Comparison

CDL Prep vs CDL Permit

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

Head to head
About

CDL Prep

Prepare for your Commercial Drivers License exams with a comprehensive question bank covering general knowledge and various endorsements. Practice with timed exams or instant feedback modes to identify areas for improvement.

Highlights
  • Over 500 practice questions
  • Timed exam mode
  • Endorsement topic exams
  • Instant feedback in practice mode
  • Randomized answer order
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

CDL Prep is the best way to prepare for the Commercial Drivers License General Knowledge, and various endorsement exams. CDL Prep contains questions on the following topics: General Commercial, Air Brakes, Combinations, Hazmat, Passenger, Tanks, School Bus, and Doubles/Triples. Features: 1. Over 500 questions to practice with. 2. Exam Mode - 60 minutes to answer 50 randomly chosen questions, or 40 minutes to answer 20 to 30 questions on endorsement topics. At the end, review your score and any incorrect answers. 3. Practice Mode - Answer questions and receive instant feedback if you answered incorrectly. 4. Answer Randomization - Answers to questions will not always be in the same position. Please send any feedback or request to: CDLPrepApp@gmail.com. Thank you for reading, and good luck on your exams!

About

CDL Permit

Prepare for your 2026 Commercial Driver's License (CDL) exam with comprehensive study materials. Access state-specific rules and knowledge domains for various vehicle types. Offers premium features for enhanced practice.

Highlights
  • State-specific CDL rules
  • Multiple knowledge domains
  • General knowledge study
  • Specialized vehicle prep
  • Random exam mode
  • Timed quiz option
  • Incorrect questions review
Read full description

Ace your 2026 CDL exam with a great level of self-assurance!\n\nA CDL is a driver's license that allows you to operate commercial motor vehicles. Obtaining a CDL means you have the skills and capability to operate a specialized vehicle, whether it is a commercial truck, combination vehicle, school bus, or fuel tanker. The rules differ for each state and our app collects them all in a single and convenient package!\n\nDepending on your state and required CDL category you are able to study these knowledge domains:\n* General knowledge (required for all)\n* HazMat\n* School bus\n* Passenger Vehicles\n* Air Brakes\n* Combination Vehicles\n* Double/Triple Trailers\n* Tanker Vehicles\n* Pre-inspection\n\nTerms of use: https://driving.mapola.org/terms\nPrivacy policy: https://driving.mapola.org/policy\n\n**************\nPremium access\n**************\n\nYou need to buy lifetime access (paid once) or subscribe to get access to all features (such as random exam, timed quiz, incorrect questions review, bookmarks and etc.), courses and questions. The cost of the purchase is charged to your iTunes account. Subscriptions are auto-renewable and are billed at the rate and period selected depending on the subscription plan. Users’ accounts are charged for auto-renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period.\n\nSubscriptions can be managed and auto-renewal can be turned off in Account Settings in iTunes after the purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable.

Screenshots

CDL Prep4 screens
CDL Permit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CDL Prep at none against CDL Permit's 3. CDL Prep also leads on review sentiment (81% vs 46%) and chart position (#100 vs unranked). CDL Permit's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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

Both are free to download. CDL Permit sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. CDL Prep asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for CDL Prep against 4.7 for CDL Permit. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.7K and 18K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of CDL Prep's written reviews are positive against 46% of CDL Permit's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CDL Prep ships an update every 2 months, CDL Permit monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
CDL Prep versus CDL Permit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCDL PrepCDL Permit
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (6.7K ratings)4.7 (18K ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.7% of reviews — better46.3% of reviews
Number of ratings6.7K18K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#100 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJeffrey DiazMapola LTD

Customer experience

CDL Prep

All ratings6,708 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral2.2%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews555 reviews
Positive80.7%
Neutral5.9%
Negative13.3%

CDL Permit

All ratings17,744 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral3.1%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews121 reviews
Positive46.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative45.5%

User reviews

CDL Prep

From 6.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate questions
  • 👍 Helpful for passing tests
  • 💯 Exactly like real test
  • 🙌 Great study tool
  • ✅ Passed on first try

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Some questions not on app
  • 🔢 Too many ads
  • 🔀 Can't close ads
  • 🤔 Inconsistent answers

CDL Permit

From 18K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful for passing CDL tests
  • 💡 Provides a lot of practice questions
  • 🚀 Effective study tool
  • 🚀 Closest to actual test questions

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Repeated questions in tests
  • 🐛 Incorrect or misleading questions/answers
  • 💰 Subscription required to access full content
  • 🐛 App crashes and connection issues

Bugs and requests

CDL Prep

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Back button issues
  • Incorrect answers in app

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ad-free version
  • Ability to report incorrect questions
  • Include state-specific requirements

CDL Permit

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Answer choices cut off
  • Flashcards not working
  • Subscription issues (unable to cancel, still charged)

Requested features

3 requests
  • State-specific question banks
  • Ability to report incorrect questions
  • More varied and up-to-date question pool

In-app purchases

None

CDL Prep

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

CDL Permit

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly w Trial, Special Offer3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • CDL Prep Practice Test 20237 Days trial$24.991 Month
One-time1
  • Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is CDL Prep free?
CDL Prep is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CDL Permit free?
CDL Permit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, CDL Prep or CDL Permit?
CDL Permit is rated higher. CDL Prep averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.7K ratings, while CDL Permit averages 4.7 from 18K ratings.
Do CDL Prep or CDL Permit have ads?
Both CDL Prep and CDL Permit show ads.
Which is updated more often, CDL Prep or CDL Permit?
CDL Prep ships an update every 2 months, and CDL Permit monthly. Most recently, CDL Prep was updated on September 24, 2026 and CDL Permit on September 25, 2026.

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