Comparison

RealADSB vs Flight Test X20

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

Head to head
About

RealADSB

Track local air traffic from your device using ADS-B data feeds. View aircraft on a map or list, filter by various parameters, and access additional flight information. Supports custom feeds and public data sources.

Highlights
  • ADS-B traffic feed consumption
  • Map and list view of aircraft
  • Aircraft filtering by tail number, callsign, type
  • METAR and altitude adjustments
  • Push notifications for squawks 7600/7700
  • Integration with online flight resources
Features
Read full description

RealADSB app is intended for stationary observers of local air traffic. It can consume traffic feed generated by adsb_hub or adsb_hub3 server applications. With some limitations traffic feed in SBS-1 BaseStation format (port 30003) is also supported. For example Stratux ADS-B device or ADSBx feeder can produce such feed. Another option to get traffic feed is to use Airplanes.live integration. That could be a good way to start using app because such option doesn't require additional hardware. You can setup traffic feed yourself or use one of the public feeds covering Germany, UK and New York. adsb_hub server application is using Java runtime and can run on PC, Mac or Raspberry Pi. It can work on top of FlightAware, FR24 feeders or generate feed using cheap USB adapter and external antenna. For more information please check our web site http://www.realadsb.com Inside mobile app commercial, private and military aircrafts are shown on map or in scrollable list sorted by distance from reference point. It can be your current location or airport defined by ICAO code such as LFPG. When ICAO code entered special button provides access to METAR and aircrafts below transition altitude will have altitude adjusted using barometric pressure of the airport. There is a way to search/filter aircrafts by tail number, callsign, type, altitude in both list and on map. Additionally 2 layers with airports and weather are available on map. For each airframe following basic parameters shown: * Speed, Altitude, Heading, Rate of climb/descend, Squawk and for most of them there is additional information: * Tail number, Callsign, ICAO type, Origin/Destination, Photo If information about tail number or type of aircraft is missing you can easily add it right inside the app. This change will be automatically shared across all devices that using same iCloud account. Other features: * Quick access to online resources including FlightAware, Google Flights, LiveATC etc. * Push notifications for special squawks 7600/7700 * Imperial or metric units * 3 types of map: standard, satellite and hybrid * Sharing of map with aircrafts using standard iOS Sharing Panel * Barometric pressure and altitude measured by mobile device conveniently shown at the bottom of main menu

About

Flight Test X20

Prepare for FAA knowledge tests with this comprehensive study platform. It offers top-off preparation for various pilot and aviation professional written exams, including instrument rating and ATP.

Highlights
  • FAA knowledge test preparation
  • Pilot study course
  • Dispatcher study course
  • Instrument rating preparation
  • Instructor written test prep
  • ATP written test prep
Read full description

Flight Test X20 is Sheppard Air's latest student study course learning platform for FAA knowledge tests. It allows those students studying for pilot, dispatcher, instrument rating, instructor, flight engineer, ATP, and interviewee written tests to do their top-off preparation for the final knowledge test.

Screenshots

RealADSB3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Flight Test X20 at Free against RealADSB's $6.99. Flight Test X20 also leads on rating (3.9 vs 3.0) and review sentiment (60% vs 35%). RealADSB's advantage is device support (5 vs 1). On update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Flight Test X20 is free to download; RealADSB costs $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Flight Test X20 holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Flight Test X20 has 95 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 35% of RealADSB's written reviews are positive against 60% of Flight Test X20's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RealADSB ships an update monthly, Flight Test X20 every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
RealADSB versus Flight Test X20: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRealADSBFlight Test X20
Price$6.99Free — better
Rating3.0 (4 ratings)3.9 (95 ratings) — better
Positive reviews35.3% of reviews60.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings495 — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch — betteriPad
Requires iOS26.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNikolay KlimchukSheppard Air, Inc.

Customer experience

RealADSB

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive35.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative64.7%

Flight Test X20

All ratings93 ratings
Positive67.7%
Neutral8.6%
Negative23.7%
Written reviews45 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral13.3%
Negative26.7%

In-app purchases

None

RealADSB

No in-app purchases

None

Flight Test X20

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RealADSB free?
RealADSB costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Flight Test X20 free?
Flight Test X20 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RealADSB or Flight Test X20?
Flight Test X20 is rated higher. RealADSB averages 3.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Flight Test X20 averages 3.9 from 95 ratings.
Do RealADSB or Flight Test X20 have ads?
Neither RealADSB nor Flight Test X20 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RealADSB or Flight Test X20?
RealADSB ships an update monthly, and Flight Test X20 every 5 weeks. Most recently, RealADSB was updated on October 6, 2026 and Flight Test X20 on October 20, 2026.

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