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Software · head to head

ForeFlight vs Prepar3D Professional

ForeFlight logo

ForeFlight

Software

Comprehensive flight planning and pilot briefing app

From
$130/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Prepar3D Professional logo

Prepar3D Professional

Software

Professional flight simulation platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Prepar3D Professional has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ForeFlight device restrictions: 2 iPads and 1 iPhone, or 1 iPad and 2 iPhones per licence; Prepar3D Professional the Personal licence at $59.95 is restricted to home use, personal training and K-12 classrooms, so any business, military or university use requires the Professional licence at $350.00
  • They diverge on capability: ForeFlight covers Flight planning, Prepar3D Professional covers Flight physics.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ForeFlight and Prepar3D Professional actually diverge.

Attributes where ForeFlight and Prepar3D Professional differ
AttributeForeFlightPrepar3D Professional
Starting price$130/yearFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsiPad, iPhoneWindows
Founded20072008

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ForeFlight

  • Flight planning
  • Aeronautical charts
  • Weather briefings
  • Navigation
  • Weight & balance
  • Garmin avionics
  • Jeppesen charts
  • ADS-B receivers

Only in Prepar3D Professional

  • Flight physics
  • Aircraft systems
  • Scenery
  • ATC
  • Training
  • Add-ons
  • VR
  • Hardware

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ForeFlight

  • Flight planning and navigation for pilotsnot Prepar3D Professional
  • Aviation weather and digital logbooknot Prepar3D Professional
  • Airport information and terrain profilingnot Prepar3D Professional

Prepar3D Professional

  • Running procedural and flight training in a commercial or military simulation facilitynot ForeFlight
  • Building multi-channel visual systems across several synchronised displaysnot ForeFlight
  • Developing custom aircraft, scenery and scenarios against the Prepar3D SDKnot ForeFlight
  • Delivering STEM and K-12 classroom flight simulation on the Personal licencenot ForeFlight

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ForeFlight

  • Device restrictions: 2 iPads and 1 iPhone, or 1 iPad and 2 iPhones per licence
  • Geographic region limited to one per subscription
  • Annual billing only, no monthly option
  • Starter plan lacks Synthetic Vision and advanced planning tools
  • Essential plan lacks pre-built aircraft profiles and fuel planning

Prepar3D Professional

  • The Personal licence at $59.95 is restricted to home use, personal training and K-12 classrooms, so any business, military or university use requires the Professional licence at $350.00
  • Weapons and sensors, AI behaviors in scenarios, DIS and CIGI packet support, the SimOperator instructor station and multi-channel concurrent operation are confined to Professional Plus at $2,750.00
  • The Personal licence requires an internet connection during use, while only Professional and above run in disconnected environments
  • Developer subscriptions at $9.95 and $50.00 per month watermark the image and are forbidden from delivering training

Pricing, plan by plan

ForeFlight

$130/year

No published plan breakdown. See the ForeFlight review.

Prepar3D Professional

Free
  • EnthusiastFree
    • Basic simulator
    • Limited aircraft
    • Scenery
  • Professional$199/month
    • Full platform
    • All aircraft
    • Training tools

Which should you pick?

Choose ForeFlight if

  • You need flight planning.
  • You work on iPad, iPhone.
  • You also want aeronautical charts.
ForeFlight review

Choose Prepar3D Professional if

  • You need flight physics.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want aircraft systems.
Prepar3D Professional review

Questions people ask

Is ForeFlight or Prepar3D Professional better?
Neither clearly leads. ForeFlight starts at $130/year and Prepar3D Professional at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ForeFlight or Prepar3D Professional?
Prepar3D Professional has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $130/year for ForeFlight and Free for Prepar3D Professional.
Does ForeFlight or Prepar3D Professional run on more platforms?
ForeFlight runs on iPad, iPhone. Prepar3D Professional runs on Windows.
Can I use Prepar3D Professional for free?
Yes. Prepar3D Professional has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ForeFlight starts at $130/year.
What is ForeFlight best used for?
ForeFlight is most often used for flight planning and navigation for pilots, aviation weather and digital logbook, airport information and terrain profiling. Of those, flight planning and navigation for pilots and aviation weather and digital logbook are not what Prepar3D Professional is typically brought in for.
What can ForeFlight do that Prepar3D Professional cannot?
ForeFlight covers Flight planning, Aeronautical charts, Weather briefings, Navigation. Prepar3D Professional covers Flight physics, Aircraft systems, Scenery, ATC.
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