Comparison

Prepware Instrument Pilot vs Sporty's Pilot Training

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

Head to head
About

Prepware Instrument Pilot

Prepare for your FAA Knowledge Exam with flashcard-style reviews and practice tests. Study by subject or take a full practice exam to gauge your readiness.

Highlights
  • Flashcard-style review
  • Questions, answers, and explanations
  • Study by subject
  • Practice test simulation
  • FAA Knowledge Exam preparation
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Comprehensive preparation, study and test tool for the FAA Knowledge Exam. Flashcard style review of questions, answers and explanations included for you to study by subject or with a true-to-form practice test.

About

Sporty's Pilot Training

Access a comprehensive library of aviation training courses, including video lessons, FAA test preparation, and interactive guides. Learn to fly, earn instrument ratings, and master various aircraft systems with expert-led content.

Highlights
  • Video training courses
  • FAA test preparation
  • Interactive flight maneuvers guide
  • Airman Certification Standards (ACS) reference
  • Flight Training Syllabus
  • Ask a CFI service
Features
Read full description

Sporty’s innovative Pilot Training app brings a variety of aviation training courses to one location, allowing you to access all of your Sporty's aviation content from your iPad, iPhone or AppleTV. It’s free to get started - including interactive free FAA handbooks, free FAR/AIM, FAA practice tests and HD/4K training videos. SPORTY’S 2026 LEARN TO FLY COURSE For the cost of a single flight lesson, Sporty’s Learn to Fly course will save you time and money earning your pilot certificate. This is not a weekend “cram course” or a boring ground school lecture on video. It is a comprehensive flight-training companion designed to make your lessons more efficient, more complete and more fun. There is nothing extra to buy—just add flight instructor! INCLUDES: 20 hours of HD video training with search, knowledge test prep, interactive flight maneuvers guide, video-referenced Airman Certification Standards (ACS), Flight Training Syllabus, Ask a CFI service. After successful course completion, you’ll earn an FAA knowledge test endorsement and FAA WINGS credit. SPORTY’S 2026 INSTRUMENT RATING COURSE With Sporty’s Complete Instrument Rating Course, you’ll ace your FAA written test—we guarantee it! But this app is much more than just test prep. With incredible in-flight footage and 3D animations, we unlock the secrets of the IFR system so you can be a safe, smooth and proficient pilot. Detailed video segments cover both glass cockpits and analog gauges. INCLUDES: 13 hours of video training, knowledge test prep, interactive instrument maneuvers guide, video-referenced Airman Certification Standards (ACS), Flight Training Syllabus, Ask a CFI service. AVIATION COURSE LIBRARY 2026 Learn to Fly/Private and Sport Pilot Training Course 2026 Instrument Rating Course 2026 Commercial Pilot Test Prep Course Aviation Weather Multiengine Training Course Tailwheel Checkout Course with Patty Wagstaff Seaplane Rating Course with Patty Wagstaff ForeFlight Power Users Training Flight Review Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC) Takeoffs and Landings VFR Communications IFR Communications Pilot's Guide to Airspace Basic Aerobatics with Patty Wagstaff Garmin G1000 Checkout Course Garmin G5000 Training Course Garmin GTN 650/750 Essentials Garmin Aviation Weather Radar Garmin TXi Essentials Garmin GFC500 Autopilot Essentials Garmin G3X Touch Certified Essentials Flying the Aspen Evolution So You Want to Fly Twins So You Want to Fly Gliders Flight Instructor Course Remote Pilot Test Prep Complete PilotWorkshops library Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.sportys.com/privacy/

Screenshots

Prepware Instrument Pilot4 screens
Sporty's Pilot Training4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Sporty's Pilot Training at Free against Prepware Instrument Pilot's $9.99. Sporty's Pilot Training also leads on rating (4.9 vs 2.6) and review sentiment (70% vs 38%). Prepware Instrument Pilot's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 14). On ads, chart position, device support and iOS requirement 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

Sporty's Pilot Training is free to download; Prepware Instrument Pilot costs $9.99 up front. Sporty's Pilot Training sells 14 one-off in-app purchases. Prepware Instrument Pilot asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sporty's Pilot Training holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sporty's Pilot Training has 11K ratings behind it against 45, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Prepware Instrument Pilot's written reviews are positive against 70% of Sporty's Pilot Training's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Prepware Instrument Pilot ships an update every 4 months, Sporty's Pilot Training weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Prepware Instrument Pilot versus Sporty's Pilot Training: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrepware Instrument PilotSporty's Pilot Training
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating2.6 (45 ratings)4.9 (11K ratings) — better
Positive reviews37.8% of reviews70.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4511K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#155#91 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB203 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperASASporty's Pilot Shop

Customer experience

Prepware Instrument Pilot

All ratings45 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral15.6%
Negative51.1%
Written reviews74 reviews
Positive37.8%
Neutral20.3%
Negative41.9%

Sporty's Pilot Training

All ratings11,028 ratings
Positive98.0%
Neutral1.0%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews118 reviews
Positive70.3%
Neutral10.2%
Negative19.5%

User reviews

Prepware Instrument Pilot

From 45 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Good value for money
  • 👍 Offline functionality
  • 👍 Helpful for passing written exams
  • 👍 Simple interface
  • 👍 Explanations provided

Room to improve

  • 👎 Outdated question bank
  • 👎 Inaccurate questions/answers
  • 👎 Missing core features
  • 👎 Poor optimization for iPad
  • 👎 Formatting issues

Sporty's Pilot Training

From 11K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Highly recommended and worth recommending
  • 🚀 Awesome training
  • 👍 Excellent quality
  • 👍 Great preparation for exams and flying
  • 👍 Passed written exams

Room to improve

  • 👎 Desktop site is much better
  • 👎 Not sure why all the good reviews
  • 🐛 Buggy Chromecast
  • 🐛 Lost ability to cast
  • 🐛 Sync issues between devices

Bugs and requests

Prepware Instrument Pilot

Reported bugs

39 issues
  • Text frequently cut off
  • App cannot dynamically scale text
  • Some questions missing figures
  • Figures have nothing to do with the question
  • Correct answers no longer shown in green
Show 34 more
  • Dark mode broken
  • App crashes
  • Save feature does not work
  • Answers lost when returning to app
  • Progress lost when switching categories
  • App closes by itself
  • Loses test progress when minimized
  • Figures not displayed for questions
  • Incomplete questions
  • Questions and answers do not match
  • Questions not completely displayed
  • Can't get back to question from figure display
  • Back button disappears
  • Can't take entire test without shutting down or redownloading
  • Software reverts to quiz mode when returning to study mode
  • Explanation link missing in study mode
  • Can't go back when opening a figure
  • Answers longer than three lines are cut off
  • Figures are sometimes incomplete
  • Figures are sometimes at too low a resolution
  • No way to store previous test scores
  • No progress shown
  • Study modes stops showing correct answer
  • Practice test questions do not allow access to appropriate figure
  • Truncated answers
  • Truncated questions
  • Figures are sometimes incomplete
  • Font is hard to read and small
  • Bold indication of right or wrong is missing
  • No running tally of missed questions
  • App restarts in test mode even when last in study mode
  • Bugs causing crashes that instantly exit the application
  • Scans did not come over well, particularly weather graphics
  • Hard to see some images

Requested features

18 requests
  • Ability to focus on previously incorrect answers
  • Major update for functionality and display bugs
  • Ensure all software is up to date with FAA question banks
  • Add timer and number of questions selection
  • Ability to eliminate questions already known
Show 13 more
  • Autosave and clear progress button
  • Ability to search through questions
  • Save test results
  • Ability to uncheck material of questions not needed
  • Ability to select questions relating to chapters
  • Provide reasons for wrong answers
  • Make background red or green for visibility
  • Allow marking questions for review
  • Record wrong answers for review
  • Dark mode option
  • Advanced analytics dashboard
  • Ability to skip questions that do not apply to equipment
  • Add CX-2 to iPhone

Sporty's Pilot Training

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Occasional crashes
  • Incompatible with older devices
  • Login screen freezes
  • Video downloads reset to zero when switching apps

Requested features

4 requests
  • Show progress/completion status of each video
  • Sync video progress across all devices
  • Ability to Airplay directly without third-party app
  • Continuous play mode

In-app purchases

None

Prepware Instrument Pilot

No in-app purchases

14 purchases

Sporty's Pilot Training

One-time14
  • Remote Pilot Test Prep$19.99
  • Sporty's CFI Lesson Plan Guide$19.99
  • Flying With ForeFlight$39.99
Show 11 more
  • Pilot's Guide to Airspace$39.99
  • Takeoffs and Landings$39.99
  • Instrument Proficiency Check$49.99
  • VFR Communications$49.99
  • Aviation Weather$79.99
  • Real World Flight Review$99.00
  • Garmin G1000 Checkout$99.99
  • Multiengine Training Course$129.99
  • Instrument Rating Course$299.00
  • Sporty's Learn To Fly Course$299.00
  • Commercial Pilot Course$299.00

Questions

Is Prepware Instrument Pilot free?
Prepware Instrument Pilot costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sporty's Pilot Training free?
Sporty's Pilot Training is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Prepware Instrument Pilot or Sporty's Pilot Training?
Sporty's Pilot Training is rated higher. Prepware Instrument Pilot averages 2.6 out of 5 from 45 ratings, while Sporty's Pilot Training averages 4.9 from 11K ratings.
Do Prepware Instrument Pilot or Sporty's Pilot Training have ads?
Neither Prepware Instrument Pilot nor Sporty's Pilot Training shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Prepware Instrument Pilot or Sporty's Pilot Training?
Prepware Instrument Pilot ships an update every 4 months, and Sporty's Pilot Training weekly. Most recently, Prepware Instrument Pilot was updated on October 30, 2026 and Sporty's Pilot Training on November 1, 2026.
Which is more popular, Prepware Instrument Pilot or Sporty's Pilot Training?
Prepware Instrument Pilot currently peaks at #155 in the App Store charts, and Sporty's Pilot Training at #91. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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