Softwr

Aviation · head to head

Lido Flight Planning vs Lockheed Martin Prepar3D

L

Lido Flight Planning

Aviation

Professional airline flight planning solution

From
$40000/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lockheed Martin Prepar3D logo

Lockheed Martin Prepar3D

Aviation

Professional-grade flight simulation and training platform

From
$9.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Lido Flight Planning pricing is by quote only, with no rate, minimum or named cost driver published on the product page; Lockheed Martin Prepar3D high system resource requirements with 85 GB base installation and 32 GB RAM recommended
  • They diverge on capability: Lido Flight Planning covers Route optimization, Lockheed Martin Prepar3D covers Flight simulation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lido Flight Planning and Lockheed Martin Prepar3D actually diverge.

Attributes where Lido Flight Planning and Lockheed Martin Prepar3D differ
AttributeLido Flight PlanningLockheed Martin Prepar3D
Starting price$40000/year$9.99/month
PlatformsWeb, WindowsWindows, Vr
Founded19872010

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Aviation).

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 Lido Flight Planning

  • Route optimization
  • Fuel planning
  • Performance data
  • Weight & balance
  • Cost calculation
  • Weather services
  • Airline systems
  • Crew systems

Only in Lockheed Martin Prepar3D

  • Flight simulation
  • Aircraft systems
  • Realistic physics
  • Training scenarios
  • Performance analysis
  • Hardware controllers
  • VR systems
  • Motion platforms

Both cover

  • Data encryption
  • Windows support

What people use each for

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

Lido Flight Planning

  • Generating optimal flight routes and profiles that Air Traffic Control will acceptnot Lockheed Martin Prepar3D
  • Automating airline flight planning against weather, NOTAMs, AIP, ATM restrictions and ATC chargesnot Lockheed Martin Prepar3D
  • Supporting pre-operational flight planning from a web applicationnot Lockheed Martin Prepar3D

Lockheed Martin Prepar3D

  • Pilot trainingnot Lido Flight Planning
  • Type rating trainingnot Lido Flight Planning
  • Proficiency maintenancenot Lido Flight Planning
  • Scenario trainingnot Lido Flight Planning
  • Aircraft developmentnot Lido Flight Planning

Where each one falls short

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

Lido Flight Planning

  • Pricing is by quote only, with no rate, minimum or named cost driver published on the product page
  • Pre-operational planning is a separately named application, Lido Flight 4D Pre-Planning, rather than part of the core flight planning product

Lockheed Martin Prepar3D

  • High system resource requirements with 85 GB base installation and 32 GB RAM recommended
  • Expensive Professional and Professional Plus licenses for commercial and business use
  • Limited backward compatibility with older 32-bit aircraft modules
  • SimDirector scenario creation tool requires programming knowledge for advanced customization

Pricing, plan by plan

Lido Flight Planning

$40000/year
  • Standard$40000/year
    • Route planning
    • Performance data
    • Weather integration
  • Enterprise$80000/year
    • Multi-fleet
    • Advanced optimization
    • Custom integration

Lockheed Martin Prepar3D

$9.99/month
  • Standard$9.99/month
    • Flight simulation
    • Basic aircraft
    • Training tools
  • Professional$99.99/month
    • Advanced simulation
    • Full aircraft systems
    • Advanced training

Which should you pick?

Choose Lido Flight Planning if

  • You need route optimization.
  • You work on Web, Windows.
  • You also want fuel planning.
Lido Flight Planning review

Choose Lockheed Martin Prepar3D if

  • You need flight simulation.
  • You work on Windows, Vr.
  • You also want aircraft systems.
Lockheed Martin Prepar3D review

Questions people ask

Is Lido Flight Planning or Lockheed Martin Prepar3D better?
Neither clearly leads. Lido Flight Planning starts at $40000/year and Lockheed Martin Prepar3D at $9.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lido Flight Planning or Lockheed Martin Prepar3D?
Lido Flight Planning starts at $40000/year and Lockheed Martin Prepar3D at $9.99/month.
Does Lido Flight Planning or Lockheed Martin Prepar3D run on more platforms?
Lido Flight Planning runs on Web, Windows. Lockheed Martin Prepar3D runs on Windows, Vr.
What is Lido Flight Planning best used for?
Lido Flight Planning is most often used for generating optimal flight routes and profiles that air traffic control will accept, automating airline flight planning against weather, notams, aip, atm restrictions and atc charges, supporting pre-operational flight planning from a web application. Of those, generating optimal flight routes and profiles that air traffic control will accept and automating airline flight planning against weather, notams, aip, atm restrictions and atc charges are not what Lockheed Martin Prepar3D is typically brought in for.
What can Lido Flight Planning do that Lockheed Martin Prepar3D cannot?
Lido Flight Planning covers Route optimization, Fuel planning, Performance data, Weight & balance. Lockheed Martin Prepar3D covers Flight simulation, Aircraft systems, Realistic physics, Training scenarios. Both handle Data encryption, Windows support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Lockheed Martin Prepar3D: What are the license options for Prepar3D?

Prepar3D offers three license tiers: Personal ($59.95) for personal training and K-12 education, Professional ($350) for professional pilot training and commercial uses, and Professional Plus ($2,750) for businesses with advanced features. Developer monthly licenses are available at $9.99 and $50 for Professional and Professional Plus respectively.

Source
Lockheed Martin Prepar3D: What are the system requirements?

Prepar3D v6 requires approximately 85 GB storage, 32 GB RAM or more for optimal performance, 8 GB or more VRAM, and a DX12-capable GPU with 64-bit architecture. Detailed scenery and aircraft add-ons can significantly increase storage and performance requirements.

Source
Lockheed Martin Prepar3D: Can I create custom training scenarios?

Yes. Prepar3D includes SimDirector, a scenario generation tool that allows users to create training scenarios across aviation, maritime, and ground domains. Users can place world objects, define scenario logic, create missions, and provide instruction sessions, making it suitable for cockpit training, flight planning, and emergency response preparation.

Source
Lockheed Martin Prepar3D: Is Prepar3D compatible with third-party add-ons?

Prepar3D v5 and v6 maintain compatibility with many Microsoft Flight Simulator X add-ons. However, 32-bit aircraft modules are not compatible with 64-bit Prepar3D versions, and third-party add-ons must be updated for the specific Prepar3D version being used.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Lido Flight Planning

More on Lockheed Martin Prepar3D

Keep looking

Other head to heads