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 the thrill of being a pilot in this 3D flight simulator. Explore a vast open world, fly various modern aircraft, and complete challenging missions. Fulfill the duties of an international airline pilot with realistic controls and graphics.

Highlights
  • Ultra-speed advanced airplane flight simulator
  • International airline pilot duties
  • Explore massive open-world environment
  • Take off from 7 airports
  • Collection of super-fast passenger airplanes
  • Amazing HD graphics
  • Smooth and easy flying controls
Features
Read full description

Want to become a pilot? Flight pilot airplane games 3d is one of the best experiences of an airplane flying so enjoy flight simulation games of the modern era. If you are a lover of airplane games don’t wait just start your game now. This game was developed in such a way to make your dreams come true to explore skies with ultra speed and a powerful advanced airplane flight simulator game. Fulfill the duties of an international airline pilot by flying an airplane in City. Fly and explore the massive open-world environment and its unique locations, take off from 7 airports, and commute from international airports to small campaign airports. Flight simulator 2022 provides you hours of fun with a brand new collection of a super-fast passenger airplanes. Game Feature: - Amazing HD graphics - Smooth and easy flying controls - Huge collection of aircraft & planes - Different challenging missions - Huge open world 3d map - Addictive gameplay with cool animations - Original & realistic runway airstrips - Realistic airplanes sounds - Different camera views

Screenshots

X4 screens
Flight Simulator4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: X at 58% against Flight Simulator's 0%. X also leads on rating (4.0 vs 1.8) and ads (none vs shown). Flight Simulator's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). On price 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

Both are free to download. X sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Flight Simulator asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

X holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: X has 25K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of X's written reviews are positive against 0% of Flight Simulator's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

X ships an update fortnightly, Flight Simulator every 30 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
X versus Flight Simulator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterXFlight Simulator
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (25K ratings) — better1.8 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews58.2% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings25K — better4
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 30 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.0 GB78 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperLaminar ResearchRashid Nisar

Customer experience

X

All ratings24,532 ratings
Positive74.7%
Neutral7.2%
Negative18.1%
Written reviews2,661 reviews
Positive58.2%
Neutral14.4%
Negative27.4%

Flight Simulator

All ratings4 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

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

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
None

Flight Simulator

No in-app purchases

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 no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, X or Flight Simulator?
X is rated higher. X averages 4.0 out of 5 from 25K ratings, while Flight Simulator averages 1.8 from 4 ratings.
Do X or Flight Simulator have ads?
Flight Simulator shows ads; X does not.
Which is updated more often, X or Flight Simulator?
X ships an update fortnightly, and Flight Simulator every 30 months. Most recently, X was updated on October 29, 2026 and Flight Simulator on October 24, 2026.

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