# On Instruments vs Planes Control!

The clearest difference is price: Planes Control! at Free against On Instruments's $2.99. Planes Control! also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (6.8K vs 9). On Instruments's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On review sentiment and device support there is nothing between them.

Planes Control! is free to download; On Instruments costs $2.99 up front. Planes Control! sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. On Instruments asks for nothing beyond the download.

Planes Control! holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Planes Control! has 6.8K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of On Instruments's written reviews are positive against 79% of Planes Control!'s.

On Instruments ships an update every 8 months, Planes Control! monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | On Instruments | Planes Control! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.4 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/on-instruments/id907222098/reviews) | **[4.7 (6.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planes-control/id1015114550/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 9 | **6.8K** |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | **79.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 13 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Aircraft Training Aids, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/692999325) | [Antonio Calvino Esquer](https://appshunter.io/developer/995217234) |

## What reviewers say

### On Instruments

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/on-instruments/id907222098)

Hone your instrument flying skills with this simulator. Navigate various courses by precisely managing heading, altitude, and airspeed. Features multiple difficulty levels, including courses with instrument failures.

**Highlights:** Instrument scanning practice, Multiple course difficulties, Heading, altitude, airspeed control, Attitude Indicator failure simulation, Score maximization

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Planes Control!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planes-control/id1015114550)

Guide aircraft to safe landings while avoiding hazards like storms and enemy attacks. Control over 60 different planes and helicopters across 13 challenging levels. Engage in aerial combat, fight wildfires, and manage air traffic in this addictive simulation game.

**Highlights:** Draw flight paths for aircraft, Avoid collisions and environmental hazards, Pilot over 60 types of planes and helicopters, Engage in aerial combat, Fight wildfires with air tankers, Navigate diverse and challenging levels

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pack of 5× Rescue Teams. | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock all HD Levels | $0.99 | one-time |
| Classic levels | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock "Time Machine" levels! | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock "10th Anniversary" levels! | $0.99 | one-time |
| Three crashes per game. | $1.99 | one-time |
| Classic levels and no ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 20× Rescue Teams. | $2.99 | one-time |
| No Ads. | $2.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 50× Rescue Teams. | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fun game
- 👍 Simple yet challenging
- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Good variety of levels
- 🚀 Responsive controls

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 🐛 Progress not saved
- 🐛 Collision detection issues
- 🐛 Planes spawning off-screen

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes on iOS 14
- High score not recorded correctly
- Planes colliding off-screen
- Notification bar interfering with gameplay

**Requested features**

- More level options and customization
- Ability to pause and resume games
- Improved tutorial and instructions
- Difficulty settings for each level
- Leaderboards and achievements


## Frequently asked questions

### Is On Instruments free?

On Instruments costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Planes Control! free?

Planes Control! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, On Instruments or Planes Control!?

Planes Control! is rated higher. On Instruments averages 4.4 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Planes Control! averages 4.7 from 6.8K ratings.

### Do On Instruments or Planes Control! have ads?

Planes Control! shows ads; On Instruments does not.

### Which is updated more often, On Instruments or Planes Control!?

On Instruments ships an update every 8 months, and Planes Control! monthly. Most recently, On Instruments was updated on September 24, 2026 and Planes Control! on October 3, 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.*