Comparison guide
Free ATC Radio Practice: What Is Actually Included?
A free download, a free lesson and an unrestricted radio simulator provide different things. Start with the study task and the published access limits.
By Nick Rae · Published
Public vendor pages, official US App Store listings and FAA references checked October 17, 2026. This comparison covers published access, pricing and platforms. No vendor account was created and no app, microphone feedback or paid feature was independently tested.
Choose the practice you need
For a student pilot working on first radio calls, begin with one specific task: learning the vocabulary, speaking a familiar call clearly, or managing a changing scenario. A tool can help with one of those without providing the others.
For zero-cost study, the clearest starting point in these published sources is the FAA radio reference plus ARSim’s selected free content. Comms does not publish enough information in its store listing to establish an ongoing free practice allowance. Infinite Flight’s human ATC is a paid Pro feature.
Sources: FAA AIM, Chapter 4 Section 2: Radio Communications Phraseology and Techniques; PlaneEnglish ARSim: official US App Store listing; Comms: AI Pilot Training: official US App Store listing; Infinite Flight: Free and Pro feature comparison.
What the published free access includes
These are access comparisons, not scores for realism or training quality. Account requirements, available lessons and store offers can change.
| Option | Free access | Platforms and important limit |
|---|---|---|
| FAA AIM radio section | Public reading on radio procedures and phraseology. | Web. A reference, with no microphone assessment or interactive controller. |
| PlaneEnglish ARSim | Selected content in BASICS, AIRPORT, PATTERN, GLOSSARY and RESOURCES; a full-function trial is separate. | iOS, Android and Web. Full training requires paid access after the trial. |
| Comms: AI Pilot Training | Free download; ongoing free practice allowance not verified. | iPhone/iPad. Paid in-app purchases are listed; downloading does not establish unlimited free use. |
| Infinite Flight | Functional sample aircraft and flying regions. | iOS and Android. Multiplayer, human ATC and live weather are Pro features. |
Sources: FAA AIM, Chapter 4 Section 2: Radio Communications Phraseology and Techniques; PlaneEnglish ARSim: official US App Store listing; PlaneEnglish FAQ: platforms, access and purchase options; Comms: AI Pilot Training: official US App Store listing; Infinite Flight: Free and Pro feature comparison.
If you decide to pay, compare the actual offer
The US ARSim store lists VFR at $9.99/month and combined VFR+IFR at $15.99/month or $95.99/year. Its website also offers different access options. Confirm which platform, curriculum and billing arrangement the displayed price covers.
The Comms US listing includes a $14.99 monthly purchase and several annual offers. The applicable annual price and any introductory terms need confirmation in the app. Infinite Flight’s reviewed public Pro page did not expose a current numeric price, so none is quoted here.
- Check whether the practice you need is in the free content, the trial or a paid plan.
- Check your device’s current OS requirement and microphone support before paying.
- Review billing duration, renewal terms and the total due. A monthly equivalent may require annual payment.
- During any available free access, compare recognition and feedback on a call already reviewed with your instructor. If the scoring disagrees, check the official reference and discuss the difference with your CFI.
Sources: PlaneEnglish ARSim: official US App Store listing; PlaneEnglish FAQ: platforms, access and purchase options; Comms: AI Pilot Training: official US App Store listing; Infinite Flight: Free and Pro feature comparison.
A short session that starts without a subscription
Pick one communication task you have already covered with your instructor. Use the AIM radio section to check the relevant procedure, then practice away from an aircraft radio. This is a study routine, not authorization to transmit or enter airspace.
- Read the relevant official example and identify what information the exchange needs.
- Say your version out loud and make a private voice recording.
- Listen for a missing aircraft identification, unclear number or unnecessary detail; check against the reference.
- Repeat once, then bring one unresolved question or app-scoring disagreement to your next lesson.
Sources: FAA AIM, Chapter 4 Section 2: Radio Communications Phraseology and Techniques.
What this guide can and cannot establish
The sources establish what the vendors advertise. They do not establish how well an app recognizes your voice, whether every generated response is correct, or whether the practice transfers to your flying. Instructor feedback and current official procedures remain the checks that matter.
Nick Rae runs Pilot AI Tools and sells aviation study workbooks, including a VFR radio-calls workbook. Those products compete with some study tools in this directory. This guide uses published access and device criteria; it does not claim that Nick personally tested these apps.
Sources
Tools in this guide
- PlaneEnglish ARSim — pricing, access notes and vendor sources
- Comms: AI Pilot Training — pricing, access notes and vendor sources
- Infinite Flight — pricing, access notes and vendor sources
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Nick sells aviation study workbooks that compete with some listed study tools. Read the ownership and research disclosure. Use current official publications and instructor guidance before relying on an aviation tool.