# Holding Pattern Trainer vs Sparkys E6B

The clearest difference is price: Sparkys E6B at Free against Holding Pattern Trainer's $4.99. Sparkys E6B also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.1). Holding Pattern Trainer's advantage is chart position (#16 vs unranked) and ratings volume (114 vs 13). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Sparkys E6B is free to download; Holding Pattern Trainer costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Sparkys E6B holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Holding Pattern Trainer has 114 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of Holding Pattern Trainer's written reviews are positive against 75% of Sparkys E6B's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Holding Pattern Trainer ships an update every 5 months, Sparkys E6B every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Holding Pattern Trainer | Sparkys E6B |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.1 (114 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/holding-pattern-trainer/id456327713/reviews) | **[4.7 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sparkys-e6b/id1257423878/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **114** | 13 |
| Positive reviews | **76.9% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 months** | Every 10 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#16** | — |
| Size | 10 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [FLEMINGER MEDIA LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/427480054) | [Intineo LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/365831703) |

## What reviewers say

### Holding Pattern Trainer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/holding-pattern-trainer/id456327713)

**Currently charting:** #16 Top Paid · Navigation (US App Store)

Master IFR holding pattern entries on your mobile device to save time and money on instrument flight training. Practice at your convenience to make choosing the correct entry a breeze.

**Highlights:** Entry Trainer for holding pattern drills, Holding calculator for scenario visualization, Holding tutorial for quick learning, Practice at your own pace, Save on flight and ground lessons

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for practicing holds
- 💡 Excellent visualization tool
- 🚀 Helps learn fast
- ✅ Accurate for many users
- 🧠 Reinforces knowledge

**What reviewers complain about**

- ❌ Incorrect entries/drawings
- ⚠️ Wrong answers/info
- 😞 Wastes valuable time
- 💸 Overpriced for some
- 🤔 Confusing for some users

**Reported bugs**

- Entries are wrong for turns
- Plan view is incorrect
- App drawing entries in wrong directions
- Slicing the fix completely wrong
- Bearing questions are wrong

**Requested features**

- Include more methods in tutorial
- Add teardrop heading to fly
- Allow practice with bearings on/off
- Show outbound teardrop/inbound parallel correction headings
- Work in portrait mode


### Sparkys E6B

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sparkys-e6b/id1257423878)

This app emulates a mechanical E6B flight computer, offering digital readouts for precise calculations. It combines the speed and intuitiveness of analog input with the accuracy of digital output for various aviation computations.

**Highlights:** Digital readouts for calculations, Analog input with cursors and steppers, Multiplication and division, Rate problems (fuel, time, speed), Wind correction angle calculations, Conversions (miles, fuel, weight)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Holding Pattern Trainer free?

Holding Pattern Trainer costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Sparkys E6B free?

Sparkys E6B is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Holding Pattern Trainer or Sparkys E6B?

Sparkys E6B is rated higher. Holding Pattern Trainer averages 4.1 out of 5 from 114 ratings, while Sparkys E6B averages 4.7 from 13 ratings.

### Do Holding Pattern Trainer or Sparkys E6B have ads?

Neither Holding Pattern Trainer nor Sparkys E6B shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Holding Pattern Trainer or Sparkys E6B?

Holding Pattern Trainer ships an update every 5 months, and Sparkys E6B every 10 months. Most recently, Holding Pattern Trainer was updated on September 27, 2026 and Sparkys E6B on September 15, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*