# Flight Simulator 2d vs Contrail

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Contrail at 100% against Flight Simulator 2d's 61%. Contrail also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Flight Simulator 2d's advantage is ratings volume (3.7K vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Flight Simulator 2d sells 16 one-off in-app purchases and Contrail sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Contrail holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Flight Simulator 2d has 3.7K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of Flight Simulator 2d's written reviews are positive against 100% of Contrail's.

Flight Simulator 2d ships an update every 2 weeks, Contrail every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Flight Simulator 2d | Contrail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (3.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flight-simulator-2d/id1540648589/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/contrail-flight-paths/id6778667842/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.7K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 61.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 323 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Spark Games UG haftungsbeschrankt](https://appshunter.io/developer/1641520453) | [Tropostrata LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6778650978) |

## What reviewers say

### Flight Simulator 2d

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flight-simulator-2d/id1540648589)

Experience the thrill of flight in this 2D simulator. Choose from a variety of aircraft, explore randomly generated environments, and master different game modes like transport and landing challenges. Earn rewards to unlock new planes and improve your pilot rating.

**Highlights:** Realistic cockpit controls, Diverse selection of 8 aircraft, Randomly generated, detailed environments, Day and night cycles, Free flight, transport, and landing challenge modes, Daily tasks and gifts for rewards

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 50 TOKENS | $0.99 | one-time |
| 120 TOKENS | $1.99 | one-time |
| 160 Tokens | $1.99 | one-time |
| BUY USA MAP | $2.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| INSTANT AIRCRAFT REPAIR | $4.99 | one-time |
| BUY HEAVYAIR 5 | $4.99 | one-time |
| BUY FIGHTAIR 6 | $4.99 | one-time |
| B2 Stealth Bomber | $4.99 | one-time |
| An-225 Mriya | $4.99 | one-time |
| BUY SPEEDAIR 8 | $9.99 | one-time |
| BUY COMBATAIR 7 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Concorde | $9.99 | one-time |
| Gold Pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| BUY MEGA BUNDLE | $19.99 | one-time |
| BUY GIGA BUNDLE | $28.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fun and entertaining
- 👍 Cozy and relaxing gameplay
- 👍 Good flight physics
- 👍 Decent graphics
- 👍 Offline playable

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy controls and responsiveness
- 🐛 Unrealistic flight physics
- 💰 Heavily monetized with in-app purchases
- 💰 Difficult to progress without paying
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to unlock planes in tutorial
- Planes falling out of sky when out of fuel
- Unresponsive controls and delayed inputs
- Frequent crashes on certain devices
- Graphical glitches and visual bugs

**Requested features**

- More free planes and maps
- Permanent upgrades instead of single-use
- Improved flight dynamics and realism
- Expanded gameplay content and modes
- Better optimization and stability


### Contrail

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/contrail-flight-paths/id6778667842)

Control a plane and avoid crossing red lines to fly as far as possible. Build a heat multiplier by skimming danger zones for a higher score. Unlock new trails and keep your daily streak alive in this minimalist arcade flyer.

**Highlights:** Tap to bank left or right, Build heat multiplier with near-misses, Progress through different sky zones, Unlock contrail colors and trails, Instant restarts, Daily streak tracking

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| No Ads | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Flight Simulator 2d free?

Flight Simulator 2d is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Contrail free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Flight Simulator 2d or Contrail?

Contrail is rated higher. Flight Simulator 2d averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.7K ratings, while Contrail averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Flight Simulator 2d or Contrail have ads?

Both Flight Simulator 2d and Contrail show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Flight Simulator 2d or Contrail?

Flight Simulator 2d ships an update every 2 weeks, and Contrail every 2 days. Most recently, Flight Simulator 2d was updated on October 18, 2026 and Contrail on October 6, 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.*