Comparison

X vs Spaceflight Simulator

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

Head to head
About

X

Experience a highly realistic flight simulator with accurate physics and detailed 3D cockpits. Explore numerous airports and terrain, with options to expand scenery and aircraft through subscription and in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Realistic flight model
  • Interactive 3D cockpits
  • Detailed 3D airports
  • Free tutorials
  • Massive multiplayer
  • System failure simulation
  • Emergency scenarios
Features
Read full description

The most realistic aircraft. The world at your fingertips. It’s not a game, it’s a flight simulator. ▶ "Highly recommended." — Mel Martin, Engadget ◀ ▶ Featured by Apple in "Best New Games" ◀ ▶ Over 1 million downloads! ◀ Come experience why real pilots fly X-Plane. It starts with the flight model—the same flight model used in our FAA-certified desktop simulator—that’s complete enough to model the flex in your wings & the tilt in your landing gear. Add to that our desktop-quality aircraft with multiple liveries and interactive 3-D cockpits—so detailed you can do a full startup procedure using the hundreds of buttons, knobs, & switches in the cockpit. With working gauges, flight displays, & more, these cockpits are as realistic as those in our full desktop sim. But aircraft are no good without a place to fly them. That's why each of our 5 ▸free◂ regions features detailed terrain, lifelike city buildings, & 3D airports—complete with terminal buildings, jetways, hangars, & more. Want more? Subscribe to unlock global scenery, and get access to over 37,000 airports, with more than 11,500 airports featuring 3D terminals, hangars, & more. ▶ FEATURES √ 9 ▸free◂ tutorials, teaching the basics of takeoffs & landings, traffic patterns, helicopters, & more √ Massive multiplayer with thousands of other pilots and controllers in a single shared world (Professional subscribers only; non-subscribers can get free trial flights for a limited time) √ Fully interactive cockpits on many aircraft, wired to real systems models, with working gauges, displays, buttons, & switches √ Full startup procedures supported on many aircraft (optionally start any aircraft from cold & dark) √ More than 50 systems modeled, each of which can be failed on command √ Emergency scenarios √ Combat missions ▶ AIRCRAFT The app includes 2 aircraft (plus 5 scenery regions) for free. In addition, the following aircraft are available as in-app purchases: • ▸Free!◂ Cessna 172SP w/ 4 liveries • ▸Free!◂ Cirrus Vision SF50 w/ 5 liveries • Cirrus SR22 w/ 3 liveries • Cessna Citation X w/ 3 liveries • Airbus A320 Airliner w/ 3 liveries • Airbus A330-300 Airliner w/ 3 liveries • Boeing B737-800 Airliner w/ 3 liveries • Boeing B777-200ER Airliner w/ 3 liveries • Boeing B747-400 Jumbo Jet w/ 3 liveries • Bombardier CRJ200 Regional Jet w/ 3 liveries • Douglas DC-3 Airliner w/ 3 liveries • McDonnell Douglas MD-80 w/ 3 liveries • A-10 Thunderbolt II (“Warthog”) Fighter • F-22 Raptor Fighter • F-4 Phantom II Fighter • Beechcraft Baron B58 • Beechcraft King Air C90B • Piper PA-18 Super Cub • Piaggio P.180 Avanti • Sikorsky S76 Helicopter ▶ SCENERY 5 scenery regions are ▸free◂ for everyone! • Oahu, Hawaii • Grand Canyon • Seattle/Tacoma, Washington • Juneau, Alaska • Innsbruck, Austria Global scenery is available by purchasing a monthly or yearly subscription. ▶ MULTIPLAYER Come join tens of thousands of other pilots and controllers in a single, shared world! Try the Fly-In of the Day to meet up with hundreds of other pilots, or explore the MMO world for more chance encounters. Massive multiplayer is in early access—we wanted to get it in your hands as soon as possible—so we’re going to continue adding new features & improvements over the coming months. Terms of Service available at: https://www.x-plane.com/x-plane-mobile-terms-of-service/ Download X-Plane now to experience aviation like never before.

About

Spaceflight Simulator

Build and launch rockets to explore a realistic, open universe. Experience space exploration with accurate physics and a vast, explorable solar system.

Highlights
  • Build custom rockets
  • Realistic orbital mechanics
  • Explore a scaled universe
  • Visit planets and moons
  • Open-world space exploration
  • Real-life physics simulation
Read full description

This game is about space explorations, its about building your own rocket, and going out to explore and see whats out there, all while following real life physics. • Realistically scaled universe, with planets up to hundreds of kilometers in size and millions of kilometers of space between them. • Realistic orbital mechanics • Open universe, if you see something in the distance, you can go there, no limits, no invisible walls. Current planets: Mercury. Venus. Earth. Moon. Mars. Phobos. Deimos.

Screenshots

X4 screens
Spaceflight Simulator4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Spaceflight Simulator at 4.8 against X's 4.0. Spaceflight Simulator also leads on ratings volume (98K vs 25K) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. X sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Spaceflight Simulator sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Spaceflight Simulator holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 25K and 98K respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

X ships an update fortnightly, Spaceflight Simulator every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 18, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
X versus Spaceflight Simulator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterXSpaceflight Simulator
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (25K ratings)4.8 (98K ratings) — better
Positive reviews58.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings25K98K — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.0 GB172 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperLaminar ResearchSpaceflight Simulator UK Ltd

Customer experience

X

All ratings24,532 ratings
Positive74.7%
Neutral7.2%
Negative18.1%
Written reviews2,657 reviews
Positive58.2%
Neutral14.5%
Negative27.4%

Spaceflight Simulator

All ratings97,665 ratings
Positive96.3%
Neutral1.7%
Negative2.0%

User reviews

X

From 25K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Realistic flight physics
  • 👍 Highly interactive cockpits
  • 🤠 Great for flight enthusiasts
  • 💡 Potential to be used for flight training

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive planes and subscription
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches in some planes
  • 🌍 Limited free global scenery
  • 🎮 Challenging controls for beginners

Spaceflight Simulator

From 98K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Realistic physics and space simulation
  • 👍 Intuitive controls and easy to learn
  • 🚀 Ability to build complex rockets and spacecraft
  • 👍 No ads or in-app purchases required to play

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches, especially with large rockets
  • 🔋 Potential performance issues on older devices
  • 🔒 Limited customization and part options in free version
  • 🚀 Docking and rendezvous maneuvers can be very challenging

Bugs and requests

X

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Altitude hold issues in the MD-80
  • Inconsistent cockpit quality across different planes
  • Unexpected plane behavior during takeoff and landing

Requested features

5 requests
  • More free planes, especially commercial airliners
  • Larger free flight area and more airports
  • Improved autopilot and flight planning features
  • Addition of ground services like pushback and jetways
  • More realistic weather, lighting, and environmental effects

Spaceflight Simulator

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Rocket parts sometimes clipping through each other
  • Occasional freezing or crashing when launching large rockets
  • Issues with RCS thrusters firing unexpectedly during docking
  • Problems with maintaining stable orbits and transfers

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add more planets, moons, and celestial bodies to explore
  • Implement a career mode or progression system with challenges
  • Allow for more customization of rocket parts and spacecraft
  • Improve docking and rendezvous mechanics to make them more accessible
  • Add the ability to control individual astronauts and perform EVAs
Show 1 more
  • Implement a fuel line system for more efficient staging

In-app purchases

11 purchases

X

Subscriptions2
  • X-Plane Mobile Basic$4.991 Month
  • X-Plane Mobile Professional$5.991 Month
One-time9
  • Piper SuperCub$0.99
  • Baron B58$1.99
  • Sikorsky S76$2.99
Show 6 more
  • McDonnell Douglas MD-80$4.99
  • Airbus A320$4.99
  • F-22 Raptor$4.99
  • Boeing 777-200ER$4.99
  • Boeing 747-400$4.99
  • Boeing B737-800$4.99
10 purchases

Spaceflight Simulator

One-time10
  • Skins Expansion$2.99
  • Full Version$3.99
  • Redstone + Atlas Pack$3.99
Show 7 more
  • Parts Expansion$4.99
  • Infinite Area Expansion$4.99
  • Expansion Bundle$7.99
  • Cheats Expansion$9.99
  • Full Bundle Upgrade$9.99
  • Full Bundle$11.99
  • Full Bundle$14.99

Questions

Is X free?
X is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Spaceflight Simulator free?
Spaceflight Simulator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, X or Spaceflight Simulator?
Spaceflight Simulator is rated higher. X averages 4.0 out of 5 from 25K ratings, while Spaceflight Simulator averages 4.8 from 98K ratings.
Do X or Spaceflight Simulator have ads?
Neither X nor Spaceflight Simulator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, X or Spaceflight Simulator?
X ships an update fortnightly, and Spaceflight Simulator every 9 days. Most recently, X was updated on October 18, 2026 and Spaceflight Simulator on October 18, 2026.

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