# Holding Pattern Trainer vs Bus Mankato

The clearest difference is price: Bus Mankato at Free against Holding Pattern Trainer's $4.99. Bus Mankato also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.1) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months). Holding Pattern Trainer's advantage is ratings volume (114 vs 4) and chart position (#18 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Bus Mankato 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.

Bus Mankato holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Holding Pattern Trainer has 114 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Holding Pattern Trainer ships an update every 5 months, Bus Mankato fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Holding Pattern Trainer | Bus Mankato |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.1 (114 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/holding-pattern-trainer/id456327713/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bus-mankato/id1481364701/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **114** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 76.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#18** | — |
| Size | 10 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [FLEMINGER MEDIA LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/427480054) | [Minnesota State University, Mankato](https://appshunter.io/developer/669720174) |

## What reviewers say

### Holding Pattern Trainer

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

**Currently charting:** #18 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


### Bus Mankato

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bus-mankato/id1481364701)

Track Mankato buses in real-time, view scheduled stops, and plan your trips. This app provides live bus locations and transit route information for the Mankato area.

**Highlights:** Real-time bus tracking, View scheduled stops, Trip planner, Transit route information, Live location data

**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 Bus Mankato free?

Bus Mankato is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Holding Pattern Trainer or Bus Mankato?

Bus Mankato is rated higher. Holding Pattern Trainer averages 4.1 out of 5 from 114 ratings, while Bus Mankato averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Holding Pattern Trainer or Bus Mankato have ads?

Neither Holding Pattern Trainer nor Bus Mankato shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Holding Pattern Trainer or Bus Mankato?

Holding Pattern Trainer ships an update every 5 months, and Bus Mankato fortnightly. Most recently, Holding Pattern Trainer was updated on October 14, 2026 and Bus Mankato on October 6, 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.*