Flight Simulator Tutorials: Which Flight Simulator Should I Get To Match My Needs?

Comparisons

If you are just getting into flight simulation, there are a couple things you should know before getting a flight simulator.

First of all, you should think about how much you want to spend on the simulator. $0-30? $30-60? $60+? Decide your budget.
Next, decide the realism you want. Do you want an ultra-realistic simulator? Do you want a simulator that just does the job? Do you want something in between?
Third, look at how good your graphics are on your computer. Are they great (like a gaming rig) or poor (like an old laptop)?
Finally, decide the type of simulator you want. Do you want private/commercial planes or military planes?
Once you have decided on these, come back and let's see which simulator you should get.

Ok. Let's see here. First, I will go over the simulators I will be comparing today. They are:
GeoFS
Infinite Flight (mobile)
X-Plane Mobile
Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition
Prepar3d
Digital Combat Simulator World
X-Plane 11
Flight Simulator 2020

GeoFS is a flight simulator that runs in your browser. You have a fairly large variety of planes. There are two types of this simulator: The free version, and the paid version. The difference between these versions is that the paid version just has better scenery. The default scenery is the worst out of all these simulators. The paid scenery, however, is pretty good scenery, almost as good as some of the top-notch simulators out there.
Pros:

Accessible
Many planes
Has aircraft carriers
Has general aviation, commercial, and fighter aircraft
Has a free version
Nice scenery with paid version

Cons:

In web browser
Scenery is not that good with free version
Default controls overlap eachother
Cockpit not very detailed
Controls limited
Cockpit not interactive

Infinite Flight is a flight simulator for mobile. It is one of the best flight simulators for mobile device, but costs $4.99. Out of the many flight simulators out there, this is one of the best. Infinite flight has a good selection of planes and nice scenery. The scenery looks nice from up top, but doesn't look very good if you are on the ground (let's say... taxiing to the runway). The planes, however, look nice (and have a nice cockpit, too).

Pros:

Good Scenery for Mobile
Good planes
Nice selection of planes
Realistic for mobile flight sims
Better than most other flight sims on mobile

Cons:

Scenery doesn't look nice when you get close to it
Screen littered with buttons

X-Plane mobile is a mobile version of the famous X-Plane (on PC). It is free to download, however, you only get a very limited selection of planes and other planes are available for purchase. The scenery is very nice and detailed compared to all other mobile flight simulators. There are missions, 'flight school' tutorials, etc. The app also includes a helicopter and military aircraft, along with general aviation and commercial aircraft. This flight sim may just be the best on mobile, beating Infinite Flight.

Pros:

Free to download
Features many aircraft from the computer version
Detailed Scenery

Cons:

Very limited without purchases
Requires a good phone or tablet to run smoothly
Heavy on memory

Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition is a flight simulator that will normally cost $24.99 on Steam. It is a downloadable program. It has many aircraft and a large selection of freeware aircraft available online. The simulator can be run at a reasonable FPS on devices without good graphics capabilities.

Pros:

Worldwide Scenery
Many aircraft
Missions
Multiplayer
Light on Graphics
Worth getting
ATC Communications

Cons:
Old
Scenery not that good
Some planes do not work

Prepar3d is a simulator which is basically a better fsx. It is improved, and most downloads for FSX also work for P3D, and vice versa. P3D has good scenery, and ranges in price. There are different licenses you can get to match your needs, however most are pretty expensive.

Pros:

Better scenery than FSX
Nice plane selection
Can simulate combat

Cons:

Expensive

Digital Combat Simulator World is a flight simulator built around combat simulation. This simulator is FREE, has good scenery, and has a fair selection of planes.
Pros:

Free to download
Good Scenery
Good selection of vehicles

Cons:

Only for military simulation
Requires a good computer

X-Plane 11 is one of the most famous flight simulators out there. It is an ultra-realistic simulator that is used and trusted by many people. It costs 60 dollars, but has a good selection of aircraft to choose from, including private and commercial planes. This simulator, like FSX, has missions (they are called challenges in X-plane). This simulator has VERY good graphics, the best in the market at this time.
Pros:
Ultra-realistic
Trusted
Many planes
Great graphics
Great scenery
ATC
Worldwide Scenery

Cons:
Requries a very good computer to run it

Flight Simulator 2020 has EXTREMELY good graphics (better than X-Plane 11) and is more realistic. It starts at $59.99 and goes up to $119.99. There are three editions: Standard, Deluxe, and Premium Deluxe. Deluxe has more planes and hand-crafted airports than standard, and Premium Deluxe has more planes and hand-crafted airports than Deluxe.
Pros:

Ultra-realistic
Good scenery
Worldwide accurate weather
Many airports

Cons:

Requires a good computer to run it
A bit expensive

Now, it is time to decide which simulator you should get. If you have a good computer, look to X-Plane 11 or FS2020. If you don't have a really good computer, look to FSX. If you have a computer in between, look to DCS world and GeoFS (paid). You can use online tools to see what your computer can and can't run. Next, what type of flying do you want? Military? Go for DCS World. General and Commercial? Go for the others. Now, the price. What is your budget? 0-30? Go for FSX, DCS World, or GeoFS. $30-60? Look to X-Plane. $60+? You can look to any simulator, but the expensive versions of FS2020 can get a little out of budget. For mobile flight simulators, you really only have two good options. Either way, to get the gameplay you want, you will have to spend money. Are you okay with only two small planes? Go for X-Plane mobile. Do you want a larger selection of planes for an acceptable price? Go for Infinite Flight.

So, now for the conclusion. It is your decision. You choose what you want. There are many simulators out there. If you look on the app store for 'Flight Simulator', you will find so many options, only a few of which are good. Most of these flight simulators mentioned here cost money in some way, either by add ons, or by downloading the software itself. Like I said, it really is your decision, and whatever you choose to fit your needs should be good, as long as you are satisfied with it. Happy flying!