Private Pilot Test Prep vs Garmin GTN Trainer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Private Pilot Test Prep
Prepare for your FAA Private Pilot knowledge test with study questions, flashcards, and practice tests. Features explanations from experienced instructors and offline access to all figures. Designed for iPhone and iPad.
- Study questions by topic
- Flashcard review mode
- Randomized practice tests
- Offline figure access
- Progress saving and history
- Explanations for answers
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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.
Garmin GTN Trainer
Learn the basic operation of Garmin avionics with a simulated on-the-ground training environment. Practice using the pilot interface with realistic multi-touch controls, flight plan editing, and access to detailed airport information, approach charts, and weather data.
- Simulated multi-touch and drag interface
- Garmin SafeTaxi airport information
- Garmin FliteCharts approach charts
- Worldwide terrain and aviation databases
- Obstacle databases with powerline alerting
- Simulated weather and traffic data
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The Garmin GTN 650 / 750 Trainer allows you to experience the pilot interface and provides an on-the-ground environment to learn the basic operation of the avionics. Train like it's the real thing! The GTN 650 / 750 Trainer includes: • Simulated multi-touch and drag interface – allows you to interact with the system, graphically edit flight plans and much more • Garmin SafeTaxi – allows you to view detailed airport information on the moving map • Garmin FliteCharts – allows you to view published approach charts • High resolution worldwide terrain maps and aviation databases • High resolution obstacle databases including powerline alerting • Simulated interfaces and data including: Garmin GDL 88 ADS-B and TCAS Traffic with TargetTrend™ Relative Motion Garmin GDL 88 FIS-B Weather Garmin GDL 69 with SiriusXM Weather Garmin GWX 70 Weather Radar L-3 Avionics WX-500 Stormscope Lightning Detection Garmin GMA Series Audio Panel Control Garmin GTX Series Mode S Transponder Simulation * Notes: The GTN 650 / 750 Trainer runs on Apple iPad 2 and newer. Supports 32 and 64-Bit Devices. * This app contains simulated data and does not receive data from or interact with real Garmin avionics. This app should not be used for actual navigation purposes.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Private Pilot Test Prep at 82% against Garmin GTN Trainer's 30%. Private Pilot Test Prep also leads on rating (4.3 vs 3.5) and ratings volume (116 vs 10). Garmin GTN Trainer's advantage is price (Free vs $14.99) and iOS requirement (13 vs 17.0). On update cadence, 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
Garmin GTN Trainer 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.
Private Pilot Test Prep holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Private Pilot Test Prep has 116 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of Private Pilot Test Prep's written reviews are positive against 30% of Garmin GTN Trainer's.
Private Pilot Test Prep ships an update every 5 months, Garmin GTN Trainer every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Private Pilot Test Prep | Garmin GTN Trainer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (116 ratings) — better | 3.5 (10 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 81.8% of reviews — better | 29.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 116 — better | 10 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #13 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 13 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 62 MB | 2.4 GB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sporty's Pilot Shop | Garmin DCI |
Customer experience
Private Pilot Test Prep
Garmin GTN Trainer
User reviews
Private Pilot Test Prep
From 116 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✅ Excellent for exam prep
- 💯 Questions are verbatim/similar
- 💡 Affordable and valuable
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 📚 Good explanations
Room to improve
- ⚠️ Some questions outdated/inaccurate
- 📉 Not all questions match real exam
- 😵 Repeat questions in test mode
- 📱 Difficult to use on small screens
- 🤔 Explanations not always perfect
Garmin GTN Trainer
From 10 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great training tool
- 👍 Authentic functionality
- 👍 Useful for learning
- 👍 Good for practice
- 👍 Handy portable version
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 Blank/black screen
- 🐛 Unit does not turn on
- 🐛 App is broken/unusable
- 🐛 Outdated database
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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- Dark mode option
- Compatibility with iPhone X
- More sample test questions from FAA
- Bundle option for instrument written prep
Garmin GTN Trainer
Reported bugs
75 issues- VNAV function does not work
- Airplane starts on the other side of the country
- GTN 750XI app crashes when start button is pushed
- GTN 650 closes out and stops when going to find frequency, recent
- App starts with a blank black screen on display
Show 70 moreShow fewer
- 750 screen is black on startup
- 650 just gets a spinning circle
- Nothing comes on the screen
- Loads but will not turn on
- No button or toggle to turn on the app
- Shows an off GPS
- Screen is all black
- Screen won't turn on when loading up
- GPS Screen Blank/Black
- Nothing loads on the display
- App does not load anymore
- Loads, but leaves you on a black screen with no functionality
- App seems to be broken for the iPad
- App doesn’t show anything on the simulated screen
- Loads to black screen
- Unit does not power on
- Doesn’t work with iPadOS 17.4.1
- GPS screen doesn’t turn on
- Controller loads but has zero functionality
- Garmin unit does not power on
- App is broken
- Slow and doesn't work
- GTN screens are black and nothing works
- GPS is just a black screen
- App is unusable
- Newest iPad version seems to have broken the entire software
- Apps are not kept up to date
- Simulator freezes
- App constantly crashes
- Airplane doesn’t start flying the route when you add airspeed and altitude
- Airplane’s starting location can’t be moved
- Manual doesn’t explain how to do things
- Graphically Edit Flight Plan Mode does not seem to operate correctly
- Jeppesen data is 2018
- Approaches don’t exist or are hamstrung
- GTN 650 starts at 51K in CA
- Cannot permanently delete initial fix
- No updated procedures for Europe
- RNAV approaches not updated
- ILS will not descend on autopilot
- Manual does not work
- Database with Europe seems to have gone away
- Needs 6.5x update
- Needs 6.50 or 6.51 update
- GTN 750 looks old fashioned
- Needs update for latest software version
- Won’t download or install
- Unsupported app
- Database age
- Missing X-Plane integration
- Does not recognize purchase
- Trial period expired
- Not recognizing paid purchase
- Does not agree with PC trainer
- Some utilities missing
- Layout is different
- Sync with X-Plane needed
- App is a trial
- Reinitializes anytime you switch away
- Loses flight plan and all inputs
- Starts all over with initialization
- Current session/flight/function is forever lost
- Expensive for limited functionality
- Crashes when opening app
- Does not work with OS 11
- App does not recognize paid purchase after upgrade
- App switched to subscription without tracking previous payments
- App turned paid app into a trial
- App reinitializes when switching away
- App loses place if you switch out of it
Requested features
25 requests- Integrate GFC 500 AP
- Integrate GFC 600/700 AP
- Add autopilot controller head
- Add annunciation display showing AP, HDG, ALT status
- Add fields for actual IAS and ALT of simulated airplane
Show 20 moreShow fewer
- Add second radio option to audio panel
- Add start-up field for 'Starting Location'
- Update Jeppesen database
- Update European procedures
- Add linked/synchronized G5 HSI simulator
- Add VNAV support to iPad version
- Update app to actual current version
- Add support for X-Plane integration over WiFi
- Add support for Lockheeds Martin Prepar3D flight simulation
- Add ability to sync with X-Plane
- Add Turboprop icon
- Add High-Wing Prop icon
- Allow two iPads connected over WiFi/Bluetooth
- Run GTN trainer on MacOS
- Add dark mode option
- Add advanced analytics dashboard
- Add vertical (Portrait mode) or Horizontal display mode support
- Update to GTN ver. 5.0 with HTAWS
- Make it like the $25 CD version
- Add support for GNS430 WAAS
In-app purchases
Private Pilot Test Prep
No in-app purchases
Garmin GTN Trainer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Private Pilot Test Prep free?
Is Garmin GTN Trainer free?
Which has better reviews, Private Pilot Test Prep or Garmin GTN Trainer?
Do Private Pilot Test Prep or Garmin GTN Trainer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Private Pilot Test Prep or Garmin GTN Trainer?
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