Comparison

Prepware Commercial Pilot vs Instrument Pilot Test Prep

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

Head to head
About

Prepware Commercial Pilot

Prepare for your FAA 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
Currently charting
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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

Instrument Pilot Test Prep

Prepare for your FAA Instrument Pilot written test with a comprehensive study tool. It offers three modes: study questions by topic, review using flashcards, and take simulated practice tests. Detailed explanations and progress reports help you track your learning.

Highlights
  • Study questions by topic
  • Customizable review sessions
  • Flashcard mode for knowledge testing
  • Simulated 60-question practice tests
  • Detailed explanations for answers
  • Progress reports and test history
  • High-resolution FAA figures and legends
Features
Currently charting
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Sporty's Study Buddy prepares you for the FAA Instrument Rating knowledge test (the "written") with three ways to study: Study Questions, Flashcards and Practice Tests. Questions are organized by knowledge area, with explanations of the right and wrong answers developed by Sporty's team of Master CFIs, based on their experience preparing students for the Instrument Rating. • STUDY QUESTIONS BY TOPIC • Choose whole knowledge areas or individual topics to build your own study session. As soon as you answer, you'll see the correct answer, why it's right, and where to read more. Change your answer anytime, bookmark questions as you go, and jump to any question from the question list. Every study session is shuffled. • REVIEW WITH FLASHCARDS • Flashcards show just the question, so you answer from memory before revealing the correct answer and its explanation. Mark each card Know It or Still Learning, then start a new session from the cards you're still learning. On iPhone Duo, study a card with the phone open and close it to check the answer. • TAKE PRACTICE TESTS • Each Practice Test draws 60 questions at random from the full question bank, gives you 2 hours, and is graded at the FAA's 70% passing score. Afterward, see your score by topic, review every question or only the ones you missed, and turn your misses into a new study session. • PICK UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF • Sessions save as you go. The History tab lets you resume any session in progress and review past results, including your scores by topic. • EVERY FIGURE, OFFLINE • The Figures tab includes the complete FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Supplement for Instrument Rating, with every figure and legend listed by name and page. Swipe through the pages or open any one full screen. Questions show their figures right alongside, and you can study without a connection. Designed for iPhone, iPhone Duo and iPad, with Dark Mode and support for larger text sizes. The FAA does not publish its knowledge test questions, so the questions on your test won't necessarily appear in this app. Study Buddy is meant to complement your training, not to replace flight and ground instruction.

Screenshots

Prepware Commercial Pilot4 screens
Instrument Pilot Test Prep4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Prepware Commercial Pilot at $9.99 against Instrument Pilot Test Prep's $14.99. Prepware Commercial Pilot also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Instrument Pilot Test Prep's advantage is rating (3.1 vs 2.8). On review sentiment, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Instrument Pilot Test Prep holds the better App Store score, 3.1 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 35 and 16 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Prepware Commercial Pilot's written reviews are positive against 39% of Instrument Pilot Test Prep's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Prepware Commercial Pilot ships an update every 4 months, Instrument Pilot Test Prep every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Prepware Commercial Pilot versus Instrument Pilot Test Prep: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrepware Commercial PilotInstrument Pilot Test Prep
Price$9.99 — better$14.99
Rating2.8 (35 ratings)3.1 (16 ratings) — better
Positive reviews36.2% of reviews39.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings35 — better16
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#101 — better#170
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB91 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperASASporty's Pilot Shop

Customer experience

Prepware Commercial Pilot

All ratings35 ratings
Positive37.1%
Neutral17.1%
Negative45.7%
Written reviews47 reviews
Positive36.2%
Neutral21.3%
Negative42.6%

Instrument Pilot Test Prep

All ratings16 ratings
Positive43.8%
Neutral6.3%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive39.3%
Neutral14.3%
Negative46.4%

In-app purchases

None

Prepware Commercial Pilot

No in-app purchases

None

Instrument Pilot Test Prep

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Prepware Commercial Pilot free?
Prepware Commercial Pilot costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Instrument Pilot Test Prep free?
Instrument Pilot Test Prep costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Prepware Commercial Pilot or Instrument Pilot Test Prep?
Instrument Pilot Test Prep is rated higher. Prepware Commercial Pilot averages 2.8 out of 5 from 35 ratings, while Instrument Pilot Test Prep averages 3.1 from 16 ratings.
Do Prepware Commercial Pilot or Instrument Pilot Test Prep have ads?
Neither Prepware Commercial Pilot nor Instrument Pilot Test Prep shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Prepware Commercial Pilot or Instrument Pilot Test Prep?
Prepware Commercial Pilot ships an update every 4 months, and Instrument Pilot Test Prep every 5 months. Most recently, Prepware Commercial Pilot was updated on October 29, 2026 and Instrument Pilot Test Prep on November 1, 2026.
Which is more popular, Prepware Commercial Pilot or Instrument Pilot Test Prep?
Prepware Commercial Pilot currently peaks at #101 in the App Store charts, and Instrument Pilot Test Prep at #170. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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