Comparison

VatView vs X

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

Head to head
About

VatView

Track air traffic controllers and flight information on the VATSIM network. View active ATC stations, frequencies, and ATIS messages. Explore an interactive map showing pilots and controllers, or search for airport-specific flight data.

Highlights
  • Interactive VATSIM map
  • Live METAR weather data
  • Filterable pilot and ATC lists
  • Airport-specific flight information
  • Enroute and FSS control areas
  • ATC bookings
Features
Read full description

VatView is a mobile app that allows flight simulation enthusiasts to track ATC presence and flight information on the VATSIM network. VatView aims to be your ultimate VATSIM companion! It provides easy access to active VATSIM terminal area ATC stations and frequencies and exposes the ATIS message easily. It also shows enroute ATC, including marking land, oceanic, UIR and FSS VATSIM controlled areas on the map. VatView features three main views: - a map displaying all pilots and air traffic controllers currently connected to the VATSIM network. - A filterable and searchable list page - displaying a detailed list of all connected pilots and ATC. - An airport search page - which concentrates all connected ATC, active flights and prefiled flight plans for a specific airport. VATSIM (short for the Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network) is a completely free online platform that allows Flight simulator enthusiasts connect and fly virtually on one shared virtual aviation eco system. It simulates Air Traffic Control (ATC) with full voice and network connection between virtual pilots flight on flight simulator software and virtual air traffic controllers using software for providing ATC services. It is as real as it gets. It supports Microsoft's Flight simulator (MSFS, FSX and FS9), P3D and X-Plane. For more information visit https://www.vatsim.net. Features: - An Interactive map displaying VATSIM pilots and ATC - Detailed aircraft and terminal ATC station Icons - Enroute and FSS control areas - Live METAR (weather) data for any airport - ATC Bookings - Always up to date FIR boundaries synced with VATSpy's data project - Detailed flight information - Filterable and searchable list screen - An easy way to get all relevant terminal area stations with the relevant ATIS message * The app uses the storage permission to cache large airspace data it needs to display on the map. Disclaimer: The author is not affiliated with the VATSIM Organization in any way (other than being an enthusiastic user and member of the community)

About

X

Control your desktop flight simulator from your mobile device. Connect wirelessly over your local network to manage X-Plane 12 with pro-level precision. Experience a new way to interact with your flight simulation.

Highlights
  • Local LAN control
  • X-Plane 12 integration
  • Pro-level precision
  • Mobile device interface
  • Wireless connectivity
Features
Read full description

Run X-Plane 12 for desktop Mac, Windows or Linux on your local LAN. Run this App on your iPad or iPhone on the same LAN! Choose the copy of X-Plane you want to control on the opening screen and viola: You've got Pro-Level control of X-Plane 12!

Screenshots

VatView4 screens
X4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: X at none against VatView's shown. X also leads on review sentiment (38% vs 25%) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). VatView's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months). On price, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VatView ships an update weekly, X every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on June 5, 2026 and September 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
VatView versus X: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVatViewX
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.8 (23 ratings) — better
Positive reviews25.0% of reviews37.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—23 — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 5 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.112.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB3.0 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOren GevaLaminar Research

Customer experience

VatView

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative25.0%

X

All ratings23 ratings
Positive69.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative30.4%
Written reviews29 reviews
Positive37.9%
Neutral6.9%
Negative55.2%

In-app purchases

None

VatView

No in-app purchases

None

X

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is VatView free?
VatView is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is X free?
X is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do VatView or X have ads?
VatView shows ads; X does not.
Which is updated more often, VatView or X?
VatView ships an update weekly, and X every 5 months. Most recently, VatView was updated on June 5, 2026 and X on September 2, 2026.

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