# Prepware Private Pilot vs Cessna Companion

The clearest difference is price: Cessna Companion at Free against Prepware Private Pilot's $9.99. Cessna Companion also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.9) and ratings volume (3.4K vs 138). Prepware Private Pilot's advantage is review sentiment (61% vs 36%) and chart position (#8 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Cessna Companion is free to download; Prepware Private Pilot costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Cessna Companion holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cessna Companion has 3.4K ratings behind it against 138, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 61% of Prepware Private Pilot's written reviews are positive against 36% of Cessna Companion's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Prepware Private Pilot ships an update every 4 months, Cessna Companion every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Prepware Private Pilot | Cessna Companion |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.9 (138 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/prepware-private-pilot/id334278376/reviews) | **[4.8 (3.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cessna-companion/id1106734305/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 138 | **3.4K** |
| Positive reviews | **60.8% of reviews** | 36.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 months** | Every 9 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#8** | — |
| Size | 60 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ASA](https://appshunter.io/developer/334278379) | [King Schools, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/359927109) |

## What reviewers say

### Prepware Private Pilot

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/prepware-private-pilot/id334278376)

**Currently charting:** #8 Top Paid · Education, #98 Top Paid (US App Store)

Prepare for your FAA Private Pilot Knowledge Exam with this comprehensive study and test tool. It offers flashcard-style review of questions, answers, and explanations, allowing you to study by subject or take realistic practice tests.

**Highlights:** Flashcard-style review, Questions, answers, and explanations, Study by subject, Practice tests, FAA Knowledge Exam preparation

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💯 High scores achieved
- 📚 Great practice for harder questions
- 📱 Convenient for studying on the go
- ✅ Questions similar to real exam
- 💡 Detailed explanations provided

**What reviewers complain about**

- ❓ Powered flight questions for glider pilots
- 📱 Small screen issues for plotting/maps
- 🤷 Missing essential questions
- ⚠️ Not a sole reliance tool
- 🤔 Questions worded differently

**Reported bugs**

- Powered flight questions appearing for glider pilots
- Small screen makes chart plotting difficult
- Missing essential questions for the written exam
- Some answers are incorrect
- Macbook app not working properly

**Requested features**

- Ability to save/create a bank of difficult questions
- Scramble answer choices for realism
- Improve UI for newer devices (iPhone X/Xs/Xr, iPad Pro)
- Add Apple Watch support
- Vary the length of test modules


### Cessna Companion

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cessna-companion/id1106734305)

This app allows enrolled users to download and complete lessons from their online Cessna pilot courses on their iPad. Study course content, take quizzes, and view video previews offline, with progress automatically synced to your online account. Prepare for flight lessons efficiently and retain vital knowledge.

**Highlights:** Download course lessons offline, Complete quizzes on iPad, View video flight previews offline, Sync progress with online course, Study anywhere, anytime

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Excellent ground school platform
- 🎓 High-quality training materials
- 👍 User-friendly and convenient
- 🚀 Seamless integration with main program

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy app
- 📱 Compatibility issues with older devices
- 🔍 Poor UI and formatting
- 🔄 Frequent disconnections and loading issues
- 🤔 Mismatch between course content and exam questions

**Reported bugs**

- Courses not loading or getting stuck on loading screen
- App crashing or becoming unresponsive
- Incorrect or incomplete course content
- Issues with syncing progress between app and web version

**Requested features**

- Update app to be more user-friendly
- Allow offline access to course materials
- Improve test question layout and responsiveness
- Add option to download practice tests for offline use


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Prepware Private Pilot free?

Prepware Private Pilot costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Cessna Companion free?

Cessna Companion is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Prepware Private Pilot or Cessna Companion?

Cessna Companion is rated higher. Prepware Private Pilot averages 3.9 out of 5 from 138 ratings, while Cessna Companion averages 4.8 from 3.4K ratings.

### Do Prepware Private Pilot or Cessna Companion have ads?

Neither Prepware Private Pilot nor Cessna Companion shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Prepware Private Pilot or Cessna Companion?

Prepware Private Pilot ships an update every 4 months, and Cessna Companion every 9 months. Most recently, Prepware Private Pilot was updated on October 27, 2026 and Cessna Companion on October 24, 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.*