Hello Tower vs Flatout ATC
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hello Tower
Experience realistic airport ground control with this simulation app. Manage aircraft movements, issue clearances, and handle emergencies across over 40 diverse airports. Progress from simple single-runway operations to complex hub airports.
- Airport ground maneuvering simulation
- Over 40 different airports
- Simplified and real-size airport versions
- Pushback, taxi, and take-off clearances
- Emergency handling
- Level-based progression
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Airport ground maneuvering simulation of more than 40 different airports including London Heathrow LHR, Philadelphia PHL, Miami Intl. MIA, Singapore, New York JFK, Las Vegas LAS, São Paulo GRU, Montreal YUL, Boston BOS, and many more. Different versions of airports included: - Play the simplified version, where the airport is scaled down to an easy playable experience. - Play the real thing. Here the whole airport is in real size displayed, where all your skills are required. Features - Give pushback, taxi, holding and take-off clearances. - Handle emergencies and try to release all flights on time in order to release the next level. From an easy single-runway operation at the beginning to demanding hub airports with multiple active runways where all your skills are required.
Flatout ATC
Command real-world airspace by guiding aircraft through 28 detailed airports. This fast-paced puzzle game tests your skills with realistic procedures and daily challenges. Manage arrivals, departures, and emergencies to achieve perfect landings.
- Realistic airspace command
- 28 meticulously mapped airports
- Approach and landing guidance
- Daily challenges
- Escalating difficulty
- Free Play mode
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Flatout ATC puts you in the tower. Vector arrivals, sequence departures, clear approaches, and keep every aircraft safely separated across real airports from New York to Tokyo. NEW IN 3.0: THE WATCH A career campaign told in seasons. Step into the tower as a new controller and earn your place shift by shift, with a full cast, a story that carries across episodes, and a debrief after every shift. - Season 1: First Watch. Seven episodes. Your first solo, your first radio failure, your first engine-out. - Season 2: The Incident Desk. Seven episodes of search and rescue, including a cooperative multi-aircraft rescue. REAL CONTROL - Tap an aircraft to give it a heading, altitude, or speed. - Clear published approaches and issue crossing restrictions like a real controller. - Fly search and rescue: follow the signal, hold a steady hover to hoist, and beat the survival clock. LIVE TRAFFIC Work a shift against real aircraft flying right now over New York, London, and Atlanta, streamed from live ADS-B data. One free live shift every day. NO ADS Every advert was removed. No interruptions, no rewarded videos, just you and the airspace. A WHOLE WORLD Dozens of real airports with satellite-accurate runways, published procedures, 3D terrain and towers, weather you can fly around, helicopters, and a daily challenge. THE LOGBOOK Every level you clear writes a permanent record you can look back on. Already own the Full Game? You keep the base game and every season, free, forever.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Flatout ATC at Free against Hello Tower's $2.99. Hello Tower's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.1). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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
Flatout ATC is free to download; Hello Tower costs $2.99 up front. Hello Tower sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Flatout ATC sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Hello Tower against 4.3 for Flatout ATC. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 66 and 40 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Hello Tower's written reviews are positive against 67% of Flatout ATC's.
Hello Tower ships an update every 9 days, Flatout ATC every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hello Tower | Flatout ATC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.4 (66 ratings) — better | 4.3 (40 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.7% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 66 — better | 40 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Every 5 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 | 18.0 — better | 26.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 412 MB | 545 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sascha Trachsel | Craig Kennedy |
Customer experience
Hello Tower
Flatout ATC
Bugs and requests
Hello Tower
Reported bugs
37 issues- Flight freezing on runway holding and turns
- Aircraft getting stuck and blocking routes
- 30-second departure timer disappearing
- Aircraft crashing with held aircraft on taxiway
- Levels not unlocking
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- Game freezes/crashes, especially at Heathrow
- Separation logic errors
- Aircraft not selectable
- Game hangs/freezes after updates
- New UI is confusing and unreadable
- Sounds missing after update
- Focus on aircraft and readability worsened
- Aircraft symbols obscured by labels
- Tapping messages only selects aircraft once
- Parking spots shown as available when occupied
- Planes crossing paths and getting stuck
- Aircraft becoming 'ghosts' blocking routes
- Runway timer resets to zero before 30 seconds
- Departure separation timer sometimes fails to appear
- Recent updates have made the game fiddly and difficult
- UI is worse after recent updates
- Levels changed after recent updates
- Game becomes unplayable after updates
- Aircraft roll with extreme speed
- UI for iPhones is terrible
- Previous version was better
- Custom game mode is buggy
- Some airport orientations are off
- Ground radars not oriented to true north
- Cannot make aircraft move
- Cannot park landed aircraft
- Game ends with blocked runway when it's not
- Impossible timings leading to penalties
- Aircraft launching in both directions on the same runway simultaneously
- Departure slot timer bug
- Aircraft on final approach not being able to be directed away
- Aircraft on runway preventing others from crossing
Requested features
23 requests- Add more airports (US, European, Asian, Indian cities)
- Add an endless/sandbox mode
- Add AI voice recognition and ATC dialogues
- Implement a tutorial or walk-through
- Add a 'continue game' or save progress option
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- Add more realistic separation rules and traffic patterns
- Improve UI and controls (smaller buttons, better organization)
- Add option to designate departure/arrival runways
- Add rejected takeoffs, emergency vehicles, emergency inbounds
- Add ability to call a go-around
- Allow custom stop points
- Add more sounds for aircraft
- Add a smaller tutorial airport
- Add day/night environment switching
- Add towing/pushback option for stuck aircraft
- Add Chinese language support
- Add more content/levels, possibly a sequel
- Improve graphics and aircraft dynamics
- Add music and better menu
- Add indication when flights actually depart
- Add beacon lights to taxiway hotspots
- Add more realistic taxi speeds and turnaround times
- Add runway vacation instructions
Flatout ATC
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Hello Tower
- Hello Tower Test$0.99
- Airport Pack$0.99
- Sandbox test2 variants$0.99
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- Airport Pack$1.99
Flatout ATC
- Unlock Small Fields$0.99
- Mid Size Fields$0.99
- Unlock Military Complication$0.99
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- Unlock International Airports$0.99
- Unlock Regional Northeast Airspaces$0.99
- Unlock the US 'Big Dog'$0.99
- Unlock the Final Bosses$0.99
- The Watch — Season One$2.99
- Season 2: The Incident Desk$2.99
- Season 3: The Crossing$2.99
- Base Game Unlock$4.99
- Unlock Full Game$4.99
