# FAR/AIM vs Pilot Handbook

The clearest difference is price: FAR/AIM at Free against Pilot Handbook's $2.99. FAR/AIM also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (1.1K vs 320). Pilot Handbook's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (93% vs 63%). On rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

FAR/AIM is free to download; Pilot Handbook costs $2.99 up front. FAR/AIM sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pilot Handbook asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for FAR/AIM against 4.9 for Pilot Handbook. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.1K and 320 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of FAR/AIM's written reviews are positive against 93% of Pilot Handbook's.

FAR/AIM ships an update fortnightly, Pilot Handbook every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | FAR/AIM | Pilot Handbook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/faraim-faa-pilot-reference/id328979186/reviews) | **[4.9 (320 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pilot-handbook/id346827608/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 320 |
| Positive reviews | 63.2% of reviews | **93.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 134 MB | 99 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **9.3** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tekk Innovations LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/320464672) | [Calculated Industries](https://appshunter.io/developer/370406449) |

## What reviewers say

### FAR/AIM

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/faraim-faa-pilot-reference/id328979186)

Access comprehensive aviation regulations and the Aeronautical Information Manual on your mobile device. Stay updated with frequent content revisions and utilize powerful search and bookmarking tools for quick reference.

**Highlights:** Complete FAR/AIM text, Intelligent full-text search, Context-sensitive search, Bookmarks and highlights, Frequent content updates, Email sections

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-Year Subscription | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Quick reference
- 💡 Convenient digital format
- 👍 Up-to-date information
- 👍 Excellent customer service

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Poor search functionality
- 🔒 Locked content behind paywall

**Reported bugs**

- Highlighting causes app to crash
- Bookmarking feature is unreliable
- Subscription issues and billing problems

**Requested features**

- Ability to highlight and bookmark content
- Improved organization and navigation
- Sync across devices
- Rotorcraft-specific regulations


### Pilot Handbook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pilot-handbook/id346827608)

Access essential aeronautical knowledge for pilots and students. This app provides comprehensive information from the FAA's Pilot's Handbook, including over 110 aviation calculators and detailed weight and balance data. It features over 800 illustrations to aid understanding.

**Highlights:** Aeronautical knowledge content, 110+ aviation calculators, Weight and balance information, 800+ illustrations, FAA pilot training manual format, Standalone calculators

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly interface and easy navigation
- 📚 Comprehensive and detailed aviation content
- 💰 Excellent value for the price
- 📖 Well-organized reference material
- 🎨 Clear illustrations and graphics

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⚠️ Content not updated to latest FAA standards
- 🐛 Trip planning calculators malfunction
- 🐛 Pages frequently stick and don't scroll
- 📱 Not optimized for newer device screens
- 🎨 Logo compass design error (aircraft banking issue)

**Reported bugs**

- Trip time calculator repeats descent time value instead of summing properly
- Fuel calculation based on incorrect trip time
- Pages stick and don't scroll down properly
- App crashes and shuts down unexpectedly
- Not optimized for iPhone X and newer devices with larger screens

**Requested features**

- Update content to FAA-8083-25C 2023 version
- Dark mode for night reading
- Chapter numbers for easier reference
- Text highlighting and underlining capability
- Text enlargement/zoom feature


## Frequently asked questions

### Is FAR/AIM free?

FAR/AIM is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Pilot Handbook free?

Pilot Handbook costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, FAR/AIM or Pilot Handbook?

Pilot Handbook is rated higher. FAR/AIM averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Pilot Handbook averages 4.9 from 320 ratings.

### Do FAR/AIM or Pilot Handbook have ads?

Neither FAR/AIM nor Pilot Handbook shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, FAR/AIM or Pilot Handbook?

FAR/AIM ships an update fortnightly, and Pilot Handbook every 6 months. Most recently, FAR/AIM was updated on November 6, 2026 and Pilot Handbook on November 7, 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.*