# SimplePlanes vs Airline Commander

The clearest difference is price: Airline Commander at Free against SimplePlanes's $5.99. Airline Commander also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (82K vs 3K). SimplePlanes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 14) and ads (none vs shown). On rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Airline Commander is free to download; SimplePlanes costs $5.99 up front. Airline Commander sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. SimplePlanes asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for SimplePlanes against 4.6 for Airline Commander. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Airline Commander has 82K ratings behind it against 3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 84% of SimplePlanes's written reviews are positive against 52% of Airline Commander's.

SimplePlanes ships an update every 3 months, Airline Commander fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SimplePlanes | Airline Commander |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $5.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.6 (3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simpleplanes/id823869162/reviews) | [4.6 (82K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/airline-commander-flight-game/id1333476679/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3K | **82K** |
| Positive reviews | **83.5% of reviews** | 51.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#72** | — |
| Size | 335 MB | 1.1 GB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jundroo, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/311852133) | [RORTOS SRL](https://appshunter.io/developer/454802333) |

## What reviewers say

### SimplePlanes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simpleplanes/id823869162)

**Currently charting:** #72 Top Paid · Simulation (US App Store)

Design, build, and fly your own aircraft with realistic physics. Explore a vast community-created library of over 250,000 planes or test your creations in challenging scenarios.

**Highlights:** Build custom airplanes with modular parts, Realistic flight physics simulation, Download over 250,000 community-created aircraft, Engage in flight challenges, Sandbox mode for unrestricted building, Educational tutorials on airplane design

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and creative sandbox
- 🚀 Powerful building mechanics
- 📥 Ability to download community-created planes
- 🎨 Customizable vehicles
- ⚙️ Realistic physics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches (crashes, invisible collisions, control issues)
- 🚫 Lack of mod support on mobile
- 🌍 Limited map/island selection on mobile
- 🔍 Difficulty finding/downloading larger planes on mobile
- 🎮 Awkward mobile controls

**Reported bugs**

- Undo function causing plane glitches
- Autopilot issues (retracting landing gear)
- Invisible collision problems
- Planes spawning in ground/air unexpectedly
- Graphical/performance issues on older devices

**Requested features**

- Add multiplayer mode
- Implement more advanced damage/failure models
- Expand map selection (e.g. desert island, underwater view)
- Improve AI behavior and add more combat-focused missions
- Introduce new vehicle types (e.g. tanks, ships, trains)


### Airline Commander

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/airline-commander-flight-game/id1333476679)

Experience the next generation of flight simulation. Take off, navigate, and land a variety of aircraft in realistic conditions. Build and manage your own airline fleet while facing challenging scenarios and dynamic weather.

**Highlights:** Dozens of airliners, Realistic airports and runways, Real-time aircraft traffic, Simplified and advanced flight systems, Realistic takeoff and landing procedures, Competition mode, Customizable airline livery

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AC Credits small | $1.99 | one-time |
| Offer Pack 2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Offer Pack 3 | $2.99 | one-time |
| AC Credits medium | $4.99 | one-time |
| Flight Pass Premium | $4.99 | one-time |
| AC Credits large | $9.99 | one-time |
| Flight Pass Premium | $9.99 | one-time |
| Offer pack 12 | $11.99 | one-time |
| Flight Pass Premium | $12.99 | one-time |
| Flight Pass Premium | $19.99 | one-time |
| Offer pack 20 | $19.99 | one-time |
| AC Credits huge | $29.99 | one-time |
| AC Credits mega | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great flight simulation
- ✈️ Realistic aircraft models
- 📚 Teaches aviation mechanics
- 🎮 Engaging gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⏱️ Slow progression and long wait times
- 🛑 Repetitive takeoff and landing tasks
- 🤖 Questionable AI behavior
- 🔍 Lack of free flight mode

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent crashes and app instability
- Unrealistic engine failure scenarios
- Inconsistent landing gear behavior
- Navigation issues and incorrect waypoints

**Requested features**

- Full flight mode from takeoff to landing
- More varied challenges and scenarios
- Multiplayer co-pilot feature
- Improved graphics and visual effects


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SimplePlanes free?

SimplePlanes costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Airline Commander free?

Airline Commander is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, SimplePlanes or Airline Commander?

SimplePlanes and Airline Commander are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3K and 82K ratings respectively.

### Do SimplePlanes or Airline Commander have ads?

Airline Commander shows ads; SimplePlanes does not.

### Which is updated more often, SimplePlanes or Airline Commander?

SimplePlanes ships an update every 3 months, and Airline Commander fortnightly. Most recently, SimplePlanes was updated on September 26, 2026 and Airline Commander on September 27, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*