Comparison

PilotPal vs CX

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PilotPal

This app provides FAA aviation airport charts and facility directories for easy flight planning. Access airport diagrams, frequencies, elevation, and helipad information offline. Stay updated with monthly chart revisions and quickly find nearby or favorite airports.

Highlights
  • Offline charts
  • Airport Facility Directories
  • Airport Diagrams
  • Airport Information (Maps, Frequencies, Elevation, Helipads)
  • Monthly updated FAA charts
  • Nearby and favorite airports
  • Airport search
Features
Read full description

PilotPal is the easiest way to flight plan. PilotPal brings the FAA airport facility directory and Airport Diagrams to your pocket. Features: • Offline Charts: Easily download airports or entire regions for offline use • Airport Facility Directories • Airport Diagrams • Weather via METAR and TAF • Wind maps • Airport Information including: • Maps • Frequencies • Elevation • Helipads • Updated FAA charts every month so you're always up to date. • Nearby airports: Easily find airports around you • Favorite airports: Save your favorites for quick access • Airport search: Easily find any airport or helipad • Dark mode • iPad support Built by real pilots with a love for aviation Feedback or issues: tinybyteapps@gmail.com Legal: Airport facility directories and airport diagrams are provided by the FAA. Always consult appropriate and available sources to prepare for your flight. Our privacy policy is available at: https://pilotpal-1139.firebaseapp.com/privacypolicy.htm Our terms of service is available at: https://pilotpal-1139.firebaseapp.com/termsofuse.html

About

CX

This aviation tool simplifies flight planning for pilots. It offers accurate calculations for time, speed, distance, fuel, and more, along with unit conversions and a built-in calculator. Designed for ease of use, it guides users through flight planning and execution with a natural menu flow.

Highlights
  • Flight planning calculations
  • Time, speed, distance functions
  • Fuel and altitude calculations
  • Unit conversions (12 categories)
  • Weight and balance calculations
  • Holding pattern details
  • Built-in calculator, clock, timer
Currently charting
Read full description

Based on the ASA CX-3® Flight Computer for pilots, this CX-3 app makes flight planning simple by taking confusion out of the equation. Fast, versatile and easy to use, the CX-3® delivers accurate results quickly and efficiently. Whether used for flight planning, ground school, or FAA Knowledge Exam preparation, the menu organization reflects the order in which a flight is normally planned and executed, resulting in a natural flow from one function to the next with a minimum of keystrokes. Multiple aviation functions can be performed on the CX-3® flight computer including those related to time, speed, distance, heading, wind, fuel, altitude, cloud base, standard atmosphere, glide, climb & descent, weight & balance, as well as a holding pattern function to help determine entry method and holding details. The CX-3® has 12 unit-conversions: Distance, Speed, Duration, Temperature, Pressure, Volume, Rate, Weight, Rate of Climb/Descent, Angle of Climb/Descent, Torque, and Angle. These 12 conversion categories contain 38 different conversion factors for over 100 functions. A calculator, clock, timer, and stopwatch are also built in along with multiple settings for lighting, backlighting, themes, time zones and more.

Screenshots

PilotPal4 screens
CX4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PilotPal at Free against CX's $19.99. PilotPal also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.7) and ratings volume (663 vs 11). CX's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and chart position (#58 vs unranked). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

PilotPal is free to download; CX costs $19.99 up front. PilotPal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. CX asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PilotPal holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PilotPal has 663 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of PilotPal's written reviews are positive against 36% of CX's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PilotPal ships an update every 3 months, CX every 8 months. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
PilotPal versus CX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPilotPalCX
PriceFree — better$19.99
Rating4.7 (663 ratings) — better3.7 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews55.0% of reviews — better35.7% of reviews
Number of ratings663 — better11
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#58 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTinybyte Apps LLCASA

Customer experience

PilotPal

All ratings652 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral2.8%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive55.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative40.0%

CX

All ratings11 ratings
Positive63.6%
Neutral9.1%
Negative27.3%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive35.7%
Neutral7.1%
Negative57.1%

Bugs and requests

PilotPal

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Subscription verification loop - shows already subscribed but denies access
  • Airport diagrams not displaying despite active subscription
  • App stopped working after February update
  • General app functionality failures
  • Missing settings/preferences menu

Requested features

6 requests
  • Airport diagram printing functionality
  • Ability to sort favorites tab
  • Front and back page information inclusion
  • Improved search functionality for VOR locations
  • Legend/index documentation
Show 1 more
  • Comprehensive chart supplement data (VFR corridors, visual reporting points, VOR test locations)

CX

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

PilotPal

Subscriptions3
  • Airport Diagrams$0.991 Month
  • PilotPal Monthly3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • PilotPal Pro3 Days trial$19.991 Year
None

CX

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PilotPal free?
PilotPal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CX free?
CX costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PilotPal or CX?
PilotPal is rated higher. PilotPal averages 4.7 out of 5 from 663 ratings, while CX averages 3.7 from 11 ratings.
Do PilotPal or CX have ads?
Neither PilotPal nor CX shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PilotPal or CX?
PilotPal ships an update every 3 months, and CX every 8 months. Most recently, PilotPal was updated on September 22, 2026 and CX on September 22, 2026.

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