Comparison

Private Pilot Test Prep vs Checkride Flashcards

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 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.

Highlights
  • Study questions by topic
  • Flashcard review mode
  • Randomized practice tests
  • Offline figure access
  • Progress saving and history
  • Explanations for answers
Features
Currently charting
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

Checkride Flashcards

Prepare for aviation checkrides with ACS-aligned flashcards. Study FAA standards, track progress, and practice oral exams. Features spaced repetition and offline study.

Highlights
  • ACS-aligned decks
  • FAR/AIM citations
  • Spaced repetition learning
  • Checkride countdown and daily plan
  • Oral exam practice
  • Offline study
Features
Read full description

Master your next checkride with precision flashcards built for Private, Instrument, Commercial, and CFI. Study the questions that matter most, strengthen weak ACS areas, and walk into the oral knowing where every answer comes from. Every card is mapped to a real FAA Airman Certification Standards code and backed by FAR/AIM references — so you are studying the same standard your examiner uses. Prepare smarter. Fly with confidence. Pass your checkride. WHAT’S INCLUDED • ACS-aligned decks for Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, and CFI • Knowledge, risk, and skill cards with FAR/AIM citations on the reverse • Spaced repetition (Again, Hard, Good, Easy) so due cards come back before they fade • A checkride countdown and daily plan that works backward from your ride date • Focus areas that surface what still needs work — not just what you already know • Oral exam practice: say the answer out loud the way you would for a DPE • An ACS mastery map from area down to task, with Novice → Proficient → Mastered titles • Study offline — decks ship on your device • Soft streaks with one freeze a month. Missing a day is low-stakes, not a guilt trip • Achievements for showing up, honest reviews, and real ACS progress • An opt-in live study board: callsign (or first name), country flag, streaks, and achievements — ranked on habit, not card-mashing • Sign in with Apple or Google. iPhone and iPad. All features described above require a subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://checkrideflashcards.lovable.app/privacy

Screenshots

Private Pilot Test Prep4 screens
Checkride Flashcards4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Checkride Flashcards at Free against Private Pilot Test Prep's $14.99. Checkride Flashcards also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 5 months). Private Pilot Test Prep's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (116 vs 1). On ads and device support 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

Checkride Flashcards is free to download; Private Pilot Test Prep costs $14.99 up front. Checkride Flashcards sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Private Pilot Test Prep asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Checkride Flashcards holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Private Pilot Test Prep has 116 ratings behind it against 1, 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 100% of Checkride Flashcards's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Private Pilot Test Prep ships an update every 5 months, Checkride Flashcards every 5 days. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Private Pilot Test Prep versus Checkride Flashcards: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrivate Pilot Test PrepCheckride Flashcards
Price$14.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (116 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews81.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings116 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#26 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB174 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSporty's Pilot ShopAviationMP4 Media LLC

Customer experience

Private Pilot Test Prep

All ratings116 ratings
Positive82.8%
Neutral4.3%
Negative12.9%
Written reviews66 reviews
Positive81.8%
Neutral6.1%
Negative12.1%

Checkride Flashcards

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Checkride Flashcards

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Private Pilot Test Prep

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Checkride Flashcards

Subscriptions1
  • Pro Access 1 Month3 Days trial$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Pro Access 1 Month$3.99

Questions

Is Private Pilot Test Prep free?
Private Pilot Test Prep costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Checkride Flashcards free?
Checkride Flashcards is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Private Pilot Test Prep or Checkride Flashcards?
Checkride Flashcards is rated higher. Private Pilot Test Prep averages 4.3 out of 5 from 116 ratings, while Checkride Flashcards averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Private Pilot Test Prep or Checkride Flashcards have ads?
Neither Private Pilot Test Prep nor Checkride Flashcards shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Private Pilot Test Prep or Checkride Flashcards?
Private Pilot Test Prep ships an update every 5 months, and Checkride Flashcards every 5 days. Most recently, Private Pilot Test Prep was updated on November 10, 2026 and Checkride Flashcards on November 10, 2026.

Other comparisons