Comparison

PilotBound vs SquawkX Pilot

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

Head to head
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

Flight training costs more than the quote. PilotBound tells you what yours will actually cost, priced on the rates your own school publishes, and tracks every dollar against it until checkride day. PRICED ON YOUR SCHOOL, NOT AN AVERAGE • Search 1,713 flight schools and pick where you train • 535 publish enough for us to price your certificate on their real rates • Every figure says where it came from and when it was read • Where a school publishes nothing, we say so and use a national median WHAT YOUR CERTIFICATE WILL COST • A full projection to checkride, not an hourly rate times the legal minimum • Built on the hours examiners actually report, not 40 hours • Sharpens with every flight you log until it is your number • One projection per certificate: Private, Instrument, Commercial, CFI, CFII, ATP • Per aircraft, so a 152 and a Cirrus never hide inside one average CAN YOU AFFORD IT • Track savings, loans and scholarships against what is still ahead • See whether your funding covers the finish, and for how long • Set a budget and get told before you cross it, not after YOUR PLAN, START TO CHECKRIDE • A step by step roadmap from "I want to fly" to checkride passed • Discovery flight, school, medical, student certificate, ground school, gear • First solo, first cross country, the written, the checkride • Plain CFI guidance on each step: what to do, what to skip, what to watch EVERY HOUR, EVERY FIELD • PIC, dual, solo, cross country, night, instrument, approaches, landings, holds • Every Part 61 and Part 141 requirement, completed and remaining • Milestones detected as you fly: first solo, first cross country, first night • Costs pre-filled from your aircraft and instructor rates Built by a CFI for the years before anyone hands you a plan. Your training data stays private. By downloading PilotBound, you agree to the Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/.

About

SquawkX Pilot

Features
Read full description

SquawkX helps student pilots build a steady study rhythm for PPL, IFR, and CPL preparation. Work through guided question banks, review missed topics, protect your daily study streak, and practice ATC readbacks with recorded responses and feedback. Designed for focused sessions, SquawkX combines: - PPL, IFR, and CPL study paths - Daily Flight Plan study blocks - Missed-question review - Progress, XP, rank, and streak tracking - ATC readback practice with microphone recording - Transcript review and readback feedback - Focused ATC categories such as Clearance, Ground, Tower, Departure, Approach, Weather, Emergency, and CTAF / Lost Comms SquawkX is a practice aid. Always use current regulations, official FAA publications, aircraft documents, instructor guidance, and local procedures for real-world flight decisions. Terms of Use: https://squawkx.expo.app/terms

Screenshots

PilotBound4 screens
SquawkX Pilot4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PilotBound at none against SquawkX Pilot's 2. PilotBound also leads on ads (none vs shown). SquawkX Pilot's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.6). On price 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. SquawkX Pilot sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. PilotBound asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PilotBound ships an update every 3 weeks, SquawkX Pilot every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
PilotBound versus SquawkX Pilot: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPilotBoundSquawkX Pilot
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB213 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperFlightXplorer LLCYongjae Kwon

In-app purchases

None

PilotBound

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

SquawkX Pilot

Subscriptions2
  • SquawkX Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
  • SquawkX Pro Yearly$79.991 Year

Questions

Is PilotBound free?
PilotBound is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SquawkX Pilot free?
SquawkX Pilot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PilotBound or SquawkX Pilot have ads?
SquawkX Pilot shows ads; PilotBound does not.
Which is updated more often, PilotBound or SquawkX Pilot?
PilotBound ships an update every 3 weeks, and SquawkX Pilot every 4 days. Most recently, PilotBound was updated on September 30, 2026 and SquawkX Pilot on September 29, 2026.

Other comparisons