# Prepware Instrument Pilot vs R44 Pad XS

The clearest difference is price: Prepware Instrument Pilot at $9.99 against R44 Pad XS's $14.99. Prepware Instrument Pilot also leads on rating (2.6 vs 2.3) and chart position (#155 vs unranked). R44 Pad XS's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Prepware Instrument Pilot costs $9.99 and R44 Pad XS $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Prepware Instrument Pilot holds the better App Store score, 2.6 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Prepware Instrument Pilot has 45 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 38% of Prepware Instrument Pilot's written reviews are positive against 43% of R44 Pad XS's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Prepware Instrument Pilot ships an update every 4 months, R44 Pad XS every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Prepware Instrument Pilot | R44 Pad XS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$9.99** | $14.99 |
| Rating | **[2.6 (45 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/prepware-instrument-pilot/id338887882/reviews)** | [2.3 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/r44-pad-xs/id561929569/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **45** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 37.8% of reviews | **42.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#155** | — |
| Size | 36 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **9.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ASA](https://appshunter.io/developer/334278379) | [Gyronimo, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/536898885) |

## What reviewers say

### Prepware Instrument Pilot

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/prepware-instrument-pilot/id338887882)

**Currently charting:** #155 Top Paid · Education (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### R44 Pad XS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/r44-pad-xs/id561929569)

This flight computer app calculates weight & balance, performance, and navigation data for Robinson R44 helicopters. It features a user-friendly interface with sliders for quick adjustments and allows pilots to experiment with various scenarios.

**Highlights:** Weight & Balance calculations, Performance data (ceilings, density altitude), Navigation calculations (E6B), Speed limit calculations, Save and load helicopter setups, Email weight & balance results

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Prepware Instrument Pilot free?

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

### Is R44 Pad XS free?

R44 Pad XS costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Prepware Instrument Pilot or R44 Pad XS?

Prepware Instrument Pilot is rated higher. Prepware Instrument Pilot averages 2.6 out of 5 from 45 ratings, while R44 Pad XS averages 2.3 from 6 ratings.

### Do Prepware Instrument Pilot or R44 Pad XS have ads?

Neither Prepware Instrument Pilot nor R44 Pad XS shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Prepware Instrument Pilot or R44 Pad XS?

Prepware Instrument Pilot ships an update every 4 months, and R44 Pad XS every 6 weeks. Most recently, Prepware Instrument Pilot was updated on October 30, 2026 and R44 Pad XS on October 29, 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.*
