# Prepware Private Pilot vs PIA Student Portal

The clearest difference is price: PIA Student Portal at Free against Prepware Private Pilot's $9.99. Prepware Private Pilot's advantage is update cadence (every 4 months vs every 15 months) and chart position (#10 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

PIA Student Portal 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.

Prepware Private Pilot ships an update every 4 months, PIA Student Portal every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Prepware Private Pilot | PIA Student Portal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[3.8 (139 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/prepware-private-pilot/id334278376/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **139** | — |
| Positive reviews | 60.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 months** | Every 15 months |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Best chart rank | **#10** | — |
| Size | 60 MB | 40 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) | [Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics (PIA)](https://appshunter.io/developer/1743420900) |

## What reviewers say

### Prepware Private Pilot

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

**Currently charting:** #10 Top Paid · Education, #131 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


### PIA Student Portal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pia-student-portal/id6499433406)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Prepware Private Pilot free?

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

### Is PIA Student Portal free?

PIA Student Portal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Prepware Private Pilot or PIA Student Portal have ads?

Neither Prepware Private Pilot nor PIA Student Portal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Prepware Private Pilot or PIA Student Portal?

Prepware Private Pilot ships an update every 4 months, and PIA Student Portal every 15 months. Most recently, Prepware Private Pilot was updated on November 1, 2026 and PIA Student Portal on September 30, 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.*