Private Pilot Test Prep vs Checkride Ready PPL
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 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.
- Study questions by topic
- Custom review sessions
- Detailed answer explanations
- Flashcard review mode
- Simulated practice tests
- Progress reports
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Sporty's Study Buddy will prepare you for the FAA written test like no other study tool available with three modes of operation. Test material is expertly organized into categories based on subject matter and includes, questions, answers, correct answers, and detailed explanations. • STUDY QUESTIONS BY TOPIC • Learning Mode allows you to create custom review sessions by selecting exactly which categories you want to review. Each session randomly generates the question order, and provides instant feedback based on your answer selection. Each question also provides a detailed description as to why each answer is right or wrong. These explanations were developed by Sporty’s team of Master CFI’s, based on their experience preparing students for the Private Pilot certificate • REVIEW QUESTION FLASHCARDS • Flashcard mode tests your knowledge by allowing you to only see the question without the answer choices. After answering the question mentally, you can then select to show the correct answer, and self-grade your progress along the way. This is a great feature that keeps you from being distracted by incorrect answers! • TAKE PRACTICE TESTS • Test mode randomly generates a 60-question session from the entire database of published FAA test questions, simulating the real Private Pilot test. After answering all the questions, you’ll be given instant results, and have the option to review either all the questions, or just missed questions. Included in the review session are the same detailed explanations for why each answer is right or wrong. •PROGRESS REPORTS• After completing each test your results are saved in the app's Progress Report section, where you can review previous scores and and a detailed history of each question and answer selection. You can also pause a partially-completed session, and resume it at a later time here.
Checkride Ready PPL
Prepare for your Private Pilot checkride with a focused study tool. Review essential knowledge, practice with flashcards and quizzes, and decode aviation weather reports. This app simplifies your study process for upcoming checkrides.
- FAA ACS study material
- Flashcards for quick recall
- Quizzes with immediate feedback
- METAR, TAF, PIREP, NOTAM decoding
- Organized study guidance
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Get ready for your Private Pilot checkride with a focused study tool built around the FAA Airman Certification Standards. Checkride Ready helps you review the knowledge you need without digging through pages of unnecessary information. ACS STUDY Review Private Pilot ACS Areas and Tasks with organized, easy-to-read study material, quick-reference tables, detailed explanations, and checkride-focused guidance. FLASHCARDS Build fast recall of important regulations, weather concepts, aircraft systems, airspace, performance, limitations, and more. QUIZZES Test your knowledge with Private Pilot questions covering topics you may encounter during checkride preparation. Get immediate feedback and explanations so you understand why an answer is correct. REPORTS & WEATHER Practice reading and decoding METARs, TAFs, PIREPs, and NOTAMs with examples ranging from simple to complex. Whether your checkride is months away or coming up soon, Checkride Ready gives you a simple place to study, review, and test your knowledge.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Checkride Ready PPL at Free against Private Pilot Test Prep's $14.99. Checkride Ready PPL also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (100% vs 82%). Private Pilot Test Prep's advantage is ratings volume (115 vs 2) and chart position (#24 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Checkride Ready PPL 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.
Checkride Ready PPL 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 115 ratings behind it against 2, 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 Ready PPL's.
| Parameter | Private Pilot Test Prep | Checkride Ready PPL |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (115 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 81.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 115 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #24 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sporty's Pilot Shop | JACK THOMAS PUSATERA |
Customer experience
Private Pilot Test Prep
Checkride Ready PPL
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
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- 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
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- Dark mode option
- Compatibility with iPhone X
- More sample test questions from FAA
- Bundle option for instrument written prep
Checkride Ready PPL
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Private Pilot Test Prep
No in-app purchases
Checkride Ready PPL
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Private Pilot Test Prep free?
Is Checkride Ready PPL free?
Which has better reviews, Private Pilot Test Prep or Checkride Ready PPL?
Do Private Pilot Test Prep or Checkride Ready PPL have ads?
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