Comparison

IFR Trainer Flight Instruments vs CheckPrep

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

Head to head
About

IFR Trainer Flight Instruments

Master instrument flying with interactive modules and a built-in simulator. Practice navigation instruments, IFR procedures, and holding patterns. Ideal for student pilots and instructors preparing for instrument ratings.

Highlights
  • Interactive navigation instrument modules
  • IFR procedure simulator
  • Holding pattern practice
  • Step-by-step learning
  • Built-in IFR simulator
  • Real-world holding entry training
Features
Read full description

Master instrument flying with this all-in-one IFR trainer. Includes interactive modules for ADF/RMI (FREE), VOR/ILS, HSI, IFR procedures and holding patterns. Ideal for student pilots and flight instructors preparing for instrument rating (IR). • Learn & practice navigation instruments step-by-step • Use animations and interactive exercises • Train with our built-in IFR simulator • Practice real-world holding entries (parallel, teardrop, direct) ### Modules: 1. ADF/RMI Instructor (Free Trial) 2. VOR + ILS Instructor 3. HSI Trainer 4. IFR Procedure Simulator 5. Holding Pattern Instructor Whether you're preparing for your checkride, IR test, or just want to improve situational awareness, this app helps you fly safer and smarter. Designed by pilots, for pilots. ▶ Try the ADF/RMI module for free! ▶ Trusted by aviation schools worldwide. FlyGo Aviation – Elevate Your IFR Skills.

About

CheckPrep

Prepare for your pilot checkride oral exams with this app. It's structured around the FAA Airman Certification Standards (ACS) and includes searchable regulations, adaptive quizzes, and real-world scenario trainers. Track your progress and know when you're ready.

Highlights
  • FAA ACS structured study
  • Searchable FAR, AIM, and FAA documents
  • Offline study and bookmarking
  • Adaptive flashcards and quizzes
  • METAR, TAF, and PIREP interpretation
  • ATC clearance trainers
  • Progress tracking (0-100%)
Features
Read full description

Purpose-built for pilots who refuse to leave their checkride to chance. CheckPrep is a checkride oral prep app for the Private, Instrument, Commercial and Commercial Multi Add-On practical tests, built around the FAA Airman Certification Standards (ACS), the exact framework your DPE uses to evaluate you. This is not written test prep. This is oral prep. STUDY THE WAY YOUR DPE TESTS YOU Every question, answer and reference is organized by ACS Area of Operation and Task, the same structure your examiner follows. Every card maps to an ACS task, so every minute of study maps to your oral exam. THE FAA LIBRARY, FREE FOR EVERY USER Full FAR, AIM, Advisory Circulars, the ACS documents themselves, FAA letters of interpretation, InFOs and the FAA handbooks: PHAK, AFH, Instrument Flying, Instrument Procedures, Aviation Weather, Risk Management, Weight & Balance, Chart Users' Guide and the AMT handbooks. Tap a citation on a study card to open the exact paragraph, page or ACS element. Bookmark passages, search by keyword, read offline after download. AIM paragraphs also open on the FAA website, so you never have to wonder whether it is current. KNOW WHEN YOU'RE READY Mastery is tracked from 0 to 100% for every ACS task. Flash cards and multiple-choice quizzes are built from the same cards. Switch on the Needs Review filter to limit a session to the cards you still miss and leave the mastered ones out. When every task reads 100%, you know where you stand before the examiner does. DECODE REAL-WORLD WEATHER METAR, TAF and PIREP decoding practice with live data from aviationweather.gov. Included free. TRAIN YOUR EAR Departure (CRAFT) and approach (P-TAC) clearance trainers read the clearance aloud. You give the readback by voice. Beta, included with the Instrument guide. BUILT FOR YOUR CERTIFICATE Start with the free Private Pilot Sample: four complete ACS tasks with flash cards, quizzes and tappable citations. The full Private, Instrument, Commercial and Commercial Multi Add-On guides are one-time purchases, no subscription. Aircraft-specific add-on guides for the Cessna 172SP, Cirrus SR20 G7, Cirrus SR22 G6 and Diamond DA42 NG, each cited to the aircraft's own POH, AFM and PIM. Six themes. Offline-first. Study history and bookmarks sync across your devices through iCloud. Lightweight. No ads. No account required. No tracking. Walk into the oral knowing you have worked every ACS task. That is what CheckPrep is for. CheckPrep is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the FAA. All regulatory content comes from official FAA publications.

Screenshots

IFR Trainer Flight Instruments4 screens
CheckPrep4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: CheckPrep at 5.0 against IFR Trainer Flight Instruments's 4.5. CheckPrep also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 weeks). IFR Trainer Flight Instruments's advantage is ratings volume (959 vs 4) and iOS requirement (18.6 vs 26.2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. IFR Trainer Flight Instruments sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and CheckPrep sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CheckPrep holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: IFR Trainer Flight Instruments has 959 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

IFR Trainer Flight Instruments ships an update every 6 weeks, CheckPrep every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
IFR Trainer Flight Instruments versus CheckPrep: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIFR Trainer Flight InstrumentsCheckPrep
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (959 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews52.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings959 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.6 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size155 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFlygo-Aviation LtdRobert Rousey

Customer experience

IFR Trainer Flight Instruments

All ratings952 ratings
Positive89.1%
Neutral3.3%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews113 reviews
Positive52.2%
Neutral6.2%
Negative41.6%

CheckPrep

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

6 purchases

IFR Trainer Flight Instruments

One-time6
  • Holding Instructor$5.99
  • VOR+ILS Instructor$9.99
  • HSI Instructor$9.99
Show 3 more
  • IFR Simulator$11.99
  • All in one$31.99
  • All in one$37.99
8 purchases

CheckPrep

One-time8
  • Cessna 172SP Content$4.99
  • Cirrus SR20 G7+ Content$4.99
  • Diamond DA42 NG Content$4.99
Show 5 more
  • Cirrus SR22 G6 Content$4.99
  • Commercial Multi Add-On Package$19.99
  • Commercial Package$19.99
  • Instrument Package$19.99
  • Private Pilot Package$19.99

Questions

Is IFR Trainer Flight Instruments free?
IFR Trainer Flight Instruments is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CheckPrep free?
CheckPrep is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, IFR Trainer Flight Instruments or CheckPrep?
CheckPrep is rated higher. IFR Trainer Flight Instruments averages 4.5 out of 5 from 959 ratings, while CheckPrep averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do IFR Trainer Flight Instruments or CheckPrep have ads?
Neither IFR Trainer Flight Instruments nor CheckPrep shows ads.
Which is updated more often, IFR Trainer Flight Instruments or CheckPrep?
IFR Trainer Flight Instruments ships an update every 6 weeks, and CheckPrep every 4 days. Most recently, IFR Trainer Flight Instruments was updated on October 26, 2026 and CheckPrep on October 24, 2026.

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