Private Pilot Test Prep vs CheckPrep
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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 descriptionHide 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.
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%)
Read full descriptionHide full description
Purpose-built for pilots who refuse to leave their checkride to chance. CheckPrep is a checkride oral prep app for the Private, Instrument, Commercial and Commercial Multi Add-On practical tests, built around the FAA Airman Certification Standards (ACS), the exact framework your DPE uses to evaluate you. This is not written test prep. This is oral prep. 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. Every card maps to an ACS task, so every minute of study maps to your oral exam. THE FAA LIBRARY, FREE FOR EVERY USER Full FAR, AIM, Advisory Circulars, the ACS documents themselves, FAA letters of interpretation, InFOs and the FAA handbooks: PHAK, AFH, Instrument Flying, Instrument Procedures, Aviation Weather, Risk Management, Weight & Balance, Chart Users' Guide and the AMT handbooks. Tap a citation on a study card to open the exact paragraph, page or ACS element. Bookmark passages, search by keyword, read offline after download. AIM paragraphs also open on the FAA website, so you never have to wonder whether it is current. KNOW WHEN YOU'RE READY Mastery is tracked from 0 to 100% for every ACS task. Flash cards and multiple-choice quizzes are built from the same cards. Switch on the Needs Review filter to limit a session to the cards you still miss and leave the mastered ones out. When every task reads 100%, you know where you stand before the examiner does. DECODE REAL-WORLD WEATHER METAR, TAF and PIREP decoding practice with live data from aviationweather.gov. Included free. TRAIN YOUR EAR Departure (CRAFT) and approach (P-TAC) clearance trainers read the clearance aloud. You give the readback by voice. Beta, included with the Instrument guide. BUILT FOR YOUR CERTIFICATE Start with the free Private Pilot Sample: four complete ACS tasks with flash cards, quizzes and tappable citations. The full Private, Instrument, Commercial and Commercial Multi Add-On guides are one-time purchases, no subscription. Aircraft-specific add-on guides for the Cessna 172SP, Cirrus SR20 G7, Cirrus SR22 G6 and Diamond DA42 NG, each cited to the aircraft's own POH, AFM and PIM. Six themes. Offline-first. Study history and bookmarks sync across your devices through iCloud. Lightweight. No ads. No account required. No tracking. Walk into the oral knowing you have worked every ACS task. That is 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 comes from official FAA publications.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Private Pilot Test Prep at 1.5K against CheckPrep's 4. Private Pilot Test Prep also leads on iOS requirement (17.1 vs 26.2). CheckPrep's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Private Pilot Test Prep sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and CheckPrep sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
CheckPrep holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Private Pilot Test Prep has 1.5K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Private Pilot Test Prep ships an update fortnightly, CheckPrep every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Private Pilot Test Prep | CheckPrep |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (1.5K ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 84.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1.5K — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.1 — better | 26.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 122 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Aeroapps Technology | Robert Rousey |
Customer experience
Private Pilot Test Prep
CheckPrep
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 moreShow fewer
- Display passed section grades to track progress
- Add a lock zoom feature for charts
- Integrate a protractor tool
CheckPrep
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Private Pilot Test Prep
- Private Pilot Course TrialFree
- Private Pilot Test Prep$49.99
- Upgrade to Ground School$99.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Private Pilot Ground School$149.99
CheckPrep
- Cessna 172SP Content$19.99
- Cirrus SR20 G7+ Content$19.99
- Diamond DA42 NG Content$19.99
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Commercial Multi Add-On Package$59.99
- Commercial Package$59.99
- Instrument Package$59.99
Questions
Is Private Pilot Test Prep free?
Is CheckPrep free?
Which has better reviews, Private Pilot Test Prep or CheckPrep?
Do Private Pilot Test Prep or CheckPrep have ads?
Which is updated more often, Private Pilot Test Prep or CheckPrep?
Other comparisons















