Comparison

Private Pilot Test Prep vs Comms

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

Head to head
About

Private Pilot Test Prep

Prepare for the FAA Private Pilot Knowledge Test with over 900 practice questions and detailed explanations. Customize study sessions, review missed questions, and take simulated exams that mirror the official test format and question distribution. Unlock a complete ground school course for advanced features and tracking.

Highlights
  • Over 900 FAA practice questions
  • Detailed explanations and references
  • Customizable study sessions
  • Practice sessions from missed questions
  • Simulated FAA exams
  • Data sync across iOS devices
  • Instructor endorsement upon course completion
Read full description

The #1 Private Pilot test prep app is now free, and includes over 900 FAA questions and explanations to help prepare for the FAA Private Pilot Knowledge Test. Upgrade to the complete ground school course to unlock all lesson, detailed tracking and statistics, and premium test prep with hundreds of additional questions (free trial available). ▸ Custom study sessions based on topics, session size, and your overall mastery. Filters allow you to include or exclude questions that require the use of figures or an E6B. ▸ Create practice sessions from missed questions after a completed practice or exam session. ▸ Review missed questions after a practice or exam session. ▸ Take simulated FAA exams administered under the same rules and time constraints as the actual Private Pilot knowledge test. Unlike other test prep apps, our exams present the correct proportion of questions from each knowledge area per the ACS. ▸ Sync your data and course progress across on all of your iOS devices ▸ Access a library of study resources for the Private Pilot certificate ▸ Question bank covers all areas of the Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards to ensure thorough preparation for the knowledge test. ▸ Detailed explanations and references for all questions. ▸ Obtain an instructor endorsement after completing the course.

About

Comms

Practice realistic air traffic control radio communications using AI and speech recognition. Build confidence with over 35 scenarios, from basic taxi instructions to complex airspace transitions. Get instant feedback on your phraseology and accuracy.

Highlights
  • AI-powered speech recognition
  • Realistic ATC scenarios
  • Instant feedback on phraseology
  • Transcript review
  • Practice anytime, anywhere
  • Guided responses
Features
Read full description

Master Your Radio Skills. Fly with Confidence. Practice real ATC conversations by speaking into your phone. Comms uses AI and speech recognition to simulate realistic radio exchanges — so you can build confidence before keying the mic in the cockpit. Whether you're preparing for your first solo or sharpening your skills before a checkride, Comms helps you sound like you've been on frequency for years. 35+ Realistic ATC Scenarios - Taxi clearances, progressive taxi, and runway crossings - Takeoff, pattern work, and departures from towered and non-towered fields - VFR flight following — requesting, canceling, and handoffs - Class Bravo and Charlie airspace clearances and transitions - CRAFT clearances, IFR pop-ups, and holding instructions - Approaches, go-arounds, and missed approach procedures - Landing at towered and non-towered airports - Filing PIREPs, opening/closing flight plans, and requesting diversions - VFR into IMC emergency scenarios How It Works - Listen to ATC instructions with realistic controller audio - Respond by speaking your readback out loud - Get instant feedback on accuracy and phraseology - Review your full transcript after each session Built for Student Pilots - Designed for the calls that make new pilots nervous - Practice anytime — no airplane, no instructor, no pressure - Progress from basic taxi calls to complex airspace scenarios - Guided responses help you learn correct phraseology Perfect For - Student pilots preparing for solo or checkride - Private pilot candidates building radio confidence - Flight instructors looking for a training aid - Rusty pilots getting back on frequency Download Comms and take the stress out of talking to ATC. Focus on what matters most — flying the airplane. Terms of use - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Private Pilot Test Prep4 screens
Comms4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Private Pilot Test Prep at 85% against Comms's 36%. Private Pilot Test Prep also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (1.5K vs 300). Comms's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Private Pilot Test Prep sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Comms sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Private Pilot Test Prep holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Private Pilot Test Prep has 1.5K ratings behind it against 300, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Private Pilot Test Prep's written reviews are positive against 36% of Comms's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Private Pilot Test Prep ships an update fortnightly, Comms every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Private Pilot Test Prep versus Comms: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrivate Pilot Test PrepComms
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.5K ratings) — better4.3 (300 ratings)
Positive reviews84.7% of reviews — better35.8% of reviews
Number of ratings1.5K — better300
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.115.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size122 MB69 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperAeroapps TechnologyKHV Digital LLC

Customer experience

Private Pilot Test Prep

All ratings1,523 ratings
Positive97.0%
Neutral1.4%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews59 reviews
Positive84.7%
Neutral3.4%
Negative11.9%

Comms

All ratings299 ratings
Positive79.6%
Neutral4.7%
Negative15.7%
Written reviews67 reviews
Positive35.8%
Neutral13.4%
Negative50.7%

User reviews

Private Pilot Test Prep

From 1.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Thorough course with good foundation
  • 🚀 Great graphics and easy to follow
  • 🚀 Helped pass the FAA exam
  • 🚀 Realistic practice exams with FARs and AIMs
  • 🚀 Excellent explanations and figures

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Grading issues and incorrect marking of answers
  • 🐛 Frequent app updates required, causing issues for users with poor internet
  • 🐛 Inability to review missed questions after exiting the app
  • 🐛 Lack of zoom and drawing tools for charts
  • 🐛 Crashes and login issues reported

Comms

From 300 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great practice app for student pilots
  • 👍 Helpful for improving communication with ATC/Tower
  • 💡 Active developers responsive to feedback

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App is broken and unusable for many users
  • 🤖 Not accurate or realistic enough
  • 👎 Voice recognition/speech-to-text is poor
  • 💰 Paid app with limited value compared to free resources

Bugs and requests

Private Pilot Test Prep

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Grading issues and incorrect marking of answers
  • Frequent app updates required, causing issues for users with poor internet
  • Inability to review missed questions after exiting the app
  • Crashes and login issues reported

Requested features

8 requests
  • Add sound when choosing correct answers
  • Provide separate guides for each chapter
  • Offer 50-question practice tests by chapter
  • Allow users to pause and resume simulated tests
  • Provide a bank of all practice tests and simulated tests
Show 3 more
  • Display passed section grades to track progress
  • Add a lock zoom feature for charts
  • Integrate a protractor tool

Comms

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes and becomes unusable after account setup
  • Incompatible with latest iOS versions
  • Provides incorrect information that goes against FAA guidelines

Requested features

3 requests
  • More detailed and comprehensive pilot scenarios
  • Improved voice recognition and speech-to-text accuracy
  • Better alignment with FAA instructions and procedures

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Private Pilot Test Prep

One-time4
  • Private Pilot Course TrialFree
  • Private Pilot Test Prep$49.99
  • Upgrade to Ground School$99.99
Show 1 more
  • Private Pilot Ground School$149.99
10 purchases

Comms

Subscriptions4
  • Comms Premium Weekly2 variants$6.997 Days
  • Comms Premium Monthly2 variants$14.991 Month
  • Comms Premium Yearly3 Days trial$49.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Comms Premium Yearly3 Days trial$79.991 Year
One-time6
  • Study Guide Private Pilot w/Premium$9.99
  • 25 Scan Credits$9.99
  • Pro - Unlock All Comms$12.99
Show 3 more
  • Study Guide Commercial Pilot$14.99
  • 50 Scan Credits$14.99
  • Study Guide Private Pilot$19.99

Questions

Is Private Pilot Test Prep free?
Private Pilot Test Prep is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Comms free?
Comms is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Private Pilot Test Prep or Comms?
Private Pilot Test Prep is rated higher. Private Pilot Test Prep averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Comms averages 4.3 from 300 ratings.
Do Private Pilot Test Prep or Comms have ads?
Neither Private Pilot Test Prep nor Comms shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Private Pilot Test Prep or Comms?
Private Pilot Test Prep ships an update fortnightly, and Comms every 9 days. Most recently, Private Pilot Test Prep was updated on October 25, 2026 and Comms on October 25, 2026.

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