X vs Flight Deck AR
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
X
Control your desktop flight simulator from your mobile device. Connect wirelessly over your local network to manage X-Plane 12 with pro-level precision. Experience a new way to interact with your flight simulation.
- Local LAN control
- X-Plane 12 integration
- Pro-level precision
- Mobile device interface
- Wireless connectivity
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Run X-Plane 12 for desktop Mac, Windows or Linux on your local LAN. Run this App on your iPad or iPhone on the same LAN! Choose the copy of X-Plane you want to control on the opening screen and viola: You've got Pro-Level control of X-Plane 12!
Flight Deck AR
Transform your mobile device into a head tracker for X-Plane. Experience natural cockpit views that follow your head movements without any extra hardware or complex setup. Enjoy enhanced immersion in your flight simulations.
- Real-time head tracking with device camera
- Native X-Plane integration
- Zero-setup, plug-and-fly functionality
- Supports all X-Plane aircraft
- Cross-platform compatibility (Windows, macOS, Linux)
- Auto-pause when face is not detected
- Per-aircraft settings
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Turn your iPad or iPhone into a powerful head tracker and fly more naturally. No clips, no sensors, no plugins, no IP configurations. Just launch the app and your cockpit view follows your head instantly. Why Flight Deck AR? • Native integration: built directly on X-Plane’s official UDP/Datarefs. • Cross-platform: works with X-Plane on Windows, macOS, and Linux. • Zero setup: no IP config, no DLLs, no drivers, no emulation, no calibration. Plug & fly. • All aircraft supported: from Laminar defaults to complex add-ons. • Simple hardware: just your iPad or iPhone camera. • Lightweight & smooth: optimized for performance and stability. Features: • Real-time head tracking with your device’s camera • Native X-Plane integration (UDP & datarefs) • Full integration, zero-config, with X-Camera plugin • Camera controls, with custom head-tracked cameras for each Aircraft • Auto-Pause: pause the sim if face is not detected for a prolonged period. • Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux • Zero setup: launch, connect, and fly • Supports all aircraft (default + add-ons) • Uses only your iPad or iPhone camera • Smooth, lightweight, and responsive head tracking • Ready-to-use presets for common scenarios • Advanced settings for fine-tweaking • Per Aircraft settings. Each configuration of the tracker is linked automatically and independently to the currently loaded Aircraft. • No extra hardware required • Control the App from your X-Plane joystick • Eye Tracking (BETA) Fly naturally Move your head, look around. Lean forward to read instruments. Glance left and right on final. With Flight Deck AR, your cockpit becomes as alive as the real thing, without extra gear. Compatibility • Requires X-Plane 11 or 12 on Windows, macOS, or Linux. • No additional plugins or configuration needed. • Compatible devices: iPhone X and later (all models) iPhone SE (3rd generation and later) iPad Pro 11-inch (all models) iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later) iPad Air (4th generation and later) iPad mini (6th generation and later) The future of head tracking Unlike TrackIR or FreeTrack, Flight Deck AR is built for X-Plane, not hacked around it. It’s the first head tracker that works wherever X-Plane does, and it just works. Flight Deck AR. Plug & fly. Flight Deck AR transforms your iPad or iPhone into a powerful head tracker for X-Plane. Using just your device’s camera, you can move your head naturally and watch the cockpit view respond instantly. Enjoy a more immersive flying experience without wires, sensors, or complicated setups. Made for X-Plane pilots who want immersion, simplicity, and performance. Terms of use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Flight Deck AR at 100% against X's 37%. Flight Deck AR also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.6) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months). X's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (23 vs 3). On price, ads, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Flight Deck AR sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. X asks for nothing beyond the download.
Flight Deck AR holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: X has 23 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 37% of X's written reviews are positive against 100% of Flight Deck AR's.
X ships an update every 5 months, Flight Deck AR every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | X | Flight Deck AR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (23 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 36.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 23 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3.0 GB | 65 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Laminar Research | Visuality srl |
Customer experience
X
Flight Deck AR
In-app purchases
X
No in-app purchases
Flight Deck AR
- Flight Deck AR PRO$11.99
