Comparison

Pixel Wind Tunnel vs AirCraft Flight Lab

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

Head to head
About

Pixel Wind Tunnel

Visualize real fluid dynamics on your device by drawing shapes and simulating their interaction with air or liquid. Explore flow patterns, measure aerodynamic coefficients, and understand physics with real calculations, not approximations.

Highlights
  • Draw custom shapes for simulation
  • Real-time 2D fluid dynamics calculations
  • Multiple visualization modes (velocity, pressure, vorticity, streamlines)
  • Calculate aerodynamic coefficients (drag, lift)
  • Place probes to track fluid properties
  • Adjust simulation parameters (inlet velocity, viscosity)
  • Compare different shape designs
Features
Read full description

Draw a shape. Tap Simulate. Watch real fluid dynamics come alive in pixels. Pixel Wind Tunnel is a 2D fluid simulation app that runs real CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) calculations right on your device. No simplified approximations — the app solves the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations using the CIP advection method and Pressure Poisson solver, the same mathematical framework used in professional engineering software. HOW IT WORKS Draw any shape with your finger — airfoils, cars, buildings, anything Tap Simulate Watch the flow develop in real time That's it. Real fluid physics in three steps. SEE THE FLOW Switch between visualization modes to explore different aspects of the physics: • Velocity — where the flow speeds up and slows down • Pressure — high and low pressure regions around your shape • Vorticity — spinning structures and vortex shedding • Streamlines — paths that fluid particles follow MEASURE PERFORMANCE Real-time aerodynamic coefficients calculated from surface pressure and viscous stress integration: • Drag coefficient (Cd) • Lift coefficient (Cl) • Reynolds number Draw two different shapes and compare which one has less drag. Understand why streamlined shapes work better — with real numbers, not guesswork. EXPLORE DEEPER • Place point probes anywhere to track velocity and pressure over time • Scrub through simulation history with the timeline slider • Adjust inlet velocity and viscosity to change flow conditions • Save shapes with screenshots and reload them anytime REAL CALCULATION, NOT AN ANIMATION Every frame you see is computed from the actual Navier-Stokes equations. The CIP (Cubic Interpolated Propagation) method handles advection with minimal numerical diffusion, while the SOR iterative solver resolves the pressure field. Boundary conditions, viscous forces, and flow separation are all physically modeled. FOR CURIOUS MINDS Whether you're a student studying fluid mechanics, an engineer sketching quick ideas, a teacher demonstrating aerodynamics in class, or simply someone who wonders why things are shaped the way they are — draw it and find out.

About

AirCraft Flight Lab

Read full description

AirCraft is an offline learning workshop for understanding, designing, building, and improving paper aircraft. Choose the path that fits you. Study guides new makers through eight ordered missions: safe experimentation, airframe construction, lift and drag, balance and stability, calculated simulation, result interpretation, physical flight testing, and an independent design challenge. Each lesson combines clear objectives, practical steps, a knowledge check, and guided practice in the real design tools. Your progress stays on your device. Freedom opens the complete workshop at any time. Adjust wing geometry, material, ballast, environment, and launch conditions in Design. Inspect the live planform, center of gravity, and neutral point, then run an on-device calculation and explore trajectory, aerodynamic polar, static stability, model revision, and engineering guidance in Flight Lab. Record a physical flight and compare measured distance and time with the selected prediction before choosing your next change. Key features: • Learn through eight guided, self-paced Study missions • Complete checklists, knowledge checks, and hands-on Freedom practice • Adjust main-wing, tail-wing, material, ballast, environment, and launch inputs • Inspect wing geometry and balance markers in a live planform view • Run deterministic flight and stability calculations on device • Save projects, simulation runs, and physical-flight records locally • Compare predicted and measured distance and flight time • Export a printable A4 paper-aircraft blueprint • Work offline with no account, advertising, analytics, or tracking Simulation values are calculated from the current inputs with fixed educational aerodynamic equations and a deterministic two-dimensional RK4 trajectory model. They are not random examples or measured flight data. The simplified model supports learning, experimentation, and creative design; it is not CFD, certification, or a tool for real-aircraft design, manufacturing, safety assessment, or flight decisions.

Screenshots

Pixel Wind Tunnel4 screens
AirCraft Flight Lab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: AirCraft Flight Lab at none against Pixel Wind Tunnel's shown. Pixel Wind Tunnel's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 6 level
Pixel Wind Tunnel versus AirCraft Flight Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixel Wind TunnelAirCraft Flight Lab
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Update frequencyEvery 7 months—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHiroki KijimaJohn Su

In-app purchases

None

Pixel Wind Tunnel

No in-app purchases

None

AirCraft Flight Lab

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pixel Wind Tunnel free?
Pixel Wind Tunnel is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AirCraft Flight Lab free?
AirCraft Flight Lab is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pixel Wind Tunnel or AirCraft Flight Lab have ads?
Pixel Wind Tunnel shows ads; AirCraft Flight Lab does not.

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