Comparison

iControl DCS vs Air Manager

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

Head to head
About

iControl DCS

Enhance your flight simulation experience by extending your cockpit to an iPad. Control Digital Combat Simulator's A-10C Warthog with touch screen input, eliminating the need for a mouse during intense gameplay. Enjoy interactive displays and a wide range of cockpit functions for a more immersive simulation.

Highlights
  • Interactive MFCD, CDU, and UFC displays
  • Touchscreen control for simulator functions
  • Retina iPad support with original graphics
  • Support for multiple connected iPads
  • Cold ramp startup controls
  • Autopilot controls
Features
Read full description

Extend your cockpit to the iPad! iControl DCS allows you to connect your iPad with Digital Combat Simulator's A-10C Warthog flight simulation. Allowing you to control the simulator by touching your screen. Never fumble for your mouse in the heat of the moment again! Here are some of the functions it provides • Crisp and clean 100% original graphics with retina iPad support • Quick and easy navigation between instruments via swipe gestures or buttons • Live MFCD displays (left and right) with working buttons • Live CDU display with working buttons • UFC panel with working buttons • Caution and warning light panel • Various commonly used cockpit functions • Supports multiple devices. Connect two iPads at once and display Different MFDs on each! • Radio stack • Combined view with UFC and dual MFCDs on one screen • Autopilot controls • All controls and switches necessary to performa a cold ramp startup • Portrait CDU mode System Requirements: • DCS: World with A-10C Addon • Microsoft Windows • iControl DCS Server available at http://www.bit-shift.com/ • Due to limitations in the simulator, live MFCDs must be repeated on your monitor. • Due to limitations in the simulator, the sim will be forced to run in full screen windowed mode ***** We suggest you give A-10 VC Free a try before purchasing iControl DCS to make sure it suits your play style. ***** This application will not work with macOS PCs! iControl DCS and bit-shift.com are not affiliated with iControl Networks.

About

Air Manager

Design custom flight simulator instrument panels on your iPad. Connect to popular simulators like X-plane and FS2020 to use your iPad as a primary or secondary instrument display. Offers over 1000 free instruments and intuitive touch controls for a realistic simulation experience.

Highlights
  • Custom instrument panel design
  • iPad as primary/secondary display
  • Connects to X-plane, FS2020, P3D, FSX
  • Over 1000 free instruments
  • Intuitive drag-and-drop interface
  • Control simulator functions via touch
Features
Read full description

Air Manager lets you design custom flight simulator instrument panels on your iPad. Panels can connect to X-plane, FS2020, FS2024, Prepar3d and FSX. Use your iPad as a primary instrument panel and have your computer monitor for outside view only, or use your iPad as a secondary com stack to easily set frequencies through the iPad touch screen. Air Manager comes with more than 1000 free instruments. Add, drag, scale, build your instrument panel in only a matter of minutes. Save your created panels, and switch between them quickly. User friendly No difficult settings or downloading and configuring of third party applications. You can download the necessary plugins from our website for free. We offer a complete solution! Place instruments anywhere you like Tap an instrument to add it to the canvas, hold and drag to rearrange, and pinch to scale, it’s as easy as that. Loads of free instruments The application comes with more than 1000 free instruments, and this collection keeps growing. Buttons, Switches and Knobs Controls like Buttons, Switches, and Knobs let you control the simulator from your 2D panels, so your Flight Simulation is super realistic. Setting a radio frequency or the altimeter setting, moving electrical switches, and controlling the autopilot are just a few examples of what you can do without directly accessing the flight simulator. Multiplatform and multi simulator The Air Manager plugin runs on Microsoft Window, Mac OSX, and Linux, both 32 bits and 64 bits, and is compatible with Laminar Research X-Plane 9, 10 and 11, Microsoft FSX and Lockheed Martin Prepar3D.

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: iControl DCS at 4.9 against Air Manager's 3.1. iControl DCS also leads on review sentiment (71% vs 31%) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 10 months). Air Manager's advantage is price ($22.99 vs $29.99). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases 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

iControl DCS costs $29.99 and Air Manager $22.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iControl DCS holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 27 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of iControl DCS's written reviews are positive against 31% of Air Manager's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iControl DCS ships an update every 4 months, Air Manager every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on June 9, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
iControl DCS versus Air Manager: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriControl DCSAir Manager
Price$29.99$22.99 — better
Rating4.9 (10 ratings) — better3.1 (27 ratings)
Positive reviews71.4% of reviews — better30.8% of reviews
Number of ratings1027 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 10 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB897 MB
Age rating17+4+
Developerbit-shift.comSim Innovations B.V.

Customer experience

iControl DCS

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative28.6%

Air Manager

All ratings27 ratings
Positive51.9%
Neutral3.7%
Negative44.4%
Written reviews107 reviews
Positive30.8%
Neutral15.0%
Negative54.2%

In-app purchases

None

iControl DCS

No in-app purchases

None

Air Manager

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iControl DCS free?
iControl DCS costs $29.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Air Manager free?
Air Manager costs $22.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iControl DCS or Air Manager?
iControl DCS is rated higher. iControl DCS averages 4.9 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Air Manager averages 3.1 from 27 ratings.
Do iControl DCS or Air Manager have ads?
Neither iControl DCS nor Air Manager shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iControl DCS or Air Manager?
iControl DCS ships an update every 4 months, and Air Manager every 10 months. Most recently, iControl DCS was updated on June 9, 2026 and Air Manager on September 18, 2026.

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