# On Instruments vs Airline Manager

The clearest difference is price: Airline Manager at Free against On Instruments's $2.99. Airline Manager also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (5.6K vs 9). On Instruments's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 14) and ads (none vs shown). On device support there is nothing between them.

Airline Manager is free to download; On Instruments costs $2.99 up front. Airline Manager sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. On Instruments asks for nothing beyond the download.

Airline Manager holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Airline Manager has 5.6K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of On Instruments's written reviews are positive against 52% of Airline Manager's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

On Instruments ships an update every 8 months, Airline Manager every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | On Instruments | Airline Manager |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.4 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/on-instruments/id907222098/reviews) | **[4.8 (5.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/airline-manager-2026/id1487669805/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 9 | **5.6K** |
| Positive reviews | **75.0% of reviews** | 51.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 13 MB | 79 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Aircraft Training Aids, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/692999325) | [Xombat ApS](https://appshunter.io/developer/453573467) |

## 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


### Airline Manager

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/airline-manager-2026/id1487669805)

Build and manage your own global airline network by purchasing realistic aircraft and establishing routes between thousands of real airports. Optimize operations, manage staff, and compete with other players to become the top airline CEO. Choose between easy or realism game modes for a tailored experience.

**Highlights:** Track flights live on interactive map, Schedule plane repairs and maintenance, Customize aircraft seat configuration, Buy fuel and CO2 quotas, Manage staff, Make investments and grow stock values, Create marketing campaigns, Build or join alliances

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

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Special Deal | $0.99 | one-time |
| $ 10,000,000 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Small Cash & Points Pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| $ 80,000,000 | $5.99 | one-time |
| $ 40,000,000 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Small Cash & Points Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Special Deal | $7.99 | one-time |
| $ 100,000,000 | $10.99 | one-time |
| $ 200,000,000 | $11.99 | one-time |
| Minor Cash & Points Pack | $11.99 | one-time |
| 6,000 Points | $20.99 | one-time |
| Special Deal | $20.99 | one-time |
| Medium Cash & Points Pack | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Realistic administration
- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 No ads
- 👍 Enjoyable experience
- 🚀 Challenging but fun

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 White screen glitch
- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
- 🔒 Toxic community
- 💰 Pay-to-win mechanics
- 🕰️ Extremely slow flight times

**Reported bugs**

- White screen on launch
- Maintenance issues not resolving
- In-app purchases not delivering content
- Account resets causing data loss
- Routing and airport selection problems

**Requested features**

- Add more game modes
- Implement a sandbox mode
- Improve tutorial and onboarding
- Allow changing difficulty settings
- Add more aircraft models


## Frequently asked questions

### Is On Instruments free?

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

### Is Airline Manager free?

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

### Which has better reviews, On Instruments or Airline Manager?

Airline Manager is rated higher. On Instruments averages 4.4 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Airline Manager averages 4.8 from 5.6K ratings.

### Do On Instruments or Airline Manager have ads?

Airline Manager shows ads; On Instruments does not.

### Which is updated more often, On Instruments or Airline Manager?

On Instruments ships an update every 8 months, and Airline Manager every 3 weeks. Most recently, On Instruments was updated on October 24, 2026 and Airline Manager on October 31, 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.*