APS is a combined MCC/JOC course which has been approved by the UK CAA.
Previously only the MCC element was approved,; the JOC was not regulated and could be conducted by anyone, anywhere, in any simulator. Some offered very good courses, others did not.
What your aspirations are, will to a large extent, determine the MCC course and simulator you opt for, and whether the JOC element will form part of it.
At the end of the day, you get what you pay for.