Comparison

X vs On Instruments

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

On Instruments

Hone your instrument flying skills with this simulator. Navigate various courses by precisely managing heading, altitude, and airspeed. Features multiple difficulty levels, including courses with instrument failures.

Highlights
  • Instrument scanning practice
  • Multiple course difficulties
  • Heading, altitude, airspeed control
  • Attitude Indicator failure simulation
  • Score maximization
Features
Read full description

Practice and hone your IFR instrument scanning skills while playing a variety of courses “On Instruments”. Each course includes a series of heading, altitude, and airspeed changes that must be flown with precision to maximize your score. Courses are divided into Easy, Intermediate and Expert Levels. Additional courses without course guidance are available, as well as a series with an Attitude Indicator failure.

Screenshots

X4 screens
On Instruments4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: X at Free against On Instruments's $2.99. X also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (25K vs 9). On Instruments's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11) and rating (4.4 vs 4.0). 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; On Instruments costs $2.99 up front. X sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. On Instruments asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On Instruments holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: X has 25K ratings behind it against 9, 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 75% of On Instruments's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

X ships an update fortnightly, On Instruments every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
X versus On Instruments: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterXOn Instruments
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.0 (25K ratings)4.4 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews58.2% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings25K — better9
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.0 GB13 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperLaminar ResearchAircraft Training Aids, LLC

Customer experience

X

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

On Instruments

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative12.5%

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

On Instruments

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

On Instruments

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is X free?
X is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is On Instruments free?
On Instruments costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, X or On Instruments?
On Instruments is rated higher. X averages 4.0 out of 5 from 25K ratings, while On Instruments averages 4.4 from 9 ratings.
Do X or On Instruments have ads?
Neither X nor On Instruments shows ads.
Which is updated more often, X or On Instruments?
X ships an update fortnightly, and On Instruments every 8 months. Most recently, X was updated on October 17, 2026 and On Instruments on October 6, 2026.

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