Comparison

Private Pilot Test Prep vs Flight Test X20

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

Head to head
About

Private Pilot Test Prep

Prepare for your FAA written test with this comprehensive study tool. It offers three modes: study questions by topic with detailed explanations, review using flashcards, and take full-length practice tests. Track your progress with detailed reports.

Highlights
  • Study questions by topic
  • Custom review sessions
  • Detailed answer explanations
  • Flashcard review mode
  • Simulated practice tests
  • Progress reports
Features
Read full description

Sporty's Study Buddy prepares you for the FAA Private Pilot 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 Private Pilot certificate. • 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, 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.

About

Flight Test X20

Prepare for FAA knowledge tests with this comprehensive study platform. It offers top-off preparation for various pilot and aviation professional written exams, including instrument rating and ATP.

Highlights
  • FAA knowledge test preparation
  • Pilot study course
  • Dispatcher study course
  • Instrument rating preparation
  • Instructor written test prep
  • ATP written test prep
Read full description

Flight Test X20 is Sheppard Air's latest student study course learning platform for FAA knowledge tests. It allows those students studying for pilot, dispatcher, instrument rating, instructor, flight engineer, ATP, and interviewee written tests to do their top-off preparation for the final knowledge test.

Screenshots

Private Pilot Test Prep4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Flight Test X20 at Free against Private Pilot Test Prep's $14.99. Flight Test X20 also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). Private Pilot Test Prep's advantage is rating (4.3 vs 3.9) and review sentiment (82% vs 60%). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Flight Test X20 is free to download; Private Pilot Test Prep costs $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Private Pilot Test Prep holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 116 and 96 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of Private Pilot Test Prep's written reviews are positive against 60% of Flight Test X20's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Private Pilot Test Prep ships an update every 5 months, Flight Test X20 every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Private Pilot Test Prep versus Flight Test X20: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrivate Pilot Test PrepFlight Test X20
Price$14.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (116 ratings) — better3.9 (96 ratings)
Positive reviews81.8% of reviews — better60.0% of reviews
Number of ratings116 — better96
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#18 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPad
Requires iOS17.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSporty's Pilot ShopSheppard Air, Inc.

Customer experience

Private Pilot Test Prep

All ratings115 ratings
Positive82.6%
Neutral4.3%
Negative13.0%
Written reviews66 reviews
Positive81.8%
Neutral6.1%
Negative12.1%

Flight Test X20

All ratings93 ratings
Positive67.7%
Neutral8.6%
Negative23.7%
Written reviews45 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral13.3%
Negative26.7%

Bugs and requests

Private Pilot Test Prep

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • App crashes in test mode
  • Progress not saved on phone
  • Blackout bug when viewing figures or rotating screen
  • Crashes after deleting test sessions
  • Not updated for iPhone X
Show 1 more
  • Save function issues

Requested features

9 requests
  • Ability to save flagged questions across sessions
  • Randomized questions in test mode
  • Improved cross-device progress syncing (iCloud)
  • Interactive map features for practice
  • Search functionality for specific questions
Show 4 more
  • Dark mode option
  • Compatibility with iPhone X
  • More sample test questions from FAA
  • Bundle option for instrument written prep

Flight Test X20

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Private Pilot Test Prep

No in-app purchases

None

Flight Test X20

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Private Pilot Test Prep free?
Private Pilot Test Prep costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Flight Test X20 free?
Flight Test X20 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Private Pilot Test Prep or Flight Test X20?
Private Pilot Test Prep is rated higher. Private Pilot Test Prep averages 4.3 out of 5 from 116 ratings, while Flight Test X20 averages 3.9 from 96 ratings.
Do Private Pilot Test Prep or Flight Test X20 have ads?
Neither Private Pilot Test Prep nor Flight Test X20 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Private Pilot Test Prep or Flight Test X20?
Private Pilot Test Prep ships an update every 5 months, and Flight Test X20 every 5 weeks. Most recently, Private Pilot Test Prep was updated on November 1, 2026 and Flight Test X20 on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons