# Control Tower Free vs Planes Control!

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Planes Control! at 79% against Control Tower Free's 40%. Planes Control! also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 7 months) and rating (4.7 vs 4.3). Control Tower Free's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 12.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Control Tower Free sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Planes Control! sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Planes Control! holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Planes Control! has 6.8K ratings behind it against 178, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Control Tower Free's written reviews are positive against 79% of Planes Control!'s.

Control Tower Free ships an update every 7 months, Planes Control! monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Control Tower Free | Planes Control! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (178 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/control-tower-free/id457562295/reviews) | **[4.7 (6.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planes-control/id1015114550/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 178 | **6.8K** |
| Positive reviews | 39.8% of reviews | **79.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 13 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | **6.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [4 Save Soft](https://appshunter.io/developer/434676499) | [Antonio Calvino Esquer](https://appshunter.io/developer/995217234) |

## What reviewers say

### Control Tower Free

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/control-tower-free/id457562295)

Guide aircraft to safe landing zones and prevent collisions by drawing flight paths. This strategy game requires quick reflexes and careful planning to manage air traffic and achieve high scores.

**Highlights:** Guide aircraft to landing zones, Draw flight paths, Classic game mode, Online high scores, Achievements, Addictive gameplay

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock FULL game | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Addictive and engaging gameplay
- 👍 Simple and easy to learn mechanics
- 🧠 Good brain exercise and attention training
- 🎨 Nice graphics and visual design
- ⚡ Quick to download and lightweight

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 📺 Excessive and intrusive advertisements
- 🎮 Uncontrollable planes at screen borders
- 📱 Poor scaling on newer devices (iPhone 11+)
- 🎯 Unfair gameplay mechanics (planes spawn uncontrollably)

**Reported bugs**

- Planes spawn on screen edges and cannot be controlled
- App crashes when submitting scores
- App freezes mid-game with no save function
- Touch input delay and unresponsive controls
- Planes crash due to uncontrollable border spawns

**Requested features**

- New maps and levels
- Restore original Flight Control game
- Better sound design and music
- Improved plane graphics and visual clarity
- Tutorial for new players


### Planes Control!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planes-control/id1015114550)

Guide aircraft to safe landings while avoiding hazards like storms and enemy attacks. Control over 60 different planes and helicopters across 13 challenging levels. Engage in aerial combat, fight wildfires, and manage air traffic in this addictive simulation game.

**Highlights:** Draw flight paths for aircraft, Avoid collisions and environmental hazards, Pilot over 60 types of planes and helicopters, Engage in aerial combat, Fight wildfires with air tankers, Navigate diverse and challenging levels

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pack of 5× Rescue Teams. | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock all HD Levels | $0.99 | one-time |
| Classic levels | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock "Time Machine" levels! | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock "10th Anniversary" levels! | $0.99 | one-time |
| Three crashes per game. | $1.99 | one-time |
| Classic levels and no ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 20× Rescue Teams. | $2.99 | one-time |
| No Ads. | $2.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 50× Rescue Teams. | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fun game
- 👍 Simple yet challenging
- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Good variety of levels
- 🚀 Responsive controls

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 🐛 Progress not saved
- 🐛 Collision detection issues
- 🐛 Planes spawning off-screen

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes on iOS 14
- High score not recorded correctly
- Planes colliding off-screen
- Notification bar interfering with gameplay

**Requested features**

- More level options and customization
- Ability to pause and resume games
- Improved tutorial and instructions
- Difficulty settings for each level
- Leaderboards and achievements


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Control Tower Free free?

Control Tower Free is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Planes Control! free?

Planes Control! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Control Tower Free or Planes Control!?

Planes Control! is rated higher. Control Tower Free averages 4.3 out of 5 from 178 ratings, while Planes Control! averages 4.7 from 6.8K ratings.

### Do Control Tower Free or Planes Control! have ads?

Planes Control! shows ads; Control Tower Free does not.

### Which is updated more often, Control Tower Free or Planes Control!?

Control Tower Free ships an update every 7 months, and Planes Control! monthly. Most recently, Control Tower Free was updated on October 7, 2026 and Planes Control! on October 11, 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.*