PilotBound vs SquawkX Pilot
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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/.
SquawkX Pilot
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
| Parameter | PilotBound | SquawkX Pilot |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 213 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | FlightXplorer LLC | Yongjae Kwon |
In-app purchases
PilotBound
No in-app purchases
SquawkX Pilot
- SquawkX Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
- SquawkX Pro Yearly$79.991 Year
Questions
Is PilotBound free?
Is SquawkX Pilot free?
Do PilotBound or SquawkX Pilot have ads?
Which is updated more often, PilotBound or SquawkX Pilot?
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