11 — Xplane

Now, with X-Plane 12 well underway and Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) dominating the mainstream conversation, where does X-Plane 11 stand? The answer is surprising: it remains a formidable, essential tool for serious aviation enthusiasts.

In 2020, Laminar released the Vulkan/Metal update for X-Plane 11.50. This was a ground-up rewrite of the graphics engine. XPlane 11

| Feature | X-Plane 11 | MSFS 2020 | X-Plane 12 | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Excellent (Blade Element) | Good (Lookup tables + CFD) | Superior (Updated Blade Element + wake turbulence) | | Default Scenery | Dated | Breathtaking (streaming) | Improved (3D trees, seasonal) | | Helicopters | Best in class | Weak (no ground effect properly) | Best in class | | Rain/Visibility | Basic | Stunning | Excellent (new particle system) | | Third-party addons | Massive & mature | Growing but expensive | Growing (backwards compatible with most XP11 addons) | | Performance | Excellent (Vulkan) | Demanding | Good (but heavier than XP11) | Now, with X-Plane 12 well underway and Microsoft