Comparison

SimPlates vs Flight Sim Tracker

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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.)
Features
Read full description

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!

About

Flight Sim Tracker

Track your virtual flights in real-time with live maps and detailed flight history. Relive past journeys, analyze performance, and build a personal profile of your aviation career. Visualize routes and log every flight automatically.

Highlights
  • Real-time aircraft tracking
  • Interactive flight history
  • Detailed flight playback
  • Personal flight profile
  • Dynamic map overlays
  • Automatic flight logging
Features
Read full description

Track your Microsoft Flight Simulator flights in real-time. View live maps, replay your routes, and analyze your flights. Enhance your Flight Simulator experience with Flight Sim Tracker.  Whether you’re a casual pilot or a seasoned pro, Flight Sim Tracker helps you keep track of every moment in the skies. Note: This app requires an active subscription to access all features and functionality.  Subscriptions are available on a monthly or yearly basis. Key Features • Real-Time Aircraft Tracking • Interactive Flight History Relive your past flights with our detailed flight playback feature.  Visualize your routes on an interactive map, analyze your performance, and cherish your favorite journeys. All features mentioned in this application requires an active subscription. An in-app purchase is required to use the app. Build your personal profile to log every flight you take.  Keep a record of your virtual aviation career, track your progress, and share your stats with friends or the community. Explore your flight paths with dynamic, high-quality map overlays. See your routes, destinations, and waypoints in stunning detail. Automatically record every flight into your digital logbook. Perfect for pilots who love to document their adventures or analyze their flying patterns over time. Join the growing community of aviation enthusiasts who are taking their simulation experiences to the next level. Download Flight Sim Tracker now and start your journey! Privacy Policy: https://fstracker.app/privacy-policy Terms And Conditions: https://fstracker.app/terms-and-conditions

Screenshots

SimPlates4 screens
Flight Sim Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Flight Sim Tracker at 100% against SimPlates's 43%. Flight Sim Tracker also leads on price (Free vs $49.99) and rating (5.0 vs 1.3). SimPlates's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (6 vs 1). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Flight Sim Tracker is free to download; SimPlates costs $49.99 up front. Flight Sim Tracker sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. SimPlates asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Flight Sim Tracker holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SimPlates has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of SimPlates's written reviews are positive against 100% of Flight Sim Tracker's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SimPlates ships an update every 5 months, Flight Sim Tracker every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
SimPlates versus Flight Sim Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimPlatesFlight Sim Tracker
Price$49.99Free — better
Rating1.3 (6 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews43.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 months — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDauntless SoftwareMUSTAFA OZDEMIR

Customer experience

SimPlates

All ratings6 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral16.7%
Negative83.3%
Written reviews37 reviews
Positive43.2%
Neutral10.8%
Negative45.9%

Flight Sim Tracker

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

SimPlates

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Flight Sim Tracker

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Access to All Features$4.991 Month
  • Premium Access to All Features$29.991 Year

Questions

Is SimPlates free?
SimPlates costs $49.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Flight Sim Tracker free?
Flight Sim Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SimPlates or Flight Sim Tracker?
Flight Sim Tracker is rated higher. SimPlates averages 1.3 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Flight Sim Tracker averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do SimPlates or Flight Sim Tracker have ads?
Neither SimPlates nor Flight Sim Tracker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SimPlates or Flight Sim Tracker?
SimPlates ships an update every 5 months, and Flight Sim Tracker every 7 months. Most recently, SimPlates was updated on September 29, 2026 and Flight Sim Tracker on September 24, 2026.

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