Comparison

PPLAce vs Private Pilot Test Prep

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

Head to head
About

PPLAce

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Pass the Private Pilot written test and walk into the checkride oral ready. PPL Ace turns the FAA knowledge areas into a daily plan you can actually keep. STUDY SMARTER, NOT LONGER โ€ข 1,135 questions across all 16 knowledge areas: aerodynamics, weather, regulations, airspace, navigation, performance, weight and balance, systems, instruments, airport operations, radio, emergencies, night, cross-country, human factors, aeromedical. โ€ข Every question has a full explanation and the CFR, AIM or FAA handbook reference behind it. โ€ข Answers are shuffled every time, so you learn the material, not the letter. โ€ข Missed questions come back on a spaced-repetition schedule until you own them. A PLAN BUILT AROUND YOUR TEST DATE โ€ข Set your test date and get a day-by-day calendar: weak topics get more days, a mock exam every week, a full 60-question mock before the test, and a rest day after. โ€ข Today's Plan on the Home screen tells you exactly what to do. Completion is tracked from your real sessions, no manual check-offs. โ€ข A readiness score tells you when you are actually ready. MOCK EXAMS LIKE THE REAL THING โ€ข 20, 40 or 60 questions, timed at the FAA's pace, 70% to pass. โ€ข Results broken down by topic with ACS codes, just like the official knowledge test report, so you know exactly what to brief with your instructor. CHECKRIDE ORAL PREP โ€ข 70 examiner-style questions organized by ACS task, from pilot qualifications to emergency operations. โ€ข Answer out loud, reveal the key points the examiner is listening for, grade yourself, and see the follow-up they are likely to ask. โ€ข Flashcards for rapid-fire review. Swipe right if you knew it, left to see it again. โ€ข Examiner Log: write down what your instructor or examiner actually asked you, then drill those questions like any other. TOOLS FOR TEST WEEK โ€ข Cram sheets built from the explanations of everything you missed, per topic or across the board. Export to PDF. โ€ข A pre-test checklist for the knowledge test, the checkride and the final 48 hours: endorsements, IACRA, what to bring. โ€ข A weekly recap with a shareable card showing your scores, streak and the topics that moved. STAY CONSISTENT โ€ข Free Question of the Day with its own streak. โ€ข Study streaks, 16 achievements, and a daily plan that fits the time you have. โ€ข Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets with your streak, today's progress and the Question of the Day. โ€ข Daily reminders that name today's topic, and a nudge when a streak is at risk. โ€ข iCloud sync keeps everything in step across your devices. FREE AND PREMIUM Free: one quiz a day, the Question of the Day, the first oral prep task, bookmarks, review, cram sheets, and the study plan. Premium unlocks unlimited quizzes and mock exams, flashcards, every oral prep task and the mock oral, PDF export, and a weekly streak freeze. Monthly or one-time lifetime purchase. Questions are written to the Private Pilot Airplane ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C) and current 14 CFR Parts 61 and 91. Found something wrong? Flag it from any question and it is fixed in the next update. Privacy: no account, no ads, no tracking. Your study data stays on your device and in your iCloud. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://d4vis24.github.io/PPLACE/privacy.html

About

Private Pilot Test Prep

Features
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Pass your FAA private pilot written the first time. 900+ practice questions across all nine knowledge areas, timed mock exams in the FAA's published shape, and spaced repetition that brings back exactly the questions you got wrong. Works completely offline, with no account and no sign-up. WHY THIS ONE Every question cites its source. Not "trust us" โ€” a handbook chapter, an AIM paragraph, or the regulation section itself, shown right there with the explanation, so when something surprises you, you can go read the primary text. Every source this app draws on is a work of the U.S. government and therefore public domain, and each one is listed with its official link at the end of this description. THE MATH IS ACTUALLY CHECKED Density altitude. Pressure altitude. Weight and balance. Fuel burn and endurance. Groundspeed and time en route. Crosswind components. Glide distance. Every computable answer in this app is recomputed independently before it ships, so the number you are taught is the number that checks out. Performance and weight-and-balance is where candidates lose the most marks, and it is drilled here rather than skimmed. NINE KNOWLEDGE AREAS Pre-Solo Basics โ€” the pre-solo essentials, spanning every area Regulations โ€” 14 CFR Parts 61, 68 and 91 Airspace & Requirements โ€” Class A through G, minima, equipment Weather & Meteorology โ€” theory, hazards, METARs and TAFs Aircraft Systems & Instruments โ€” powerplant to gyros Performance & Weight-Balance โ€” the calculations, worked Navigation & Flight Planning โ€” pilotage to the wind triangle Procedures & Airport Operations โ€” towered, non-towered, night Human Factors & Aeromedical โ€” aeromedical factors and decision-making HOW IT WORKS Tap an answer and the explanation appears immediately with its source. Get one wrong and spaced repetition schedules it to come back before you forget it. Set your test date and the home screen counts down to it. A readiness score tells you when you are actually ready, built from your own results โ€” never a made-up number. The timed mock runs 60 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes and scores against the FAA's published 70% pass mark, so test day is not the first time you have sat one. TEXT AND COMPUTATION ONLY Every question here is answerable from its own text or by working the numbers. Nothing asks you to read a chart you cannot see. WORKS ANYWHERE No account. No sign-up. No ads. No signal needed โ€” the whole question bank lives on your phone, which matters in a hangar, on a ramp, or in the back of a flight school between lessons. SOURCES โ€” THE COMPLETE LIST Every question is derived from these and no others, all works of the U.S. government in the public domain: Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK), FAA-H-8083-25: https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak Airplane Flying Handbook (AFH), FAA-H-8083-3: https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/airplane_handbook Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM): https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim_html/ Title 14 CFR Parts 61, 68 and 91: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-61 Advisory Circular AC 00-6, Aviation Weather: https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory_circulars Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards โ€” structure only, never a source of fact This app is an independent study aid. It is not a government entity and does not represent one. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or any flight school, training provider, or course publisher. Exam requirements are set by the FAA โ€” verify current requirements with your instructor or testing center. Completing this app does not grant any certificate, rating, or endorsement, and practice scores are not official results. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ โ€” Privacy Policy: https://kanac.github.io/syanac-legal/

Screenshots

PPLAce4 screens
Private Pilot Test Prep4 screens

Verdict

The call

PPLAce and Private Pilot Test Prep are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters โ€” price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them โ€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. PPLAce sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Private Pilot Test Prep sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $39.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
PPLAce versus Private Pilot Test Prep: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPPLAcePrivate Pilot Test Prep
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsโ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad โ€” better
Requires iOS17.616.4 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size12 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichael DavisAnthony Chui

In-app purchases

2 purchases

PPLAce

Subscriptions1
  • PPL Ace Premium (Monthly)$4.991 Month
One-time1
  • PPL Ace Premium (Lifetime)$14.99
3 purchases

Private Pilot Test Prep

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$39.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly$119.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$199.99

Questions

Is PPLAce free?
PPLAce is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Private Pilot Test Prep free?
Private Pilot Test Prep is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PPLAce or Private Pilot Test Prep have ads?
Neither PPLAce nor Private Pilot Test Prep shows ads.

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