# Holding Pattern Trainer vs SocialFlight

The clearest difference is price: SocialFlight at Free against Holding Pattern Trainer's $4.99. Holding Pattern Trainer's advantage is rating (4.1 vs 3.1) and review sentiment (77% vs 39%). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

SocialFlight is free to download; Holding Pattern Trainer costs $4.99 up front. SocialFlight sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per month. Holding Pattern Trainer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Holding Pattern Trainer holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 114 and 139 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Holding Pattern Trainer's written reviews are positive against 39% of SocialFlight's.

Holding Pattern Trainer ships an update every 5 months, SocialFlight every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Holding Pattern Trainer | SocialFlight |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.1 (114 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/holding-pattern-trainer/id456327713/reviews)** | [3.1 (139 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/socialflight/id533008888/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 114 | **139** |
| Positive reviews | **76.9% of reviews** | 39.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#11** | — |
| Size | 10 MB | 131 MB |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [FLEMINGER MEDIA LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/427480054) | [SalesApproach, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/533009011) |

## What reviewers say

### Holding Pattern Trainer

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

**Currently charting:** #11 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


### SocialFlight

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/socialflight/id533008888)

Discover aviation events, attractions, and airport dining worldwide. Earn rewards and points for your travels, and access free FAA training courses. Connect with fellow aviation enthusiasts and share your passion.

**Highlights:** 20,000+ Aviation Events Mapped, Airport Restaurants & Attractions, Free FAA WINGS & IA Renewal Courses, FLY2WIN Challenge & Rewards Program, Social Networking for Pilots, Educational Aviation Videos & Webinars

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business Basic One | $29.99 | per month |
| Business Basic Two | $29.99 | per month |
| Business Basic Three | $29.99 | per month |
| Business Basic Four | $29.99 | per month |
| Business Premium One | $59.99 | per month |
| Business Premium Two | $59.99 | per month |
| Business Premium Three | $59.99 | per month |
| Business Premium Four | $59.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- ✈️ Comprehensive aviation event discovery
- 🗺️ Useful map-based airport information
- 🍔 Great burger flights/restaurant finder
- 📧 Helpful weekly email notifications
- 🎓 WINGS training credits and educational content

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐢 Extremely slow loading times
- 💥 Frequent crashes and freezes
- ⏳ Persistent 'please wait' spinning circle
- 🔔 Aggressive notification permission requests
- 📍 Forced location and settings requirements

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup or when opening
- Infinite 'please wait' loading screen
- Map page takes excessive time to load
- App freezes after 'please wait' completes
- Crashes when adding or updating events

**Requested features**

- Web app as primary alternative to mobile app
- Improved data caching to reduce loading times
- Better UI/UX modernization
- Optional notification settings without forced prompts
- Ability to skip forward in video courses


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Holding Pattern Trainer free?

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

### Is SocialFlight free?

SocialFlight is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Holding Pattern Trainer or SocialFlight?

Holding Pattern Trainer is rated higher. Holding Pattern Trainer averages 4.1 out of 5 from 114 ratings, while SocialFlight averages 3.1 from 139 ratings.

### Do Holding Pattern Trainer or SocialFlight have ads?

Neither Holding Pattern Trainer nor SocialFlight shows ads.

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

Holding Pattern Trainer ships an update every 5 months, and SocialFlight every 3 months. Most recently, Holding Pattern Trainer was updated on September 27, 2026 and SocialFlight on September 19, 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.*