VOR Tracker vs IFR Flight Trainer Simulator
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
VOR Tracker
This app provides a realistic IFR navigation training experience for pilots. Practice holding patterns, radial interceptions, and other critical procedures in real-time using various flight instruments. It's designed to help pilots apply theoretical knowledge in a simulated cockpit environment.
- Real-time IFR simulation
- VOR and NDB navigation practice
- Multiple instrument displays (CDI, RMI, HSI, EHSI)
- Practice holding patterns and radial interceptions
- Map mode for progress verification
- Freeze and fast modes for training control
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The needles are moving. The examiner is watching. Your mind goes blank. The cockpit is the most expensive place to discover the gap between knowing the theory and flying the procedure. VOR Tracker is a real-time IFR procedure trainer for holding patterns, radial interceptions and DME arcs — you fly them on the instruments you already use, wherever you are, whenever you want. One-time purchase — for less than half an hour of dual instruction, and it never renews. No subscription, no ads. FLY THE INSTRUMENTS YOU ACTUALLY USE - Fixed-card CDI, RMI, HSI or EHSI — the EHSI adds wind, track and groundspeed - VOR or NDB, with realistic dip error and atmospheric noise on the NDB - Aircraft speeds from light trainer to jet TRAIN THE WAY YOU FLY - Freeze the action when things get too fast - Skip ahead through the straight bits - Drag the aircraft to reposition, or repeat any exercise from a new random start - Stuck on holding entries? Let the map show you the sectors - Build your own missions, with your own wind RAISE THE STAKES WHEN YOU'RE READY - Start calm, then add wind: steady, gusting, variable — or hidden, so you work it out yourself SEE YOUR PROGRESS - Rewind and fly it again; the previous tracks stay on the map so you can compare MADE FOR - Student pilots who would rather make their mistakes on the ground - Pilots preparing for a check ride, an IPC or a simulator assessment - Instructors who want to show an entry, a lead angle or a wind correction in real time WHAT IT IS NOT - Not a game - Not a flight simulator: it trains navigation procedures at a constant speed and altitude - Not a ground-school course: it assumes you know the theory and need the practice "I was really struggling to visualise NDB joins and an hour on this and I have it cracked." — App Store review "I highly recommend it to all of my students and to anyone learning IFR procedures." — Google Play review Recommended for simulator-assessment preparation by training organisations including Horizon Swiss Flight Academy, SKY4u Aviation Service and Airline Entry Training. VOR Tracker has trained IFR procedures since 2014, on iPhone, iPad and Android. Questions or feedback: info@vor-tracker.com Try the free browser demo: https://vor-tracker.com/app-demo/
IFR Flight Trainer Simulator
Practice instrument flight rules (IFR) navigation with this simulator. Learn and improve IFR procedures, including VOR, NDB, and holding patterns. Offers cockpit and map modes with adjustable wind and built-in tasks for comprehensive pilot training.
- Cockpit and map modes
- VOR, NDB, DME, HSI, EHSI, RMI instruments
- Approach procedure practice
- Adjustable wind settings
- Holding pattern simulation
- Custom scenario creation
- Built-in training tasks
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Flying by instrument flight rules (IFR) is not an easy task, especially for student pilots. With the IFR Flight Trainer Simulator, students can easily develop and experienced pilots can quickly improve their understanding of IFR navigation. This is the perfect app for learning and practicing IFR procedures, and it is much cheaper than a single flight hour. Try it out if you want to acquire an instrument rating or just want to brush up your IFR skills. IFR Flight Trainer Simulator was designed with simplicity and intuitive operability in mind. The instruments available are: VOR, RMI, HSI, EHSI, DME, Directional Gyro and airspeed indicator. Thanks to a NAV 1 and a NAV 2 modes, you will also be able to train for two NDB/VOR approaches. Main features: • COCKPIT/MAP - Use the cockpit mode to practice and use the map mode to set up a scenario and check you progress. Both the aircraft and ground stations can be easily relocated to a new position by dragging and dropping them. • VOR, DME, HSI, EHSI, RMI - This aviation app is carefully designed to reflect the characteristics of different instruments. Choose between VOR or NDB navigation, select your instruments (HSI/EHSI or RMI) and a speed range up to 400 kts. • APPROACH PROCEDURES - IFR Flight Trainer Simulator will help learn how to track a radial, how to intercept a radial outbound, inbound, how to fly a DME arc, and so on. It is the simplest way to learn the navigation procedures inside out! • WIND - Have you become familiar with all the procedures? Add some wind to spice things up. The wind settings are displayed on separate screen, where you can set its direction and speed to increase the challenge. • HOLDING - Set and practice standard or non-standard holding patterns. Test you skills with VOR or NDB fix holdings. You already know where your next flight will happen? Build a scenario for it in the app to practice what awaits you in real life. This way you can practice your flight in a safe environment before facing the real challenge in the cockpit. If you want to learn the essentials, take a look at the built-in tasks as well. All features: • Use the classic or glass cockpit mode to simulate what you see in a real aircraft • Use the map mode to learn and understand the procedures from a third-person point of view • Choose between VOR and NDB navigation • Use the following, carefully designed instruments: RMI, HSI, EHSI, Directional gyro, DME, Airspeed indicator • Fly your own routes by creating challenging scenarios, using holding patterns and adjusting the wind • Test your knowledge through various built-in tasks • Drag & drop the aircraft or ground station symbols to move them around quickly • Turn the aircraft with 1.5°/s, 3°/s (standard), 6°/s and 9°/s modes, or just simply rotate the compass dial • View your flight path by enabling the aircraft track trail • Simulate winds up to 50 kts • Practice IFR flying procedures by generating random scenarios Download the app to see for yourself whether we can help you learn the essentials of IFR navigation. Try it for free and prepare at home without wasting expensive flight or simulator time.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: IFR Flight Trainer Simulator at Free against VOR Tracker's $19.99. VOR Tracker's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 3.9) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On review sentiment, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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
IFR Flight Trainer Simulator is free to download; VOR Tracker costs $19.99 up front. IFR Flight Trainer Simulator sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. VOR Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.
VOR Tracker holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 139 and 76 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of VOR Tracker's written reviews are positive against 82% of IFR Flight Trainer Simulator's.
VOR Tracker ships an update every 4 months, IFR Flight Trainer Simulator every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | VOR Tracker | IFR Flight Trainer Simulator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (139 ratings) — better | 3.9 (76 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews — better | 81.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 139 — better | 76 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 53 MB | 155 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | Karsten Heiland | Flygo-Aviation Ltd |
Customer experience
VOR Tracker
IFR Flight Trainer Simulator
User reviews
VOR Tracker
From 139 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Excellent for IFR training
- 👍 Helps understand VOR navigation
- 👍 Great for holding practice
- 👍 Useful for intercept practice
- 👍 Good for sim assessment prep
Room to improve
- 🐛 Knob rotation is difficult
- 🐛 Random intercepts unrealistic
- 🐛 To/From indicator unreliable
- 🐛 Airplane turns too slowly
- 🐛 Holding pattern depiction inaccurate
IFR Flight Trainer Simulator
From 76 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 User-friendly interface and intuitive controls
- 🎓 Excellent learning tool for IFR training and instrument procedures
- 🎮 Comprehensive customization options (wind, runway, conditions)
- 📊 Dual view modes (cockpit and map/plan view)
- 🎯 Realistic flight modeling and aerodynamics
Room to improve
- 💰 Aggressive monetization with limited free trial
- ⏱️ Unreasonably short trial period (3-5 minutes)
- 🔒 Paywall blocks most features in free version
- 🎯 Unrealistic immediate heading changes (no standard rate turns)
- 🐛 Occasional app crashes and stability issues
Bugs and requests
VOR Tracker
Reported bugs
8 issues- Knob rotation difficult
- To From indicator sometimes does not work
- App freezes on download
- App freezes on opening
- Not able to download 2nd time
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Holding pattern depiction inaccurate
- App freezes every time I open it
- App doesn't work, totally unusable
Requested features
25 requests- Scroll wheel for knobs
- Add CDI option
- Add RMI pointer
- Add ILS approaches
- Add non-precision approaches
Show 20 moreShow fewer
- Add point-to-point navigation
- Add user-defined patterns
- Add fix-to-fix scenarios
- Add more hold entry options
- Add wind correction details
- Add written ATC instructions
- Add common VOR nav receiver
- Add option for basic 6-pack instruments
- Add custom/randomized ATC hold instructions
- Add speed control slider
- Auto-restart on timer reset
- Random wind option
- More scenarios
- More videos from developer
- Point to point addition
- Low enroute charts practice
- Practice missed approaches
- Second VOR/ADF bearing needle for HSI
- Option to know when task completed successfully
- Hold patterns away from VOR on radial/DME
IFR Flight Trainer Simulator
Reported bugs
6 issues- App crashes after short usage periods
- Heading indicator gets stuck causing continuous turning
- HSI radials appear to be offset or incorrect
- DME distance calculations may be inaccurate (slant range issue)
- Task completion triggers before reaching waypoints
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- OBS cannot be changed without paid upgrade
Requested features
8 requests- Standard rate turn simulation for realistic intercepts and holdings
- LOC (Localizer) mode for HSI reverse sensing practice
- Fixed-card ADF instrument option
- Adjustable turn rate settings to match different aircraft
- Error feedback display showing incorrect flight paths
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Bearing and course to station relative to VOR1/VOR2
- Higher difficulty levels for advanced pilots
- Extended free trial period for proper app evaluation
In-app purchases
VOR Tracker
No in-app purchases
IFR Flight Trainer Simulator
- IFR Simulator Half Price$11.99
- IFR Simulator Unlock$24.99
Questions
Is VOR Tracker free?
Is IFR Flight Trainer Simulator free?
Which has better reviews, VOR Tracker or IFR Flight Trainer Simulator?
Do VOR Tracker or IFR Flight Trainer Simulator have ads?
Which is updated more often, VOR Tracker or IFR Flight Trainer Simulator?
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