663 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pilotpal-flight-planner-efb/id1060952159/reviews)** | [4.7 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simfly-pad/id1617775698/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **663** | 15 |
| Positive reviews | 55.0% of reviews | **60.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 19 MB | 150 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tinybyte Apps LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1592418784) | [SeeingSky Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1617773518) |

## What reviewers say

### PilotPal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pilotpal-flight-planner-efb/id1060952159)

This app provides FAA aviation airport charts and facility directories for easy flight planning. Access airport diagrams, frequencies, elevation, and helipad information offline. Stay updated with monthly chart revisions and quickly find nearby or favorite airports.

**Highlights:** Offline charts, Airport Facility Directories, Airport Diagrams, Airport Information (Maps, Frequencies, Elevation, Helipads), Monthly updated FAA charts, Nearby and favorite airports, Airport search

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Airport Diagrams | $0.99 | per month |
| PilotPal Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| PilotPal Pro | $19.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Clean and simple user interface
- 🚀 Quick access to airport information
- 📱 Effective airport directory functionality
- ⭐ Excellent customer support
- 🎯 Minimalist design with focused mission

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Paywall-locked features behind subscription
- 🔒 Subscription access issues and bugs
- 📊 Incomplete airport chart coverage
- ❌ Missing chart supplement sections
- 🚫 Difficult to unsubscribe

**Reported bugs**

- Subscription verification loop - shows already subscribed but denies access
- Airport diagrams not displaying despite active subscription
- App stopped working after February update
- General app functionality failures
- Missing settings/preferences menu

**Requested features**

- Airport diagram printing functionality
- Ability to sort favorites tab
- Front and back page information inclusion
- Improved search functionality for VOR locations
- Legend/index documentation


### SimFly Pad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simfly-pad/id1617775698)

Enhance your flight simulation experience with interactive checklists, in-game camera recording, and direct cockpit control. Manage flight records and sync media to the cloud for permanent storage.

**Highlights:** Interactive flight checklists, In-game virtual camera, Cockpit instrument control, Flight record management, Cloud synchronization for media, Voice interaction for checklists (Beta)

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

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SimFly Pad Premium Panel - B767 | $19.99 | one-time |
| SimFly Pad B757 Premium Panel | $19.99 | one-time |
| Premium Panel - B737 Ng/Max | $24.99 | one-time |
| Premium Panel - A320 | $24.99 | one-time |
| Premium Panel - B787 | $24.99 | one-time |
| SimFlyPad Premium Panel C250 | $24.99 | one-time |
| Premium Panel - B777 | $24.99 | one-time |
| Premium Panel - A330 | $24.99 | one-time |
| Premium Panel - A380 | $24.99 | one-time |
| SimFly Pad A350 Premium Panel | $24.99 | one-time |
| SimFly Pad A340 Premium Panel | $24.99 | one-time |
| SimFly Pad Panel - CRJ | $24.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PilotPal free?

PilotPal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is SimFly Pad free?

SimFly Pad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, PilotPal or SimFly Pad?

PilotPal is rated higher. PilotPal averages 4.7 out of 5 from 663 ratings, while SimFly Pad averages 4.7 from 15 ratings.

### Do PilotPal or SimFly Pad have ads?

Neither PilotPal nor SimFly Pad shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PilotPal or SimFly Pad?

PilotPal ships an update every 3 months, and SimFly Pad every 10 days. Most recently, PilotPal was updated on September 22, 2026 and SimFly Pad on September 13, 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.*