SimPlates vs Virtual Fireplace In HD
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SimPlates
Access a vast library of real-world IFR approach charts for flight simulation enthusiasts. Use these charts as a companion to your desktop simulator to enhance realism and excitement during virtual landings.
- World's largest collection of IFR approach charts
- Companion app for desktop flight simulators
- Enhances realism and excitement
- Over 70,000 real-world IFR plates
- Includes SIDs/STARs and Airport Diagrams
- Supports various approach types (ILS, VOR, GPS, etc.)
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SimPlates brings you the world’s largest collection of real-world IFR approach (and other) charts for the serious flight simulation enthusiast to your fingertips! SimPlates is not a flight simulator program in and of itself, but can be used as a companion on your iPhone and/or iPad concurrently with your enjoyment of your preferred computerized desktop flight simulation program to help expand the realism and excitement of the experience. SimPlates has been called "a must have for the serious flight simulator enthusiast" and "a great addition to your flight sim bag" by major flight simulation websites in independent reviews. ++THE VERSION NOW AVAILABLE HERE IS OF THE NEW 'SIMPLATES ULTRA' version which is a great leap forward in terms of plate coverage to the previous generation of SimPlates and has an improved user experience. The app looks and works great! Thank you all for the great feedback and kind words about SimPlates on simulator forums. We're glad you're enjoying the massive number of plates (way more than any other sim product has - including expensive subscription based services) and we continue to update the plate database further with more plates still. Happy simming!+++ The basic way that you use SimPlates is just like pilots from those flying small Cessnas to those flying the largest Boeing and Airbus airliners do every day. As you virtually approach an airport on your computer, bring up its corresponding plates in the SimPlates app. Use the plate as a guide in flying the approach to landing - just like a real world pilot would. SimPlates is useful for virtual pilots of many desktop flight simulation programs, including Flight Simulator (all versions including FSX, FS2004, and MS-Flight), X-Plane, and more. While SimPlates are real-world plates, they are NOT SUITABLE FOR REAL WORLD FLIGHT OPERATIONS and MUST NOT BE USED FOR REAL WORLD FLIGHT OPERATIONS OF ANY SORT, PERIOD. As SimPlates is intended for flight simulation entertainment use, the plates are not kept up to date with real-world aviation changes (worldwide subscriptions for real-world current data cost thousands of dollars per year from other sources). However, for serious flight simulation entertainment use, the massive collection of plates represents incredible value and capability. SimPlates includes over 70,000 real-world IFR plates, including approach plates, SIDs/STARs (Departures/Arrivals), Airport Diagrams, Approach types include ILS, VOR, VOR/DME, NDB, LLZ, SDF, GPS, TACAN, Helicopter and Visual. With so many plates, SimPlates provides very good worldwide coverage. For most countries and major airports of the world, if you are looking for a plates, SimPlates will likely have it. However, the coverage is not universal - please see http://www.dauntless-soft.com/products/simplates/airportlist.asp for the current list of inclusions and coverage notes. While most countries of most interest to simmers are quite up to date, a few are a bit older, such as AU/NZ due to provider issues. Supplemental features include an integrated WORLDWIDE Airport/Facilities directory and a worldwide NAVAID (Navigational Aid) directory. Simplates' friendly interface makes it easy to find exactly the plate or information you are looking for quickly. As the totality of plates exceeds a whopping 100gb, the plates themselves are not included with your initial download from the AppStore. Rather, they are downloaded on demand when you select them in the app – this generally takes only a few moments per plate, but does require you to be online. Any plates you have downloaded into SimPlates remain on your device (unless cleared) so that you can continue to use them even while offline. While this works great - this might mean that OCCASIONALLY the server might be unavailable for short periods. Thank you for checking us out and happy sim flying!
Virtual Fireplace In HD
Experience a cozy ambiance with customizable fireplaces. Enjoy realistic log burning sounds, flame color effects, and a variety of ambient audio like rain and thunder. Set a sleep timer for ultimate relaxation.
- Customizable fireplaces
- Flame color changing effects
- Ambient audio (thunder, rain, night sounds)
- Log burning sound effects
- Classical music accompaniment
- Adjustable flame speed
- Sleep timer
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Version 8 is here with more fireplaces, now you can create an even better ambient experience with flame color changing effects and with more ambient audio featuring thunder, rain, night sounds, and more to go along with your fireplace. Relax and cozy up to full screen fireplaces complete with log burning SFX, flame color changing effects and ambient audio to give you that ultimate ambient experience. Virtual Fireplace HD allows you to set customized settings for each fireplace, you can select between different ambient wood crackling SFX, switch on classical music accompaniment, change speed of flames. change flame colors, add custom ambient audio experiences and set a sleep timer.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Virtual Fireplace In HD at Free against SimPlates's $49.99. Virtual Fireplace In HD also leads on rating (3.3 vs 1.3). SimPlates's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Virtual Fireplace In HD is free to download; SimPlates costs $49.99 up front. Virtual Fireplace In HD sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. SimPlates asks for nothing beyond the download.
Virtual Fireplace In HD holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 1.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 10 respectively.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SimPlates | Virtual Fireplace In HD |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $49.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 1.3 (6 ratings) | 3.3 (10 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 43.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 10 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 82 MB | 359 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dauntless Software | Edgeway Software |
Customer experience
SimPlates
Virtual Fireplace In HD
In-app purchases
SimPlates
No in-app purchases
Virtual Fireplace In HD
- Unlock Ambient Audio Pack$1.99
- Unlock fireplaces$2.99
- Unlimited Fireplaces$4.99
Questions
Is SimPlates free?
Is Virtual Fireplace In HD free?
Which has better reviews, SimPlates or Virtual Fireplace In HD?
Do SimPlates or Virtual Fireplace In HD have ads?
Which is updated more often, SimPlates or Virtual Fireplace In HD?
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