Comparison

Prepware CFI 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 CFI

Prepare for the 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
  • Comprehensive preparation tool
Features
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

Instrument Pilot Test Prep

Prepare for your FAA Instrument Rating knowledge test with study questions, flashcards, and practice tests. Access all figures offline and track your progress by topic. Designed for iPhone and iPad.

Highlights
  • Study questions by topic
  • Flashcard review
  • Randomized practice tests
  • Offline figure access
  • Progress tracking
  • Resume study sessions
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

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 CFI4 screens
Instrument Pilot Test Prep4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Instrument Pilot Test Prep at 3.1 against Prepware CFI's 2.4. Instrument Pilot Test Prep also leads on chart position (#182 vs unranked). Prepware CFI's advantage is price ($9.99 vs $14.99) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). 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 CFI 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 2.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 38 and 16 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of Prepware CFI's written reviews are positive against 39% of Instrument Pilot Test Prep's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Prepware CFI ships an update every 4 months, Instrument Pilot Test Prep every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Prepware CFI versus Instrument Pilot Test Prep: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrepware CFIInstrument Pilot Test Prep
Price$9.99 — better$14.99
Rating2.4 (38 ratings)3.1 (16 ratings) — better
Positive reviews31.3% of reviews39.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings38 — better16
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#182 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB92 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperASASporty's Pilot Shop

Customer experience

Prepware CFI

All ratings38 ratings
Positive23.7%
Neutral26.3%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews67 reviews
Positive31.3%
Neutral23.9%
Negative44.8%

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 CFI

No in-app purchases

None

Instrument Pilot Test Prep

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Prepware CFI free?
Prepware CFI 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 CFI or Instrument Pilot Test Prep?
Instrument Pilot Test Prep is rated higher. Prepware CFI averages 2.4 out of 5 from 38 ratings, while Instrument Pilot Test Prep averages 3.1 from 16 ratings.
Do Prepware CFI or Instrument Pilot Test Prep have ads?
Neither Prepware CFI nor Instrument Pilot Test Prep shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Prepware CFI or Instrument Pilot Test Prep?
Prepware CFI ships an update every 4 months, and Instrument Pilot Test Prep every 5 months. Most recently, Prepware CFI was updated on November 1, 2026 and Instrument Pilot Test Prep on November 6, 2026.

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