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Prepar3D Professional vs SkyDemon

Prepar3D Professional logo

Prepar3D Professional

Software

Professional flight simulation platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SkyDemon logo

SkyDemon

Software

VFR flight planning for European pilots

From
€150/year
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: 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; SkyDemon the first year costs 118 GBP against a 90 GBP renewal, so the entry price is higher than the ongoing one
  • They diverge on capability: Prepar3D Professional covers Flight physics, SkyDemon covers VFR planning.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Prepar3D Professional and SkyDemon differ
AttributePrepar3D ProfessionalSkyDemon
Starting priceFree€150/year
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindowsIos, Android, Windows, Macos
Founded20082009

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 Prepar3D Professional

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

Only in SkyDemon

  • VFR planning
  • Airspace display
  • Weather overlay
  • Navigation
  • Flight logging
  • Traffic receivers
  • FLARM
  • ADS-B

Both cover

  • Windows support

What people use each for

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

Prepar3D Professional

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

SkyDemon

  • VFR flight planning and navigation for general aviationnot Prepar3D Professional
  • In flight moving map and airspace awareness on a tabletnot Prepar3D Professional

Where each one falls short

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

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

SkyDemon

  • The first year costs 118 GBP against a 90 GBP renewal, so the entry price is higher than the ongoing one
  • Extra airfield maps and flight guides are sold as separate annual subscriptions on top of the base licence
  • Prices for those additional regional guides are not listed on the store page

Pricing, plan by plan

Prepar3D Professional

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

SkyDemon

€150/year
  • SkyDemon$150/year
    • Flight planning
    • European charts
    • Weather data
  • SkyDemon + Australia$220/year
    • Europe + Australia
    • All features
    • Extended coverage

Which should you pick?

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

Choose SkyDemon if

  • You need vfr planning.
  • You work on Ios, Android, Windows, Macos.
  • You also want airspace display.
SkyDemon review

Questions people ask

Is Prepar3D Professional or SkyDemon better?
Neither clearly leads. Prepar3D Professional starts at Free and SkyDemon at €150/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Prepar3D Professional or SkyDemon?
Prepar3D Professional has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Prepar3D Professional and €150/year for SkyDemon.
Does Prepar3D Professional or SkyDemon run on more platforms?
Prepar3D Professional runs on Windows. SkyDemon runs on Ios, Android, Windows, Macos.
Can I use Prepar3D Professional for free?
Yes. Prepar3D Professional has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SkyDemon starts at €150/year.
What is Prepar3D Professional best used for?
Prepar3D Professional is most often used for running procedural and flight training in a commercial or military simulation facility, building multi-channel visual systems across several synchronised displays, developing custom aircraft, scenery and scenarios against the prepar3d sdk, delivering stem and k-12 classroom flight simulation on the personal licence. Of those, running procedural and flight training in a commercial or military simulation facility and building multi-channel visual systems across several synchronised displays are not what SkyDemon is typically brought in for.
What can Prepar3D Professional do that SkyDemon cannot?
Prepar3D Professional covers Flight physics, Aircraft systems, Scenery, ATC. SkyDemon covers VFR planning, Airspace display, Weather overlay, Navigation. Both handle Windows support.
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