Comparison

Navigator vs Holding Pattern Trainer

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

Head to head
About

Navigator

This app simulates instrument flying for pilots. Learn how aircraft instruments react to changes in position and orientation, or test your skills by determining aircraft location based on instrument readings. It's designed for general aviation pilots to practice navigation.

Highlights
  • Interactive instrument simulation
  • Learn mode for understanding instrument response
  • Test mode for location determination
  • Adjustable map orientation
  • VOR OBS setting
Features
Read full description

Navigator is an instrument training program for general aviation pilots. It operates in two modes. In Learn mode you move and/or rotate the items on the map (VOR 1, VOR 2, NDB, aircraft) and see how the instruments (VOR 1, VOR 2, ADF, HI) respond. You can also change the orientation of the map by rotating the compass arrow. In Test mode the map is put into a random configuration and your task is to determine the aircraft location. Move and/or rotate the aircraft until it is in the the position indicated by the instruments. You can also set the OBS on the VORs.

About

Holding Pattern Trainer

Master IFR holding pattern entries on your mobile device to save time and money on instrument flight training. Practice at your convenience to make choosing the correct entry a breeze.

Highlights
  • Entry Trainer for holding pattern drills
  • Holding calculator for scenario visualization
  • Holding tutorial for quick learning
  • Practice at your own pace
  • Save on flight and ground lessons
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Save time and money on your instrument flight training by mastering IFR holding pattern entries at the comfort of your own mobile device. Make IFR flight training easier! Is the following scenario familiar? You receive a holding clearance from ATC, and only have a couple of minutes, sometimes only a few seconds, to choose the correct entry. By the time you've figured out what's going on, you've already passed the holding fix and don't know what to do next. If this sounds familiar, then you need not to worry. Confusion during holding entries happens to practically almost every new instrument student. Even instrument-rated pilots occasionally have the same problem — when they don't get enough practice. Holding Trainer solves this problem and as a result, cuts the time you have to spend on expensive flight and ground lessons. With Holding Trainer, you can practice on your own time and convenience, so that choosing the best holding entry in the air becomes a breeze. Features: -Entry Trainer - Drills you on choosing the best holding entry. Practice until choosing holding entries becomes second nature and impress your flight instructor with your skills. -Holding calculator. Solve and visualize any holding scenario by entering your current bearing to the fix and a outbound or inbound holding radial. -Holding tutorial - learn how to choose the best holding entry quickly and easily. Holding Trainer for iOS is a complete rewrite based on my popular Flash-based desktop Holding Trainer app available on pilotscafe.com. ***Don't get "stuck" next time you receive a holding pattern clearance!*** ---------------------------------- For only a fraction of the cost of one ground lesson with your flight instructor, you can practice this important instrument skill at your own pace and save hundreds of Dollars on figuring out holding entries in the air. This is a great tool for anyone training towards their instrument checkride, CFII, proficiency check, or simply trying to improve their holding patterns. ----------------------------------

Screenshots

Navigator4 screens
Holding Pattern Trainer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Navigator at 5.0 against Holding Pattern Trainer's 4.1. Navigator also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 11.0). Holding Pattern Trainer's advantage is ratings volume (114 vs 3) and chart position (#22 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Navigator costs $4.99 and Holding Pattern Trainer $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Navigator holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Holding Pattern Trainer has 114 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of Navigator's written reviews are positive against 77% of Holding Pattern Trainer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Navigator ships an update every 3 months, Holding Pattern Trainer every 5 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Navigator versus Holding Pattern Trainer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNavigatorHolding Pattern Trainer
Price$4.99$4.99
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better4.1 (114 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews76.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3114 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#22 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better11.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLaurie DavisFLEMINGER MEDIA LLC

Customer experience

Navigator

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral4.8%
Negative28.6%

Holding Pattern Trainer

All ratings114 ratings
Positive78.9%
Neutral5.3%
Negative15.8%
Written reviews91 reviews
Positive76.9%
Neutral4.4%
Negative18.7%

Bugs and requests

Navigator

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Holding Pattern Trainer

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • Entries are wrong for turns
  • Plan view is incorrect
  • App drawing entries in wrong directions
  • Slicing the fix completely wrong
  • Bearing questions are wrong
Show 10 more
  • App does not apply reciprocal track to 'pod'
  • Giving wrong answers
  • Visualizer is mirrored to map plan view (user confusion)
  • Practice screen plan view incorrect
  • App craps out and goes to a black screen
  • Guide lines separating direct, parallel, and teardrop incorrectly in practice mode visualization
  • Not updated for iOS 11
  • App loads upside down
  • Button sensitivity could be better
  • Cannot change values on hold computer

Requested features

11 requests
  • Include more methods in tutorial
  • Add teardrop heading to fly
  • Allow practice with bearings on/off
  • Show outbound teardrop/inbound parallel correction headings
  • Work in portrait mode
Show 6 more
  • Add voice ATC instructions
  • More variety in questions
  • Larger text for older users
  • More tips for newbies
  • Ability to fly the hold like a nav trainer
  • Use real-life ATC phrases in exercises

In-app purchases

None

Navigator

No in-app purchases

None

Holding Pattern Trainer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Navigator free?
Navigator costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Holding Pattern Trainer free?
Holding Pattern Trainer costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Navigator or Holding Pattern Trainer?
Navigator is rated higher. Navigator averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Holding Pattern Trainer averages 4.1 from 114 ratings.
Do Navigator or Holding Pattern Trainer have ads?
Neither Navigator nor Holding Pattern Trainer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Navigator or Holding Pattern Trainer?
Navigator ships an update every 3 months, and Holding Pattern Trainer every 5 months. Most recently, Navigator was updated on October 24, 2026 and Holding Pattern Trainer on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons