FlightSight vs Tachbase
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
FlightSight
This aviation app helps pilots determine if their flight path is above or below distant objects. Position the sight target on clouds, mountains, or other aircraft to get degree-based altitude information. It functions as a low-budget Heads-Up Display for iPhones and iPads.
- Determine flight path altitude relative to objects
- Position sight target on clouds, mountains, or aircraft
- Displays altitude in degrees
- Low-budget Heads-Up Display functionality
- Four selectable display modes
- Supports portrait and landscape orientations
- Zoom functionality via finger gestures
- Save images with embossed flight information
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FlightSight is an aviation sight level app. Its purpose is to help pilots determine whether their flight path is above or below distant objects. Position the sight target on cloud tops or bottoms, mountain passes or other aircraft and FlightSight will tell you if the object is higher or lower, and by how many degrees. FlightSight is a low budget HUD (Heads Up Display)! The FlightSight app can be used by holding the iPhone or iPad by hand. Or it can be mounted on the top of the instrument panel. Four display modes can be selected when using FlightSight. Fixed target grid, fixed target grid and fixed level line, floating target grid and floating level line (shown here) or floating target grid only. FlightSight can be used on devices in either vertical (portrait) or horizontal (landscape) positions. Finger gestures can be used to zoom the FlightSight view in or out. FlightSight also has a camera option. When you press the camera button the current image will be saved with all FlightSight information embossed on it. Stop guessing, safe fuel, be safer … use FlightSight! Use of FlightSight is not an FAA approved method or flight path navigation decisions. FlighSight does not replace good pilot judgement and accurate weather reports. FlightSight is simply a tool for helping pilots confirm their flight path decisions.
Tachbase
This app provides pilots with essential tools for flight planning, in-cockpit navigation, and flight logging. It offers offline access to charts, weather data, and airport information, enhancing situational awareness and simplifying post-flight record-keeping.
- Offline moving map with VFR/IFR charts
- Georeferenced approach plates and procedures
- Airport information and weather data
- Live traffic and weather with ADS-B receiver
- IFR/VFR flight plan filing and management
- Smart logbook with auto-logging and currency tracking
- Customizable checklists
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Tachbase is an electronic flight bag (EFB) for general aviation pilots — preflight planning, in-cockpit awareness, and logging in one fast, offline-first app for iPhone, iPad, and the web. FREE TO START Browse the moving map, FAA charts/plates, and airport pages with live METARs — no account required. With a free account, nothing lives on one device: your logbook, flights, plans, aircraft, and checklists sync across iPhone, iPad, and the web — a lost iPad loses nothing. MOVING MAP Airports, airspace, navaids, fixes, airways, and military training routes — tap any feature for details. Airport diagrams draw on the map as you zoom in. Overlay VFR/IFR charts, live weather (radar, satellite, winds aloft, PIREPs, AIRMETs/SIGMETs), TFRs, and your route. Add range rings, centerlines, glide ring, and track breadcrumb. Download states & territories offline. CHARTS & PLATES FAA approach plates, departure/arrival procedures, airport diagrams, and takeoff/alternate minimums with pan/zoom — plus taxi diagrams where the FAA has none. With Pro, plates are georeferenced (your aircraft draws on the chart), drop any chart onto the map, and see NOTAMs for the current plate. AIRPORTS Frequencies, runway wind analysis, METARs/TAFs, NOTAMs, fuel & services, sunrise/sunset, and the chart supplement — all offline-ready. WEATHER Decoded METARs and TAFs, 270+ imagery products cached offline, and FIS-B weather with an ADS-B receiver. Pro adds live FAA weather cameras. TRAFFIC & FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS Connect any GDL90 ADS-B receiver — Stratux, Stratus 3, SkyEcho — for live traffic and weather. A Primary Flight Display pairs an AHRS attitude indicator with an HSI that tracks your active leg or Direct-To. A customizable data bar adds terrain, obstacle, and traffic alerts with spoken callouts. FLIGHT PLANNING The route finder suggests routes ATC recently assigned — SIDs and STARs load with published legs on the map. Add approaches and airways, and check a vertical terrain profile with recommended MEA. Wind-corrected nav log with fuel planning, weight & balance, and PDF export. File, activate, amend, and close flight plans with Leidos Flight Services and official FAA/FSS briefings. Push alerts when your plan is accepted, amended, or closed, or en-route weather crosses your route. Direct-To with holds and track lines. CHECKLISTS Tap-to-run normal and emergency checklists — start from templates for popular GA aircraft or build your own. SMART LOGBOOK Log flights with approaches, passengers, and cost-splitting; auto-log with a GPS track; track FAA currency; and generate experience and 8710 reports. Import from ForeFlight or MyFlightbook, export ForeFlight-compatible CSV, with 30-day undelete. Sign entries inline or via QR for instructor endorsements. PLUS: Home Screen widgets (METARs, currency) and a live Lock Screen flight activity; an aircraft hangar with weight & balance and maintenance tracking; an E6B; an offline FAA library (FAR/AIM, handbooks, ACs); your own POHs and PDFs; iCloud backup; contacts; 8 themes. TIERS Free (account): the Weather tab, sync, the flight-plan builder, Direct-To, and basic logbook and planning. Pro: everything else — georeferenced plates, the PFD, ADS-B traffic/FIS-B, hazard alerts, cameras, checklists, FSS filing, full logbook, the FAA library, and offline maps & charts. Tachbase supplements, not replaces, certified avionics and official sources. All data — aeronautical, weather, own-ship position — is for situational awareness only, not for primary or IFR navigation. Per FAA AC 91-78 and AC 120-76, the pilot in command must verify all information against official sources. SUBSCRIPTION Tachbase Pro is an auto-renewing subscription: Monthly ($5.99) or Annual ($49.99), charged to your Apple Account and renewed unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use (EULA) and Privacy Policy are on the subscription screen in the app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Tachbase at Free against FlightSight's $1.99. Tachbase also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months). FlightSight's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On rating, ratings volume, ads and device support 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
Tachbase is free to download; FlightSight costs $1.99 up front. Tachbase sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. FlightSight asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for FlightSight against 5.0 for Tachbase. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.
FlightSight ships an update every 4 months, Tachbase weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FlightSight | Tachbase |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Freemium — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 68 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Timothy Kelley | 808 Heavy Industries LLC |
Customer experience
FlightSight
Tachbase
In-app purchases
FlightSight
No in-app purchases
Tachbase
- Tachbase Pro Monthly$5.991 Month
- Tachbase Pro Annual$59.991 Year









