Comparison

X vs Flight 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

Flight Simulator

Experience realistic airplane flying with high-resolution graphics and cutting-edge AI. Master various flying skills through numerous missions, from basic takeoffs to advanced rescue and combat scenarios. Become a seasoned pilot through challenging events.

Highlights
  • Realistic airplane flight simulation
  • High-resolution graphics
  • AI-powered scenarios
  • Diverse mission types (takeoff, landing, rescue, air race)
  • Pilot skill progression
  • Challenging commander events
Features
Read full description

Take the captain's seat in Flight Simulator: World. Fly light aircraft, regional and long-haul airliners, business jets and a seaplane across a real globe with real airports. Start with short hops, earn your licence, then build your own airline: buy aircraft, open routes, carry passengers and keep them happy. WHAT YOU FLY • Light propeller planes and a floatplane for your first hours • Regional jets and wide-body airliners for long international routes • Business jets for fast charters and island runs WHERE YOU FLY • A real world map with real airports, day and night, weather and clouds • Take-off, cruise, approach and landing, hand flown or with assists you can switch off • Cabin announcements, passengers, crew and a full cockpit view YOUR AIRLINE • Build a company, buy planes, open routes, hire and grow • Missions and daily goals with cash and diamond rewards • Customize liveries and unlock rare aircraft MADE BY ONE DEVELOPER Flight Simulator: World is built by the developer behind Truck Simulator World, Bus Simulator World and Ultimate Car Driving Simulator, played by hundreds of millions. Every review is read and every update is shaped by what pilots ask for. Works offline. Free to play, optional in-app purchases.

Screenshots

X4 screens
Flight Simulator4 screens

Verdict

The call

X and Flight Simulator both sit at 4.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 58% of X's written reviews are positive against 17% of Flight Simulator's. X also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs paid) and ratings volume (25K vs 4.6K). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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 Flight Simulator sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for X against 4.1 for Flight Simulator. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: X has 25K ratings behind it against 4.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 58% of X's written reviews are positive against 17% of Flight Simulator's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
X versus Flight Simulator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterXFlight Simulator
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (25K ratings)4.1 (4.6K ratings) — better
Positive reviews58.2% of reviews — better16.8% of reviews
Number of ratings25K — better4.6K
Update frequencyFortnightlyFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.0 GB2.1 GB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperLaminar ResearchSir Studios

Customer experience

X

All ratings24,532 ratings
Positive74.7%
Neutral7.2%
Negative18.1%
Written reviews2,634 reviews
Positive58.2%
Neutral14.5%
Negative27.3%

Flight Simulator

All ratings4,629 ratings
Positive75.4%
Neutral5.5%
Negative19.1%
Written reviews475 reviews
Positive16.8%
Neutral9.5%
Negative73.7%

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

Flight Simulator

From 4.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Realistic graphics
  • 💡 Variety of planes
  • 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
  • 💰 Pay-to-play model
  • ⏱️ Slow loading times
  • 🔒 Lack of online functionality

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

Flight Simulator

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Planes crashing on landing
  • Compass not working properly
  • Rescue mission not functioning
  • Night mode causing black screen

Requested features

4 requests
  • More planes and airports
  • Improved flight physics and controls
  • Online multiplayer mode
  • Customization options

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
12 purchases

Flight Simulator

One-time12
  • 100.000 Coin$1.99
  • Lockhead Martin F-35$1.99
  • Unlimited Game$1.99
Show 9 more
  • 500.000 Coin$2.99
  • Starter Pack$4.99
  • Airboss Belluga XLA330$6.99
  • Airboss A380$9.99
  • 5.000.000 Coin$9.99
  • Sukoi S27$9.99
  • 10.000.000 Coin$17.99
  • Fighter Jet Package$19.99
  • Passenger Package$24.99

Questions

Is X free?
X is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Flight Simulator free?
Flight Simulator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, X or Flight Simulator?
Flight Simulator is rated higher. X averages 4.0 out of 5 from 25K ratings, while Flight Simulator averages 4.1 from 4.6K ratings.
Do X or Flight Simulator have ads?
Neither X nor Flight Simulator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, X or Flight Simulator?
X ships an update fortnightly, and Flight Simulator fortnightly. Most recently, X was updated on September 26, 2026 and Flight Simulator on September 25, 2026.

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