Cirrus Approach vs CheckPrep
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cirrus Approach
This app provides flight instructors and students with mobile access to training courses and progress tracking. It utilizes augmented reality for immersive pre-flight training and allows for easy management of student progress and flight logs.
- Augmented Reality pre-flight training
- Access to training courses
- Track student progress
- Manage flight logs
- Instructor assessments
- Interactive course materials
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Welcome to Cirrus Approach, the #1 app for learning to fly and instruct in a Cirrus. The Cirrus Approach App provides flight instructors and students with mobile access to training courses and training progress. This app is designed to accompany Cirrus instructors and Cirrus pilots for flight training, offering access to enrolled students, flight training courses, flight logs, and flight instructor assessments. Leveraging the latest Augmented Reality (AR) technology, the Cirrus Approach app revolutionizes pre-flight training for the new G7 SR-Series and Vision Jet aircraft, providing an immersive, interactive way to master essential pre-flight procedures and safety checks in a realistic virtual environment. Enhance your flight training experience with Cirrus Approach. AVAILABLE FOR EVERYONE AUGMENTED REALITY PRE-FLIGHT TRAINING Immerse yourself in a realistic virtual environment and master essential pre-flight procedures and safety checks with our cutting-edge AR technology. This interactive experience allows you to familiarize yourself with the aircraft inside and out, ensuring you are fully prepared for every flight. Enhance your understanding of complex procedures in a controlled, risk-free setting. MY COURSES This page serves as a comprehensive list of all courses available to the student. It acts as the gateway to individual Cirrus Approach courses. Once students access a specific course, they can: track their detailed progress for that course and its lessons, complete self-study materials, review instructor assessments, view associated flight log hours, landings, and terms and conditions. This update ensures a streamlined interface, providing students with a clear and engaging learning journey. INSTRUCTOR FEATURES MOBILE TRAINING ACCESS Effortlessly access all your training courses and student progress from your Cirrus Approach account. With the ability to review materials and track progress on the go, you can maximize your productivity and stay organized. Never miss an update or important piece of information, ensuring you are always prepared for your next training session. STUDENT MANAGEMENT Manage and track your students' flight logs, progress, and assessments with ease. Our intuitive interface allows you to quickly review each student's performance, identify areas for improvement, and tailor your instruction accordingly. Stay on top of each student's Cirrus life journey, ensuring they receive the personalized attention they need to succeed. INTERACTIVE COURSE MATERIAL Engage with dynamic, interactive course materials designed to enhance your learning experience. These materials are crafted to be engaging and educational, making complex concepts easier to understand and retain. Elements such as quizzes, interactive exercises, and simulations ensure that you can retain and demonstrate the latest information and knowledge to train your students to the highest of flight standards. REAL-TIME ADAPTABILITY Quickly respond to your students' needs with real-time updates and progress tracking. As you monitor their progress, you can adjust your teaching strategies and provide immediate feedback to keep them on track. This adaptability ensures that each student receives the most effective and timely instruction, optimizing their Cirrus learning experience. Download the Cirrus Approach App today to experience the future of aviation education. Stay ahead of the curve and ensure your success as a Cirrus flight instructor. Join the hundreds of other Cirrus instructors to get started now and transform the way you teach and learn to fly.
CheckPrep
Prepare for your pilot checkride oral exams with this app. It's structured around the FAA Airman Certification Standards (ACS) and includes searchable regulations, adaptive quizzes, and real-world scenario trainers. Track your progress and know when you're ready.
- FAA ACS structured study
- Searchable FAR, AIM, and FAA documents
- Offline study and bookmarking
- Adaptive flashcards and quizzes
- METAR, TAF, and PIREP interpretation
- ATC clearance trainers
- Progress tracking (0-100%)
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Purpose-built for pilots who refuse to leave their checkride to chance. CheckPrep is the only checkride oral prep app structured around the FAA Airman Certification Standards (ACS), the exact framework your DPE will use to evaluate you. This isn’t written prep. This is checkride oral prep and nobody else does it like this. EVERY REFERENCE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Full searchable FAR, AIM, and FAA Documents, free for every user. Tap any citation in a study question to jump straight to the source. Bookmark passages, search by keyword, study offline. Every paragraph links back to the official FAA source so you never have to wonder if it’s current. STUDY THE WAY YOUR DPE TESTS YOU Every question, answer, and reference is organized by ACS Area of Operation and Task, the same structure your examiner follows. No wasted time on irrelevant material. Every minute of study maps directly to your oral exam. KNOW WHEN YOU’RE READY Track your mastery from 0–100% for every ACS task. Adaptive flashcards and quizzes target your weak areas automatically. When you see 100% across the board, you’ll know: you’re checkride ready. DECODE REAL-WORLD WEATHER Practice METAR, TAF, and PIREP interpretation with live FAA data. Build the pattern recognition that impresses examiners and keeps you safe in the flight levels. TRAIN YOUR EAR Departure and approach clearance trainers read ATC instructions aloud. Practice your readback skills with real-world scenarios using the CRAFT and P-TAC methods. BUILT FOR EVERY CERTIFICATE Private Pilot ACS: free, always. Instrument, Commercial, and Commercial Multi Add-On ACS guides available now. Add aircraft-specific content for your exact training aircraft: Cessna 172SP, Cirrus SR20 G7+, or Diamond DA42 NG. Six themes. Offline-first. iCloud sync across all your devices. Lightweight. No ads. No account required. No data collected. Walk into your checkride oral knowing you’ve covered every single ACS item. That’s what CheckPrep is for. CheckPrep is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the FAA. All regulatory content is sourced from official FAA publications.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: CheckPrep at 5.0 against Cirrus Approach's 4.4. CheckPrep also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). Cirrus Approach's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ratings volume (373 vs 4). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. CheckPrep sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Cirrus Approach asks for nothing beyond the download.
CheckPrep holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cirrus Approach has 373 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Cirrus Approach ships an update fortnightly, CheckPrep every 2 days. Both last shipped on September 30, 2026.
| Parameter | Cirrus Approach | CheckPrep |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (373 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 26.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 373 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 — better | 26.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 463 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Cirrus Aircraft | Robert Rousey |
Customer experience
Cirrus Approach
CheckPrep
In-app purchases
Cirrus Approach
No in-app purchases
CheckPrep
- Cessna 172SP Content$19.99
- Cirrus SR20 G7+ Content$19.99
- Diamond DA42 NG Content$19.99
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- Commercial Multi Add-On Package$59.99
- Commercial Package$59.99
- Instrument Package$59.99
Questions
Is Cirrus Approach free?
Is CheckPrep free?
Which has better reviews, Cirrus Approach or CheckPrep?
Do Cirrus Approach or CheckPrep have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cirrus Approach or CheckPrep?
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