Private and Recreational Pilot vs Boldmethod
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Private and Recreational Pilot
Prepare for your FAA Private Pilot checkride with realistic oral exam questions and detailed explanations. Covers all essential knowledge areas, including aerodynamics, weather, regulations, and navigation. Features aircraft-specific questions and free lifetime updates.
- Realistic checkride questions
- Unlimited study and practice
- Free lifetime updates
- Hundreds of charts and figures
- Aircraft-specific information
- Current and valid content
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Are you a student pilot or would you like to become a Private or Professional Pilot? RideReady will help make you confident and ready for your FAA Practical Test / Checkride (that combination of flight test and oral quizzing when you will have to go through to receive your Private Pilot certificate) and allow you to impress the examiner with your knowledge of relevant knowledge areas as per the Practical Test Standards and current FAA practices and recommendations. For the FAA Private Pilot Airplane practical test, topics covered include aerodynamics, weather, instrumentation, regulations, aircraft systems, charts and navigation, avionics, emergencies, procedures, flight planning, FAA special emphasis areas, weight and balance, and much more. RideReady features more questions than oral exam prep booklets thus helping you be more prepared for a wide variety of realistic questions. Additionally, RideReady's content is also more illustrated and our explanations more detailed to really help you understand the material. Our RideReady app can offer you speed, power, availability, and flexibility that no book or DVD can. For example, you can tell RideReady which aircraft you fly (from a list of common training aircraft) and RideReady will ask you questions on its systems and operations - just like a real examiner will. Remember: while books are out of date from the moment they're printed, updates are FREE FOR LIFE, meaning that you can get the most up to date quickly and easily through the built-in update mechanism. Please note that after downloading this app, the app will need to check for updated data from our servers. RideReady is the smart pilot's secret to checkride success! Features: * Realistic Checkride Questions - Hundreds upon hundreds of realistic memory, analysis, and scenario type questions taken from practical test exit interviews, key FAA documents, and the combined experience of our editorial team of pilot examiners and flight instructors. * Unlimited Study and Practice - At your own pace, on your own schedule * Free Lifetime Updates. Get acquainted with the material weeks or months before your checkride, study hard in the days leading up to it, and then brush up years afterwards. * Hundreds of Charts and Figures - Illustrate key points and help you learn * Aircraft-specific information - Includes questions specific to common training aircraft types (just like your examiner will ask) plus the ability to customize values and add your own custom aircraft. Built-in aircraft in this title: Cessna 150, Cessna 152, Cessna 172N/RG/SP, Diamond Katana, Piper Warrior II. * Current and valid for right now - As soon as you purchase and install this app, use the built-in update feature to get the latest and greatest content that we offer in mere moments. We regularly update the content to keep up with changes in practical test standards, FAA emphasis areas, and aviation technology. * Thousands of Success Stories - Every year, thousands of pilots use RideReady to learn or brush up the material to make them confident and ready to pass their FAA checkrides. We invite you to be next! Make sure you are looking at the right app for you! * This is FAA Practical Test (checkride oral exam) preparation for AIRPLANE PILOTS. * This is NOT FAA written (knowledge) test preparation. If you want FAA written (knowledge) test preparation, check out our GroundSchool FAA line of products. Many pilots buy both RideReady and our GroundSchool-FAA apps as they work well together. * Again, this title is for AIRPLANE PILOTS ONLY. This is NOT preparation materials for helicopter, glider, gyroplane, hot air balloon, or other pilots. We have other RideReady titles for different aircraft types, but this one is for AIRPLANE PILOTS ONLY as it contains much information particular to airplanes. Thank you again for checking out RideReady!
Boldmethod
Enhance your aviation knowledge with extensive video training and online courses. Practice with quizzes and master essential piloting skills like takeoffs, landings, airspace navigation, and weather interpretation. Prepare for checkrides and improve your flying proficiency.
- Extensive video training library
- Online aviation courses
- Pilot knowledge quizzes
- Master takeoffs and landings
- National Airspace System training
- Aviation weather interpretation
- VFR charts and publications
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Want to improve your piloting skills? Then the Boldmethod app is for you. With over 50 hours of videos and online training courses, you'll walk away with the knowledge that makes you a better pilot. Access your Boldmethod training courses in one app, watch the latest training videos, and test your knowledge with quizzes. What's new? The Feed and Challenges tabs are the place to start learning or to brush up on your aviation knowledge. When you're ready to take the next step, sign up for courses to truly master your pilot knowledge. MASTERING TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS Do you have a perfect landing every time? Neither do we. This video course helps you master your takeoffs and landings. Whether you're trying to stop floating past your landing point or trying to smooth out your touchdown, you'll learn how to fix any of your takeoff and landing problems with this simple-to-use online course. The course breaks down takeoffs and landings into sections: Normal Takeoffs Traffic Patterns Normal Landings Crosswind Takeoffs and Landings Short Field Takeoffs and Landings Soft Field Takeoffs and Landings Non-Standard Takeoffs and Landings Night Takeoffs and Landings NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM Our airspace course covers everything you need to know about the National Airspace System, including Class A-G airspace, Special Use Airspace, and Other Airspace. It's an excellent way to prepare for your private pilot checkride and keep your flying skills sharp. The course breaks down airspace into sections: Class A airspace Class B airspace Class C airspace Class D airspace Class E airspace Class G airspace Special use airspace Other airspace AVIATION WEATHER REPORTS AND FORECASTS Our weather course covers everything you need to know about aviation weather, including METARs, TAFs, Pilot Reports, Graphical Forecasts For Aviation, Winds Aloft Forecasts, AIRMETs, SIGMETs, and Convective SIGMETs. It's an excellent way to prepare for your private pilot checkride and keep your flying skills sharp. The course breaks down aviation weather into sections: METARs TAFs PIREPs Graphical Forecasts For Aviation Winds Aloft Forecasts AIRMETs, SIGMETs, and Convective SIGMETs VFR CHARTS AND PUBLICATIONS Our charts course covers everything you need to know about VFR charts and publications, including sectional charts, terminal area charts, the Digital Chart Supplement, and NOTAMs. The course breaks down publications into sections: Sectional Charts Terminal Area Charts Digital Chart Supplement NOTAMs MOUNTAIN WEATHER Do you want to feel more comfortable flying around the high country? Boldmethod's Mountain Weather course helps make that happen. You'll learn how to evaluate mountain weather during your planning and while you're in flight. You'll also learn how terrain generates updrafts, downdrafts, turbulence, and storms, and changes the direction of the wind throughout the day. The course breaks down weather into sections: Mountain Waves Strong Surface Winds Updrafts, Downdrafts, And Turbulence Convergence Zones Coastal Mountain Wind Systems The North American Monsoon Daily (Diurnal) Winds In Valleys Mountain Thunderstorms
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Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Boldmethod at 97% against Private and Recreational Pilot's 47%. Boldmethod also leads on price (Free vs $39.99) and rating (4.9 vs 4.3). Private and Recreational Pilot's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 9) and ads (none vs shown).
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Boldmethod is free to download; Private and Recreational Pilot costs $39.99 up front. Boldmethod sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Private and Recreational Pilot asks for nothing beyond the download.
Boldmethod holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Boldmethod has 823 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of Private and Recreational Pilot's written reviews are positive against 97% of Boldmethod's.
Private and Recreational Pilot ships an update every 3 months, Boldmethod every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Private and Recreational Pilot | Boldmethod |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $39.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (3 ratings) | 4.9 (823 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 47.4% of reviews | 97.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 823 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 238 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dauntless Software | BoldMethod, LLC |
Customer experience
Private and Recreational Pilot
Boldmethod
Bugs and requests
Private and Recreational Pilot
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Boldmethod
Reported bugs
2 issues- Crashing or freezing issues
- Compatibility problems with older devices
Requested features
2 requests- Provide explanations for incorrect answers in quizzes
- Improve navigation and progress tracking through courses
In-app purchases
Private and Recreational Pilot
No in-app purchases
Boldmethod
- Aviation Weather Products$19.99
- National Airspace System$19.99
- VFR Charts$19.99
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- National Airspace System$24.99
- Aviation Weather Products$24.99
- VFR Charts and Publications$24.99
- Mastering Takeoffs & Landings$139.99
- Mountain Weather$299.99
- Instrument Procedures$499.99
Questions
Is Private and Recreational Pilot free?
Is Boldmethod free?
Which has better reviews, Private and Recreational Pilot or Boldmethod?
Do Private and Recreational Pilot or Boldmethod have ads?
Which is updated more often, Private and Recreational Pilot or Boldmethod?
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