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Aviation · head to head

Lido Flight Planning vs X-Plane 12

L

Lido Flight Planning

Aviation

Professional airline flight planning solution

From
$40000/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
X-Plane 12 logo

X-Plane 12

Aviation

Professional flight simulation software

From
$59.99/lifetime
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; X-Plane 12 commercial and professional use requires a separate licence at $1,000, against $59.99 for the personal digital download
  • They diverge on capability: Lido Flight Planning covers Route optimization, X-Plane 12 covers Flight physics.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lido Flight Planning and X-Plane 12 actually diverge.

Attributes where Lido Flight Planning and X-Plane 12 differ
AttributeLido Flight PlanningX-Plane 12
Starting price$40000/year$59.99/lifetime
Pricing modelsubscriptionone-time
PlatformsWeb, WindowsWindows, Macos, Linux
Founded19871995

Identical on both: 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 X-Plane 12

  • Flight physics
  • Global scenery
  • Realistic aircraft
  • Weather simulation
  • ATC system
  • Plugins
  • Add-ons
  • VR headsets

Both cover

  • 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 X-Plane 12
  • Automating airline flight planning against weather, NOTAMs, AIP, ATM restrictions and ATC chargesnot X-Plane 12
  • Supporting pre-operational flight planning from a web applicationnot X-Plane 12

X-Plane 12

  • Flight simulation for private pilots and enthusiastsnot Lido Flight Planning
  • Procedure practice and aircraft familiarisationnot 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

X-Plane 12

  • Commercial and professional use requires a separate licence at $1,000, against $59.99 for the personal digital download
  • The personal edition therefore cannot be used for paid training or commercial simulation
  • The professional edition is a distinct product rather than an upgrade path

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

X-Plane 12

$59.99/lifetime
  • X-Plane 12$59.99/lifetime
    • Full simulator
    • Global scenery
    • Realistic physics

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 X-Plane 12 if

  • You need flight physics.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Linux.
  • You also want global scenery.
X-Plane 12 review

Questions people ask

Is Lido Flight Planning or X-Plane 12 better?
Neither clearly leads. Lido Flight Planning starts at $40000/year and X-Plane 12 at $59.99/lifetime, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lido Flight Planning or X-Plane 12?
Lido Flight Planning starts at $40000/year and X-Plane 12 at $59.99/lifetime.
Does Lido Flight Planning or X-Plane 12 run on more platforms?
Lido Flight Planning runs on Web, Windows. X-Plane 12 runs on Windows, Macos, Linux.
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 X-Plane 12 is typically brought in for.
What can Lido Flight Planning do that X-Plane 12 cannot?
Lido Flight Planning covers Route optimization, Fuel planning, Performance data, Weight & balance. X-Plane 12 covers Flight physics, Global scenery, Realistic aircraft, Weather simulation. Both handle Windows support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

X-Plane 12: How much does X-Plane 12 Personal Edition cost?

X-Plane 12 Personal Edition is priced at $59.99 for digital download, the same price on Steam, or $99.99 for the DVD set.

Source
X-Plane 12: What is the pricing difference for professional use of X-Plane 12?

Professional-use versions are significantly more expensive, ranging from $1,000 for digital downloads to $1,250 for USB keys.

Source
X-Plane 12: How do I activate X-Plane 12 after purchasing the digital download?

When you purchase the digital download edition, you will receive an email confirmation with instructions on how to use and activate X-Plane 12.

Source
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