Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 vs X-Plane [A CFI's Review for Real Pilots] 

I've come to similar conclusions: if you want a fun, pretty VFR experience, fly FS2020. And if you want a realistic IFR practice, use X-plane.

One of the best comparison I’ve seen yet , great job in the video, no need to say anymore

I used X-Plane 11 and PilotEdge for my IFR training. It was a great combination.

Great review. I’ve never gone the a Xplane route - too much invested in add ons for FSX/P3D including customised aircraft and Mindstar and RealityXP avionics which I use to stay current. Did the first 4 hours of my recent instrument rating on line on Zoom with my instructor during COVID. Only problem I now have is the MSFS is so much fun for just going out for a spin to check out a strip that I’ll fast be non current. Wait 6 months and it will be incredible.

Great review, thanks all!

Great review Ryan. I have both of your IFR video series' and both sims. MSFS2020 is just a toy for me today. I hop in it to just "play around". I'm always back in XP when on PilotEdge or going through your IFR lessons for the millionth time for review. I am hoping that the systems/avionics catch up in MSFS2020 for more realistic practice in that sim too.

Glad I stumbled onto this video. I use the sim for instrument proficiency and found X-Plane good for that, and when I downloaded MSFS and tried to use it I thought I had software problems with the navigation equipment, but Now I see it’s a deficiency they haven’t corrected. Saved me hours of research trying to fix it.

The first good comparison video of the both sims. Thanks for that. Good job on it.

Your comparison was well thought out and brought home the truths between the two sims. Still, I am in the mindset that I can play around and explore on MSFS but use XPlane to sharpen my skills. Much appreciation to you at PW for all you guys do.

Excellent video. Been looking for this comparison.

Great job Ryan! Besides the issues you mentioned the thing I miss most from X-Plane is saving Situations and Replay files. Situations allow quick set up for maneuver and approach practice and replays allow trainees to see the flight again from various angles and with stop action for discussion.

A fantastic, knowledgeable review. The conclusion is also clearly comprehensible and absolutely conclusive.

Excellent, thorough, and well-balanced review. I use x-plane 11 for IFR Practice in fixed wing and maneuver practice in Robinson 44 (I have custom built controls). Now do helos!

I used to use x-plane to practice VFR and FSX for IFR but will switch to MSFS for VFR flying. I've used it to dry run a cross country before doing it in the real plane and it's amazing to spot things in the real world that you just saw in the simulator earlier. If I need to do real IFR training I'll continue using FSX with my 3rd party addons until MSFS catches up in this area.

Very helpful and professional comparison of the two products!

Great video, congrats. I use both the open source FlightGear Simulator and X-Plane

Excellent job in this evaluation... unbiased, thorough, and useful... especially for IRL pilots. Thanks. Wayne (I sim-fly X-Plane 11.50 and IRL fly a DA40)

very well said and a good summary of all the shortcomings that MSFS2020 has at the moment, right now it can not be used for any IFR flight, except for the most basic one.

I really appreciate this video as someone getting into the hobby for a PPL. I'm not sure when graphics became part of the "simulation" experience. Granted I understand its nice to have it pretty but the idea of simulation is supposed to be a life like experience. Honestly Im excited to see this and excited for the future of Xplane12. Competition gives us drive.

Excellent review, thanks. I currently use FSX for pre-trip flights and explore future airport locations. I'm also planning to purchase FS2020 for the same purpose. As you stated, being so new there are not add-ons that can enhance the value of FS2020, but if FSX is any indication, it will soon explode with options and updates. Thanks again.

I wanted to practice some procedures, and your video was helpful in helping me decide which one to pick to practice with on a 737

Wow! Am I glad I happened on your video. I'm all about practicing IFR Approaches and other ATC maneuvers. I've been taking my time doing searches trying to make the right choice. I realize that MFS 2020 will improve as time go along. However I want to continue flying now. I've been away for a year or so. The main thing I am concerned with is with the G1000 not being more functional. However I can still work around that. All that being said thank you so much for your great review. It helped me make my decision on which one to buy. X-Plane.

I agree with every thing you said in this review. I am a real world airline pilot and I have both X-Plane and MSFS 2020.

Really good review. Thanks for posting.

The slack in the MSFS flight model I feel gets understated here. I can't compare to X-Plane, but it's so bad in MSFS I actually uninstalled. Stalls and areas outside of the normal flight envelope (very important areas to model...otherwise why fly correctly at all if there are no repercussions) have little work done. For instance, tail dragged physics don't perform like actual tail dragged setups, while on the ground. Accelerated stalls also just don't really exist in MSFS. You can take right off in a cub and instantly pull loops, with no wing drop, buffeting, spin or other tendencies. If you're looking for a flight Sim that will teach you how a plane should act and perform, even without flying X-Plane myself, X-Plane is absolutely undoubtedly the better bet. Heck even War Thunder in flight Sim mode has a plus one on MSFS....a sentence I never thought I'd ever say

Have both - Uninstalled FS2020. Granted, I am a former IRL airline pilot. FS2020 for the graphics and the kids. X-plane for the serious sim enthusiast that is looking for high level system interaction and accuracy.

Can you do this comparison again by taking updates, mods and third party planes into consideration? MSFS has changed a lot during this year.

I am using XP11 for practicing approaches. I am training for IFR rating in the real world, the practice I could do at home before shooting the real approach is very helpful.

thanks a lot for the review...Im doing my IFR and to practice home, I'm using xplane...I don't really care whether there are trees or nice buildings...as long as airport layouts and aircraft systems are correct, I'm good

Great review! Thanks.

great presentation, and tnx for bringing it to the community ....

Great video! I wanted to ask if you've seen any major improvements in FS2020 in the past couple months.

Great video! Thank you!!

Finally a reviewer that just calls it as it is, no favorites. Will have to keep your channel in mind for more viewing. MSFS is for the nice and pretty experience. Despite X Plane being some 4 years older at present, I find it a lot more grueling and stomach turning, while MSFS is so plain. Question: do you not find the propellers and engines in MSFS2020 to be so soft and subtle? In X Plane they are loud and harsh -- a real joy. It makes me think MSFS propellers aren't quite real, but I'll leave it to people who actually operate these things beyond the screen to call it.

i would love to see another review today

Huge admirer of FS2020 but actually using X-Plane 11.50 for training as for reasons this review of yours explains perfectly. Love both sims. Each has its strong points.

Thanks for the comparison. Are you planning on an update video after all the MSFS updates?

Good review, will probably get both. FS 2020 already after just a month has a second patch out that is taking care of some of the issues, such as real world weather and autopilot issues. They seem to be pretty responsive on trying to get this right, as well as Osobo saying that they plan to release world refinements and model refinements at least every two months. There are also many third party developers who are already putting new things online and available for FS 2020 with many, many more to come. I think competition is going to be GREAT for everyone between MS and X Plane.

As a CFI/II I only ran MSFS2020 for a day when I became too frustrated due to hardware incompatibility, long loading screens, and lack of flight customization like mentioned in the video. Just installed Xplane11 and I'm much happier.

With the new GPS add-ons to msfs, the use use GPS has been greatly improved. Not to mention some of the updates to the base game ones from asobo. We've even had some pretty good ad-on planes come out now for msfs so hopefully that continues

Awesome video, thank you for stating the conclusion!

If you like buttons and Accurate Physics go for X-Plane 11, Realistic graphics definitely msfs 2020

I’m curious how this changed as of late 2021

I would love to see an update, have been waiting and stumbled across your channel again to see if you have. if possible you can maybe go into more technical aspects of the physics

I used X-Plane back in 2018 when I was doing my PPL. I used to fly the routes in the sim that I'd flown for real earlier in the day. I also used updated scenery I'd generated myself of the whole country (not USA) it was deja-vu every time.

Thanks for the awesome article. I have both simulators, used w/ the Logitech platform. Also own 94' Mooney Bravo. I concur w/ author that X Plane is best for now.

X-plane 11 with toliss or flight factor is great (if you're an airbus guy). Especially connected to VATSIM, the experience is just amazing.

Amen to this review, very accurate - I have both sims and am in training for my PPL. I find the controls and airplane behaviour (I fly a C172) much more realistic in x-plane than MSFS2020. Moreover, I have set up a semi-home cockpit using air manager (not supported by MSFS2020 yet) for instrument displays on a secondary iPad, LogitechG (previously called Saitek) radios, multi panel and switch panel (supported in MSFS2020 through SpadX, but only marginally...) and VirtualFly's Yoko the yoke, Ruddo pedals and V3RNIO levers (which work fine in both as they are actual joysticks). Although MSFS looks stunning and is a lot less of a hassle (as stated in the review) to get realistic visuals, I do have an issue with grass strips: my home airport (EHHV - Hilversum, the Netherlands) has 3 separate grass landing strips which are way too visible in x-plane, however way too invisible in msfs2020... I too expect things to improve with MSFS2020 once third party developers get their hands dirty, but for now I'm sticking with x-plane when it comes to supplementing my real world training...no harm in doing 'touristy' flights for friends & family in MSFS2020 though!

I use X-Plane in virtual reality for training and it is great. I use it for both stick and rudder and IFR. If you simulate 0 visibility IFR in VR on XP11 your heart beat will increase, try it is very challenging. My daughter uses the training station to give me a run for my money with unexpected situations. She is like my personal instructor she likes to say.

Very balanced commentary. Ryan was my remote CFI for a short while before he joined Pilot Workshops. Since then, I have had two more remote CFI's. My sim has the YOKO yoke and MFG rudder pedals plus TQ/TrimWheel/Flap Switch, 60" LED Tv with TrackIR 5. My sim supports real world training. I wish FS2020 gave refunds. Asobo Studios promised a brand new flight model and all the talk about 1,000 surfaces on the wing. Just don't see it. On the other hand, XP11 with the Simcoders REP pack for the C172 ($20) I can practice approach and departure stalls, steep turns, etc just like in the real Cessna. Only the sim is just a bit more challenging. Great for training. The immersion with XP11 is super. My FS2020 copy will just sit unused. I don't need fancy scenery. For training, it is all about the flight model physics. FS2020 was over sold. Should have waited.

This is a very good comparison. tnx

It's been 9 months. Would like to see an update!

Great review! Can you tell us what the best sub-$2,000 Windows 10 and Apple laptop computers are for both X-Plane 11 and MS Flight Simulator 2020? Thanks!

great job. thanks

I've got nice rudder pedals that work great on X-Plane, but aren't recognized in the Microsoft sim. I'm also amazed by the scenery in the new program. Try flying from Pompano Beach to Miami Beach along the shoreline. It feels like the real thing almost.

I wish there was a way to take all of the graphics from MFS and put them in X-Plane where the flight models actually function.

I tried using FS2020 for my flight training, but observed that the G1000 was seriously lacking. Many waypoints are missing, making flight planning challenging if using standard flight tools such as foreflight or even paper charts. I also observed issues with the plane performance (172) , where I couldn't maintain expected climb rates.

Finally a fair review. Thanks for it!

7:50 I don't think it's strange at all that they allow you to disable the Aero effect of icing while keeping the visual. It's a great training aid to be able to spot the visual artifacts associated with Icing, consistently, before learning how to respond / react to those same visual cues.

great review, I migrated from FSX to XP11 & lived through

After excitedly trying MSFS, I was disappointed with the realism and purchased XP11. My primary use for simulators is instrument proficiency, where MSFS severely lacks. Another XP11 advantage is native support for GPS and traffic information (ForeFlight).

Will there be an update to this at all with your more up to date thoughts?

I would love to have your actual opinion, especially about the on going development of MSFS, add-ons and the sim itself. I am a long time user of XP11, but I also like MSFS a lot, it's only missing the simulation depth. But it seems that good and complex are still missing.

This is a great review - short, relevant and to-the-point. I have a PPL and 95% done an instrument rating, and have used X-Plane 11 for both. XP11 with rudder pedals was very helpful to me as I was developing cross-wind landing techniques, and for the IFR training, the sim has been invaluable. I bought Air Manager, knobster, the G5 add-ons, and the RealityXP GTN 650, signed-up for VATSIM then built an Air Manager panel which is very close to my flying club's 172M new panel. There are some minor glitches with the add-on instruments but overall it has made me feel much more proficient flying under-the-hood when I get into the real aircraft.

I'm not a gamer by any stretch, but when I saw some footage of FS 2020 recently I knew I had to try a flight sim! Between FS and X-Plane, does one have a better tutorial system for beginners? I'm looking forward to learning some actual pilot knowledge about startups, taxiing, landing, etc., along with plenty of silly zooming around.

as with past sims, I've found you have to tinker with the flight model config files though with the latest sims, you can get something which "feels" very close (though you have to isolate the modded files prior to updates or they just revert back to outa the box states)

Fantastic review just what I was looking for. I wonder what's changed now we're 6 months further on, I'm sure Microsoft will improve things but I'm going to stick with XP-11 just for now based on this video coupled with the amount of money I've spent on it.

Im on the bridge between XP11 & MSFS2020.Im currently using X-Plane 11.52 and still happy with it.The visuals in MSFS2020 looks amazing,but its pointless when it comes to instrument practices and performances.This is where X-Plane 11 meets my demands.Especially when it comes to FMC functionality like in the IXEG 733.I think until these points are resolved in future updates in MSFS2020,im still sticking to X-Plane.

spot on.thanx.

This is completely SPOT ON with my experience. X-Plane is my "go to" for practicing aircraft and IFR procedures, MSFS is great for VFR exploring. Neither is perfect, as was pointed out in the video.

One thing to point out.. you CAN actually change aircraft or location in MSFS without going back to the main menu. If you switch on developer mode (in the settings page) a menu bar will appear to the top left of your screen. There are options here to change aircraft etc. You have to wait a few seconds but it’s much quicker than going back to the main menu.

You can actually change the weather and aircraft etc in MSFS without going back to the title screen, you have to enable the developer menu to get these options however, not sure why they didn't just make that a default feature like in sims of past.

Great review! A few words on support (or lack thereof) of standard hardware like Saitek panels and VR should be included - MSFS fails miserably on both of those aspects at this time.

Nice explained Video of both Sims, and well judged. Love X Plane11 over Fs2020 for Professionalism. On the other hand FS2020 has stunning graphics.

I have both sims, and both are good at what they are designed to do. Its cool to practice ground reference maneuvers, 8s on pylons and power off 180s in MSFS, as the real terrain just immerses you in the experience. Also nothing beats flying into Oshkosh in a Corsair on PilotEdge “Silver Corsair over Warbird”!! X-Plane really shines in IFR practice. Put reality-xp on realsimgear gns 530,430 stack and you have a capable platform. No crashes or bugs, just pure instrument flying in the stock King Air, on the Garmin databases with the PilotEdge controller throwing in complex instructions and route deviations, making MSFS seem like child’s play when you can barely find an approach in the database. So there you go, get both and decide for yourself.

Hey! Do you have an update now that it has been a good 10 months since you published this video?

Would be cool to see a comparison right now while using some addon aircrafts

I use X-Plane 11 and have my Cardinal 177RG modeled exactly like my real aircraft. Used this a lot when getting my instrument rating. Still use it when going to new airports to preview the flight.

A very good video! Thank you! I bought both sims and preferred X-Plane, but now I'm done at 12-17 fps, so I think even with a major hardware update I won't get more than 20 fps. And then it's game over. :( MSFS on the other hand provides me with 40 fps and after my HW update it will be 60 or close. So practically MSFS remains my only choice for now - until performance optimization will not become a priority for Laminar Research.

Thanks bro!

Is there an addon for FS2020 that realistically simulates the Garmin G1000? If not, then how good is the G1000 on X-Plane, or how good is an X-Plane G1000 addon?

PPL working on my IFR. X-Plane 11 has been invaluable to me for practicing basic stick rudder skills, crosswind techniques and IFR procedures. Now with a VR headset it's even better in spite of the drawbacks that come with VR. MSFS is a no go for me for the time being. Even looking at recordings of it the planes don't appear to fly naturally, maybe it's just the effect of the camera angle.

I don’t understand some comparisons. I’m a pilot, and played both simulators for IFR practice and flight proficiency. Both are good simulators. I’ve never used for RNAV training and only for conventional means (vor, ndb and ILS). Why would someone say MSFS is worst by using conventional navaids ? It is important to specify while comparing. Now about the aircraft systems, xplane 11 is a little more realistic. About playing with big airplanes such Boeings and airbus, you should use third part add ons (pmdg). Their default options are soo distant from the reality. My vote is for msfs.

Allright, here we are checking out a few months...a year and a half later - come ooon redo the MFS vs XP11 comparison! :D

Any chance to get an update on this video? Would be greatly appreciated I think.

I'm a glider pilot. So I tend to use condor 2 for main practice and Xplane for messing around for fun

Great no-nonsense review that does not exude with "fanboy" comments as I have seen from gamers who lurk on the MSFS2020 boards telling everyone they are idiots if they think Xplane is better. I have both Sims and surprised you didn't touch on the lack of peripherals currently supported by MSFS2020 out of the gate. I have a Redbird YK1 Yoke (had to custom build the controls to work), Ruddo pedals (Gen1) I had to program as well, SimInnovations Air Manager 3.7 (planned to work with 4.0 version) and none of the Logitech/Saitek FIPs or radios work. Also could not get my iPad with Foreflight to connect to MSFS2020 as well. That and no support for PilotEdge make it a "no-go" as a real-world practice tool for now. A lot of real-world elements that has MSFS2020 fall short, but the scenery makes it a great Gamer product right out of the gate. All that said, I expect in the next 6-12 months that MSFS2020 will get quickly to feature parity with Xplane 11.50 to really make real-world pilots fans.. For now, as yu stated, I will stick with Xplane 11.50 for staying fresh with real-world flying.

X-Plane 11.50 is very smooth. I don't have MSFS-2020, but all the videos I've seen so far show micro-stutters and obvious visual changes as sceneries load during flight. X-Plane is not quite as pretty in the scenery or weather departments, but it feels like an actual aircraft.

In the video when the pilot starts turning his head left and right to view out the side windows..is the pilot wearing a VR headset or is this a manual action by choosing a button in the Sim?

If you go for X-Plane, a great compromise is HD Mesh v4, or UHD Mesh if you have a nice computer. It doesn't take up too much space, but it is also very nice looking to enhance your visual experience. Another great tool to practice ATC operations is VATSIM. It may not be quite as accurate as pilotedge, but I would say it's 90-95% most of the time, and if you fly during events you can get full ATC matching the controllers usually on in real life.

We don’t fly at street level? I do! Thanks for the review

Perhaps updating this video might not be a bad idea... A few details no longer apply with so many changes to the platform, and a comparison is far closer tha than it used to be while continuing to change.

Great video. C152 pilot IRL in France, South of Paris. Using Ortho4XP with ZL 18/19 and home made autogen and AD, Xplane 11 gives me more realistic experience compared to FS2020 in VFR flight. France textures are so so in the middle of 2021 on FS2020. Little streams become rivers (big one), to much forests ruin flight experience. For me the flight model of C152 (FS2020) is bad compared with the third part one from Jusflight. Not a fair comparaison from my side (comparing a out of the box sim with a custom one), but just my point of view in middle of 2021...

Well, about 8 months later. Has FS2020 given the option to turn off Tooltip helper popons. Those suckers are annoying. See about 4:40 for example. There used to be an option to turn them off partially if offscreen, but no option to turn them off completely, unless one did a complete new install and toggle the option off during install. What a hassle. Also, Are the stutters Better? Is there a 172sp "study" aircraft like A2A for P3D and Airfoil Labs 172sp for X-Plane? Is there multi-monitor support for home cockpit users and trainers? Is it FAA approved yet?

I do VFR and IFR in FS2020, im no irl Pilot but FS2020 with a Thrustmaster TCA Airbus Setup and couple payware and freeware is awesome and i guess the Simupdate gonna improve alot of things in a couple days ;)

I'm considering purchasing/installing X-Plane. I upgraded (?) from FSX to FS2020 a couple of months ago, but am finding recent updates to be making the flying harder, not easier. Specifically, attempting to use autopilot almost always causes loss of control and a crash. In FSX, I was getting along quite well with most GA aircraft, and with the various autopilot systems. Replys and recommendations are quite welcome!

I use Xplane but recently started using FS2020. In Xplane, I am able to customize my airplane and cockpit panel to make it look exactly like my airplane. It is not a trivial process, but it can be done. In FS2020, I have no idea if that is even possible. I know there is an SDK available, but I am not sure if that is free or not.

I will echo what others have said. FS2020 for fun VFR, with really great graphics. X-plane for IFR practise, using touch screens, knobster, Air Manager, multiple screens etc.

Basically what I'm hearing is fs2020 just needs time for people to make and update stuff for it. Then it'll be superior in many ways. I'm glad they recently updated the g1000.... Definitely can be used for IFR more now

Im CFI/CFII/MEI and I agree with everything you saying 👍