# On Instruments vs X

The clearest difference is price: X at Free against On Instruments's $2.99. On Instruments's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 3.8) and review sentiment (75% vs 37%). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

X is free to download; On Instruments costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On Instruments holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 23 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of On Instruments's written reviews are positive against 37% of X's.

On Instruments ships an update every 8 months, X every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | On Instruments | X |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.4 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/on-instruments/id907222098/reviews)** | [3.8 (23 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/x-plane-12-control-pad/id6701986565/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 9 | **23** |
| Positive reviews | **75.0% of reviews** | 36.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Every 5 months** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 13 MB | 3.0 GB |
| 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) | [Laminar Research](https://appshunter.io/developer/290619948) |

## 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


### X

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/x-plane-12-control-pad/id6701986565)

Control your desktop flight simulator from your mobile device. Connect wirelessly over your local network to manage X-Plane 12 with pro-level precision. Experience a new way to interact with your flight simulation.

**Highlights:** Local LAN control, X-Plane 12 integration, Pro-level precision, Mobile device interface, Wireless connectivity

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is On Instruments free?

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

### Is X free?

X is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, On Instruments or X?

On Instruments is rated higher. On Instruments averages 4.4 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while X averages 3.8 from 23 ratings.

### Do On Instruments or X have ads?

Neither On Instruments nor X shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, On Instruments or X?

On Instruments ships an update every 8 months, and X every 5 months. Most recently, On Instruments was updated on October 6, 2026 and X on October 15, 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.*