Comparison

X vs SimplePlanes

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

SimplePlanes

Design, build, and fly your own aircraft with realistic physics. Explore a vast community-created library of over 250,000 planes or test your creations in challenging scenarios.

Highlights
  • Build custom airplanes with modular parts
  • Realistic flight physics simulation
  • Download over 250,000 community-created aircraft
  • Engage in flight challenges
  • Sandbox mode for unrestricted building
  • Educational tutorials on airplane design
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Build airplanes by snapping parts together, designing wing sections, and attaching engines. At any time, you can strap yourself into the cockpit and see how it flies with realistic physics. If you're not in the mood for building, over 250,000 airplanes are available to download for free. BUILD AIRPLANES You have the tools you'll need to bring any airplane to life. Snap parts together to build your airplane's body. Place engines to add thrust. Design and attach wings and then strap yourself into the cockpit and see how it flies. DOWNLOAD AIRPLANES Over 250,000 airplanes are available to download for free from SimplePlanes.com. Find anything from old WW2 bombers to next-generation fighters to sci-fi spacecraft. You can upload your own airplanes and rise through the ranks from a bronze builder to a gold level builder. DYNAMIC FLIGHT MODEL Flight simulation at its finest. Every little change you make in the designer impacts how the airplane flies. Weight distribution, thrust, lift, and drag are all calculated continuously while flying. Parts can break off in spectacular fashion while flying due to over-stress or by hitting something. The fun won't stop there though. You can keep on flying even with a missing wing if you've got the skills. SANDBOX MODE Use all available parts to build airplanes with no restrictions. The sky is the limit. Literally. CHALLENGES Climb into the cockpit of one of your custom aircraft and see how it does in the challenges. Land on aircraft carriers, dodge surface-to-air missiles, race through courses, and so much more. EDUCATIONAL Tutorials will help players learn the basics of real airplane design and the considerations that need to be taken when airplanes are made.

Screenshots

X4 screens
SimplePlanes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: X at Free against SimplePlanes's $5.99. X also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (25K vs 3K). SimplePlanes's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 11). On 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

X is free to download; SimplePlanes costs $5.99 up front. X sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. SimplePlanes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SimplePlanes holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: X has 25K ratings behind it against 3K, 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 84% of SimplePlanes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

X ships an update fortnightly, SimplePlanes every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
X versus SimplePlanes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterXSimplePlanes
PriceFree — better$5.99
Rating4.0 (25K ratings)4.6 (3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews58.2% of reviews83.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings25K — better3K
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank—#105 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.0 GB335 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperLaminar ResearchJundroo, LLC

Customer experience

X

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

SimplePlanes

All ratings3,024 ratings
Positive89.9%
Neutral2.9%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews875 reviews
Positive83.5%
Neutral5.4%
Negative11.1%

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

SimplePlanes

From 3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and creative sandbox
  • 🚀 Powerful building mechanics
  • 📥 Ability to download community-created planes
  • 🎨 Customizable vehicles
  • ⚙️ Realistic physics

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches (crashes, invisible collisions, control issues)
  • 🚫 Lack of mod support on mobile
  • 🌍 Limited map/island selection on mobile
  • 🔍 Difficulty finding/downloading larger planes on mobile
  • 🎮 Awkward mobile controls

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

SimplePlanes

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Undo function causing plane glitches
  • Autopilot issues (retracting landing gear)
  • Invisible collision problems
  • Planes spawning in ground/air unexpectedly
  • Graphical/performance issues on older devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add multiplayer mode
  • Implement more advanced damage/failure models
  • Expand map selection (e.g. desert island, underwater view)
  • Improve AI behavior and add more combat-focused missions
  • Introduce new vehicle types (e.g. tanks, ships, trains)
Show 1 more
  • Add more advanced building tools (e.g. individual part movement, custom cockpits)

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

SimplePlanes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is X free?
X is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SimplePlanes free?
SimplePlanes costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, X or SimplePlanes?
SimplePlanes is rated higher. X averages 4.0 out of 5 from 25K ratings, while SimplePlanes averages 4.6 from 3K ratings.
Do X or SimplePlanes have ads?
Neither X nor SimplePlanes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, X or SimplePlanes?
X ships an update fortnightly, and SimplePlanes every 3 months. Most recently, X was updated on September 25, 2026 and SimplePlanes on September 23, 2026.

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