Comparison

Private Pilot Course vs Instrument Test Prep

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

Head to head
About

Private Pilot Course

Prepare for the ground portion of your FAA Private Pilot Practical Test with realistic checkride scenarios and expert insights. Includes essential FAA handbooks, a knowledge quiz, and flight calculators.

Highlights
  • Realistic checkride oral enactment
  • Examiner and instructor insights
  • FAA Airplane Flying Handbook
  • Private Pilot PTS
  • Knowledge quiz
  • Flight calculators
Features
Read full description

The Private Pilot Course - Ground Portion gives you an insight into what happens on the ground portion of your FAA Private Pilot Practical Test, commonly referred to as the Checkride Oral. We provide more than one hour of video, showing you a realistic enactment of a checkride oral conducted by an FAA designated pilot examiner and a student pilot. This app also includes insights from an examiner and instructor to give you a full understanding of what to expect on your private pilot practical test. Bonus features of this app are a copy of the FAA Airplane Flying Handbook, the Private Pilot PTS, the FAA Risk Management Handbook and the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM). Also included is a quiz to test your knowledge and calculators for Stall Speed, Load Factor, Maneuvering Speed and Top of Climb calculations. Please check out our companion app, the Private Pilot Course - Flight Portion, that gives you more than two and a half hours of exciting in-flight HD video and detailed animation including an in depth explanation of the takeoffs, landings and maneuvers needed to pass your FAA Private Pilot Practical Test. Both apps together make a perfect package that will make you pass your Checkride with ease. Due to HD video, this App is more than 750MB in size. Please make sure you have enough space on your device. Due to size restrictions, you have to be connected to a WiFi network to download this app.

About

Instrument Test Prep

Prepare for your FAA Instrument Rating Knowledge Test with a comprehensive question bank and detailed explanations. Customize study sessions, take simulated exams, and track your progress. An optional upgrade unlocks full ground school lessons and advanced features.

Highlights
  • Over 900 FAA questions with explanations
  • Customizable study sessions
  • Simulated FAA exams
  • Review missed questions
  • Track progress across devices
  • Study resources library
Read full description

Over 900 FAA questions and explanations to help prepare for the FAA Instrument Rating Knowledge Test. Upgrade to the complete ground school course to unlock lessons, additional questions, statistics, and more (free trial available). ▸ Create custom study sessions based on topics, session size, and your overall mastery. Filters allow you to include or exclude questions that require the use of figures or an E6B. Some advanced filtering options require Premium Test Prep or Ground School upgrade. ▸ View most often missed FAA questions across all FlightReady users (requires Premium Test Prep or Ground School upgrade). ▸ Quickly identify and create study sessions focusing on your weakest topic (requires Premium Test Prep or Ground School upgrade). ▸ Create practice sessions from missed questions after a completed practice or exam session. ▸ Review missed questions after a practice or exam session. ▸ Take simulated FAA exams administered under the same rules and time constraints as the actual Instrument Rating exam. Unlike other test prep apps, our exams present the correct proportion of questions from each knowledge area per the ACS. ▸ Sync your data and course progress across on all of your iOS devices (requires Premium Test Prep or Ground School upgrade). ▸ Access a library of study resources for the Instrument Rating - Airplane ▸ Question bank covers all areas of the FAA Instrument Rating Airman Certification Standards to ensure thorough preparation for the knowledge test. ▸ Detailed explanations and references for all questions, including the text of the regulation where applicable.

Screenshots

Private Pilot Course4 screens
Instrument Test Prep4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Instrument Test Prep at Free against Private Pilot Course's $29.99. Instrument Test Prep also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.5) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 38 months). Private Pilot Course's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.1). On 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

Instrument Test Prep is free to download; Private Pilot Course costs $29.99 up front. Instrument Test Prep sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Private Pilot Course asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Instrument Test Prep holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Instrument Test Prep has 152 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Private Pilot Course's written reviews are positive against 88% of Instrument Test Prep's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Private Pilot Course ships an update every 38 months, Instrument Test Prep fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Private Pilot Course versus Instrument Test Prep: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrivate Pilot CourseInstrument Test Prep
Price$29.99Free — better
Rating3.5 (6 ratings)4.9 (152 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews87.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6152 — better
Update frequencyEvery 38 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.1
Further details — not scored
Size749 MB116 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperFlight Training Apps, Inc.Aeroapps Technology

Customer experience

Private Pilot Course

All ratings6 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral16.7%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%

Instrument Test Prep

All ratings152 ratings
Positive98.0%
Neutral0.7%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%

In-app purchases

None

Private Pilot Course

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Instrument Test Prep

One-time4
  • Instrument Ground School TrialFree
  • Instrument Rating Test Prep$49.99
  • Upgrade to Ground School$129.99
Show 1 more
  • Instrument Ground School$179.99

Questions

Is Private Pilot Course free?
Private Pilot Course costs $29.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Instrument Test Prep free?
Instrument Test Prep is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Private Pilot Course or Instrument Test Prep?
Instrument Test Prep is rated higher. Private Pilot Course averages 3.5 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Instrument Test Prep averages 4.9 from 152 ratings.
Do Private Pilot Course or Instrument Test Prep have ads?
Neither Private Pilot Course nor Instrument Test Prep shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Private Pilot Course or Instrument Test Prep?
Private Pilot Course ships an update every 38 months, and Instrument Test Prep fortnightly. Most recently, Private Pilot Course was updated on September 17, 2026 and Instrument Test Prep on September 24, 2026.

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