Comparison

Comms vs PilotBound

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Comms

Practice realistic air traffic control radio communications using AI and speech recognition. Build confidence with over 35 scenarios, from basic taxi instructions to complex airspace transitions. Get instant feedback on your phraseology and accuracy.

Highlights
  • AI-powered speech recognition
  • Realistic ATC scenarios
  • Instant feedback on phraseology
  • Transcript review
  • Practice anytime, anywhere
  • Guided responses
Features
Read full description

Master Your Radio Skills. Fly with Confidence. Practice real ATC conversations by speaking into your phone. Comms uses AI and speech recognition to simulate realistic radio exchanges — so you can build confidence before keying the mic in the cockpit. Whether you're preparing for your first solo or sharpening your skills before a checkride, Comms helps you sound like you've been on frequency for years. 35+ Realistic ATC Scenarios - Taxi clearances, progressive taxi, and runway crossings - Takeoff, pattern work, and departures from towered and non-towered fields - VFR flight following — requesting, canceling, and handoffs - Class Bravo and Charlie airspace clearances and transitions - CRAFT clearances, IFR pop-ups, and holding instructions - Approaches, go-arounds, and missed approach procedures - Landing at towered and non-towered airports - Filing PIREPs, opening/closing flight plans, and requesting diversions - VFR into IMC emergency scenarios How It Works - Listen to ATC instructions with realistic controller audio - Respond by speaking your readback out loud - Get instant feedback on accuracy and phraseology - Review your full transcript after each session Built for Student Pilots - Designed for the calls that make new pilots nervous - Practice anytime — no airplane, no instructor, no pressure - Progress from basic taxi calls to complex airspace scenarios - Guided responses help you learn correct phraseology Perfect For - Student pilots preparing for solo or checkride - Private pilot candidates building radio confidence - Flight instructors looking for a training aid - Rusty pilots getting back on frequency Download Comms and take the stress out of talking to ATC. Focus on what matters most — flying the airplane. Terms of use - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

PilotBound

This app provides a personalized roadmap for aspiring pilots, guiding them from the initial decision to fly through to passing their checkride. It tracks flight hours and costs against a custom plan, offering CFI guidance at each step. Users can log flights, monitor progress, and understand their real expenses.

Highlights
  • Personalized flight training roadmap
  • Cost projection and tracking
  • Flight hour logging
  • Progress monitoring against requirements
  • CFI guidance on training steps
  • Per-aircraft and per-certificate costing
Features
Read full description

Most flight training tools were built for working pilots. They assume you already know what FAR 61.109 is, and what training really costs. PilotBound was built for the years before that, when you're still figuring out the path. PilotBound gives you a personalized plan from "I want to fly" to "checkride passed," then tracks your hours and your money against it the whole way. YOUR PLAN, START TO CHECKRIDE • A step-by-step roadmap built around your goal and where you start today • Four stages: Decide, Prepare, Train, Checkride • Pick your path, estimate the cost, and plan how you'll pay • Discovery flight, choosing a school or instructor, medical, student certificate, ground school, and gear, in the right order • First solo, first cross-country, the written, and the checkride, checked off as you go • Plain CFI guidance on every step: what to do, what to skip, what to watch KNOW YOUR REAL COST • Cost projection from your aircraft, instructor rates, and region • Live total of what you've spent, what's left, and where the money went • Per-aircraft costing: a Cessna 152 and a Cirrus track separately • One projection per certificate: Private, Instrument, Commercial, CFI, CFII, ATP • Sharpens with every flight you log. Your number, not a national average KNOW WHERE YOU STAND • Every Part 61 or Part 141 requirement, completed and remaining • Hours toward Private, Instrument, Commercial, CFI, or ATP • Milestones detected automatically: first solo, first cross-country, first night • Training momentum, visible at a glance LOG EVERY FLIGHT • Every FAA field: PIC, dual, solo, cross-country, night, instrument, approaches, landings, holds • Costs pre-filled from your aircraft and instructor rates on every flight • Your training data stays private Built for student pilots learning to fly. Whether you're deciding to start, working through Instrument, or earning Commercial, your plan, your hours, and your cost live in one place. By downloading PilotBound, you agree to the Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/.

Screenshots

Comms4 screens
PilotBound4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PilotBound at 5.0 against Comms's 4.2. PilotBound also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 12). Comms's advantage is ratings volume (207 vs 2) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Comms sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. PilotBound asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PilotBound holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Comms has 207 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Comms ships an update every 4 days, PilotBound every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Comms versus PilotBound: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCommsPilotBound
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (207 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews35.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings207 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size67 MB22 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperKHV Digital LLCFlightXplorer LLC

Customer experience

Comms

All ratings207 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral6.3%
Negative15.9%
Written reviews67 reviews
Positive35.8%
Neutral13.4%
Negative50.7%

PilotBound

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Comms

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes and becomes unusable after account setup
  • Incompatible with latest iOS versions
  • Provides incorrect information that goes against FAA guidelines

Requested features

3 requests
  • More detailed and comprehensive pilot scenarios
  • Improved voice recognition and speech-to-text accuracy
  • Better alignment with FAA instructions and procedures

PilotBound

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Comms

Subscriptions4
  • Comms Premium Weekly2 variants$6.997 Days
  • Comms Premium Monthly2 variants$14.991 Month
  • Comms Premium Yearly3 Days trial$49.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Comms Premium Yearly3 Days trial$79.991 Year
One-time6
  • Study Guide Private Pilot w/Premium$9.99
  • 25 Scan Credits$9.99
  • Pro - Unlock All Comms$12.99
Show 3 more
  • Study Guide Commercial Pilot$14.99
  • 50 Scan Credits$14.99
  • Study Guide Private Pilot$19.99
None

PilotBound

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Comms free?
Comms is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PilotBound free?
PilotBound is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Comms or PilotBound?
PilotBound is rated higher. Comms averages 4.2 out of 5 from 207 ratings, while PilotBound averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Comms or PilotBound have ads?
Neither Comms nor PilotBound shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Comms or PilotBound?
Comms ships an update every 4 days, and PilotBound every 3 weeks. Most recently, Comms was updated on September 23, 2026 and PilotBound on September 11, 2026.

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