iControl DCS vs AirFMC
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
AirFMC
Enhance your flight simulator experience with a portable, wireless CDU interface. Control your flight management system from your tablet, freeing up your main screen for scenic views. Supports a wide range of popular aircraft and FMC systems for X-Plane and MSFS 2020.
- Wireless CDU control
- Portable tablet interface
- Frees up main simulator screen
- Supports X-Plane and MSFS 2020
- Wide aircraft compatibility
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Designed to integrate with the X-Plane flight simulator, AirFMC provides an interface layer to your favourite flight management system and allows you to have a remote, portable and beautiful CDU, leaving your screen free for enjoying the scenic routes. Flying with an FMC is good but have you ever thought how annoying it is to have to look for the small keys on a virtual cockpit and click on them with a mouse to get something done? What if you could now do it wirelessly with your fingertips using an iPad's big screen? And what if you could use just one App for all your favourite planes? AirFMC does just this; brings the CDU of your favourite planes to the tip of your fingers. In its current release we are proud to support the following list of planes and FMC systems: For X-Plane: - The x737 Boeing 737-800 from EADT using x737FMC - The UFMC from Javier Cortes - The CRJ-200 from Javier Rollon - The Boeing 777 Worldliner by FlightFactor - The Boeing 757 Professional by FlightFactor - The X-FMC freeware project and all the planes in which it runs - The QPAC A320 v2 - The Boeing 767 from VMAX - The A320NEO from JAR Design - The Boeing 737 Classifc from IXEG / X-Aviation - The Boeing 737-800 modified by Zibo - The Airbus A350 XWB Advanced from FlightFactor - The Airbus A319, A321 and A340 from ToLiss - The A330 from JAR Design - The MD80 from Rotate - The Boeing 737-700 and 737-900 Ultimate - The A320 from Flight Factor - The Hot Start CL650 - And lastly the X-Plane airliner FMC shipped with default planes FOr MSFS 2020: - PMDG 737 NG3 Family of Planes Please note, AirFMC is not an FMC in its own right. It does not have "intelligence" so to say, it does not manage routes nor flight performance parameters. At least, not yet! What it does is, it connects to planes that already have these systems and provides an interface surface to their CDUs. AirFMC works in conjunction with X-Plane and MSF2020 (on selected planes) through the use of a plugin which must be installed in the flight simulator and it requires a TCP/IP network connecting this app to a flight simulator.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: AirFMC at $19.99 against iControl DCS's $29.99. AirFMC also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months) and device support (4 vs 1). iControl DCS's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
iControl DCS costs $29.99 and AirFMC $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
iControl DCS holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 15 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of iControl DCS's written reviews are positive against 78% of AirFMC's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
iControl DCS ships an update every 4 months, AirFMC every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 9, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iControl DCS | AirFMC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $29.99 | $19.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.9 (10 ratings) — better | 4.2 (15 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 71.4% of reviews | 77.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 10 | 15 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 18 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | bit-shift.com | Joao Cabral |
Customer experience
iControl DCS
AirFMC
In-app purchases
iControl DCS
No in-app purchases
AirFMC
No in-app purchases








