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Garmin Pilot vs Prepar3D Professional

Garmin Pilot logo

Garmin Pilot

Software

All-in-one flight planning and navigation app

From
$99/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: Garmin Pilot garmin Pilot's iPad app is offered on a 30-day free trial from initial download, after which the subscription plans described on Garmin's site apply; 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: Garmin Pilot covers Flight planning, Prepar3D Professional covers Flight physics.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Garmin Pilot and Prepar3D Professional actually diverge.

Attributes where Garmin Pilot and Prepar3D Professional differ
AttributeGarmin PilotPrepar3D Professional
Starting price$99/yearFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsIos, AndroidWindows
Founded19892008

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 Garmin Pilot

  • Flight planning
  • Aeronautical charts
  • Weather overlays
  • Panel sync
  • Traffic display
  • Garmin avionics
  • GTN series
  • G1000/G3000

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.

Garmin Pilot

  • Flight planningnot Prepar3D Professional
  • Weather analysisnot Prepar3D Professional
  • In-flight navigationnot Prepar3D Professional
  • Aircraft panel syncnot Prepar3D Professional
  • Chart viewingnot Prepar3D Professional

Prepar3D Professional

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

Where each one falls short

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

Garmin Pilot

  • Garmin Pilot's iPad app is offered on a 30-day free trial from initial download, after which the subscription plans described on Garmin's site apply

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

Garmin Pilot

$99/year
  • Premium$99/year
    • IFR/VFR charts
    • Weather radar
    • Flight planning
  • Premium + Global$199/year
    • Everything in Premium
    • Worldwide charts
    • International planning

Prepar3D Professional

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Garmin Pilot if

  • You need flight planning.
  • You work on Ios, Android.
  • You also want aeronautical charts.
Garmin Pilot 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 Garmin Pilot or Prepar3D Professional better?
Neither clearly leads. Garmin Pilot starts at $99/year and Prepar3D Professional at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Garmin Pilot or Prepar3D Professional?
Prepar3D Professional has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $99/year for Garmin Pilot and Free for Prepar3D Professional.
Does Garmin Pilot or Prepar3D Professional run on more platforms?
Garmin Pilot runs on Ios, Android. 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. Garmin Pilot starts at $99/year.
What is Garmin Pilot best used for?
Garmin Pilot is most often used for flight planning, weather analysis, in-flight navigation, aircraft panel sync. Of those, flight planning and weather analysis are not what Prepar3D Professional is typically brought in for.
What can Garmin Pilot do that Prepar3D Professional cannot?
Garmin Pilot covers Flight planning, Aeronautical charts, Weather overlays, Panel sync. Prepar3D Professional covers Flight physics, Aircraft systems, Scenery, ATC.
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