Short answer: for the theory exam every serious app uses the same official question catalogue, so take your driving school's app. For the practical exam there are five apps that do something other than quiz you: Drivers Cam, FahrPRAXIS and Smart Bestehen show videos of the tricky spots in your test area and are handed out through driving schools. SteerClear guides you along GPS practice routes around the test centre. DriveDE explains the exam situations, checks your answer and logs your lessons, with no school and no account needed. Which one fits depends on whether your school partners with one of the video apps.
Disclosure: DriveDE is our own app. The facts about the other apps come from the app stores and the publishers' pages, seen on 18 October 2026, with a source behind every number.
Theory apps in five lines
The theory exam is a flashcard problem, and that market is full and good:
- Fahren Lernen Max (Springer Fachmedien): the app most schools use, needs a serial number and school code, 13 languages, 4.7 stars from 80,000 App Store ratings.
- ClickClickDrive: theory plus lesson booking and chat with your instructor, free with ads, subscriptions from 8.99 to 24.99 euros, 4.8 stars from 64,000 ratings.
- Führerschein GOLD (theorie24): official questions, 13 languages, 9.99 euros one-time, 4.8 stars.
- ADAC Führerschein app: free, but only for ADAC members, German only, 3.9 stars.
You cannot go far wrong here. The questions are the same everywhere, so choose by usability and price, and usually that is whatever your school includes. The theory exam itself can be taken in English and eleven other languages.
The practical-test apps at a glance
| App | What it does for the practical test | Access and price | Platforms | Languages | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drivers Cam | videos of the tricky spots in your test area with instructor commentary, a quiz per video, basic manoeuvres | only through a partner driving school, price set by the school | iOS, Android, web | 13 | useless if your school is not a partner or your test area is not filmed |
| FahrPRAXIS | videos of the spots examiners like to use locally, a practice test per video, technique tests | only through a driving school, price not published | iOS, Android, web | German | no public list of covered test areas |
| Smart Bestehen | 360-degree videos of your test area, daily challenge, basics | via partner schools, otherwise in-app purchase (60 euros quoted in 2024) | iOS, Android, web | 14 | very small distribution, 9 ratings across both stores |
| SteerClear | GPS practice routes around the test centre, sensor scoring of your driving, mock test | free tier, purchases from 3.99 to 14.99 euros, weekly pass 7.99 euros | iOS, Android | English (German interface not confirmed) | UK product, few German test centres, no videos, no German exam situations |
| DriveDE | 20 exam situations explained and checked, your own test protocol on the examiner's scale, manoeuvres, mistake log per lesson | free without an account, Pro passes 9.99 to 29.99 euros one-time | web app on any device | English, German | no videos of your test route, no link to your driving school |
Sources: Drivers Cam on the App Store, FahrPRAXIS, Smart Bestehen, SteerClear, DriveDE pricing.
Drivers Cam: the standard, if your school is on board
Drivers Cam from the publisher Heinrich Vogel is the best-known practical-test app. Local instructors film the difficult spots of the test area, the app marks the details, asks questions after each video and shows your school where you struggle. It adds videos on vehicle technology, parking and emergency braking, all available offline. 4.7 stars from 12,000 App Store ratings and over 500,000 downloads on Google Play speak for themselves.
The catch: it is only available through selected driving schools, you cannot buy it yourself, and no price is published anywhere. If your school is a partner, ask for access. If not, the app is closed to you.
FahrPRAXIS: the same principle from Wendel-Verlag
FahrPRAXIS works the same way: videos of the spots examiners in your city like to use, a practice test after each video, technique tests for the pre-drive check, downloads for offline use. 4.8 stars from 1,800 App Store ratings, 100,000 downloads on Google Play.
Again, access exists only through driving schools across Germany, and only your school can tell you whether your test area has been filmed. The App Store lists German only.
Smart Bestehen: 360-degree videos, still very small
Smart Bestehen uses 360-degree videos with instructor commentary, a daily challenge of three videos, and basics on technical questions, manoeuvres and right of way, in 14 languages. Schools pay on request, and learners from other schools can unlock videos by in-app purchase.
The numbers are honestly small: about 1,000 downloads and nine ratings across both stores. Which cities are covered is not public. If a school in your city has filmed, it may be worth a look; otherwise not.
SteerClear: GPS routes, from the UK
SteerClear is a British product offering practice routes around test centres in 31 countries, with voice navigation, sensor-based scoring of braking, cornering and lane keeping, a mock test with a pass or fail result, and an AI coach. The app generates the routes itself and explicitly does not promise the examiner's routes. For Germany it has route pages for Augsburg, Dortmund and Mannheim, among others.
The free tier gives you one mock test, one route and one drill. After that, packages cost 3.99 to 14.99 euros or 7.99 euros per week. The German App Store shows two ratings, and the app is listed in English only. It does not know German exam situations such as the green arrow sign, the zip merge or a priority road that bends.
DriveDE: understand the situations instead of driving the routes
DriveDE takes the third route. Instead of videos of your test area, it explains the situations that fail the most candidates nationwide: 20 of them, from right before left to the green arrow and the zip merge, each with the examiner's instruction, the points the examiner wants to see, typical mistakes and the StVO paragraph. You tap the steps in the right order or explain in your own words what you would do, and the app checks the answer instantly. That builds your own test protocol across the five competence areas, the way the examiner grades. On top come the basic manoeuvres step by step and a mistake log per lesson with history and costs.
The trainers and the first situations are free, without an account, in the browser. Pro passes cost 9.99 euros for 30 days, 19.99 euros for 90 days or 29.99 euros with no time limit, one-time and without a subscription. English and German.
The weaknesses, to keep it fair: DriveDE has no videos of your test route, no link to your driving school, and it is not in an app store yet. If you want to see the spots of your own test area, you need one of the video apps.
Which app for whom
- Your school partners with Drivers Cam or FahrPRAXIS: take the access, nothing replaces videos of your own test area. DriveDE complements them for understanding the rules and keeping the protocol.
- Your school offers no app: DriveDE, because you can start without a school. Smart Bestehen is worth a look if a school in your city has filmed.
- You are converting a foreign licence and only need the practical test: DriveDE in English, because right before left, the green arrow and the zip merge are exactly what trips up people who drove abroad for years. SteerClear only if your test centre is listed and you want to practise in English.
- You want to drive routes: SteerClear, knowing the routes are not the examiner's.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an app for the German practical driving test?
Yes, five. Drivers Cam, FahrPRAXIS and Smart Bestehen show videos of your test area and come through driving schools. SteerClear offers GPS practice routes around the test centre. DriveDE explains and checks the exam situations and logs your lessons, without a school.
Which German driving app is free?
For theory, the ADAC app (members only) and usually your school's app. For the practical test, Drivers Cam, FahrPRAXIS and Smart Bestehen are free to download, but access comes from the school. SteerClear has a free tier. With DriveDE the trainers and the first exam situations are free, without an account.
Which app is best for the theory exam?
The one your school provides, as long as it uses the current official catalogue. The questions are the same with every serious provider.
Does an app replace driving lessons?
No. None of the five claims that, and the exam grades how you drive in real traffic. Apps save repetitions in the car: if you understood the rule before the lesson, you need fewer lessons at 70 to 95 euros each to practise it.
Can I use my phone during a driving lesson?
Not as the driver. A tracking app can run in a mount, and you make your entries before or after the drive.
The honest recommendation
Ask your driving school first whether it offers Drivers Cam or FahrPRAXIS. If it does, take it. In either case, an app that explains the rules behind the situations and keeps your mistakes across lessons is worth having alongside, because a failed practical exam quickly costs several hundred euros. The easiest way to decide: read the exam situations, and the right-of-way trainer takes two minutes in your browser, no account needed.