Comparison

Garmin Explore™ vs pgpilot flight companion

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

Head to head
About

Garmin Explore™

Navigate off-grid with this app, which pairs with a compatible Garmin device for trip planning, mapping, and navigation even without Wi-Fi or cellular service. Plan routes, download maps for offline use, and sync data to the cloud.

Highlights
  • Off-grid navigation
  • Trip planning
  • Offline map downloads
  • Pair and sync with Garmin device
  • Activity library
  • Cloud storage
  • LiveTrack location sharing
Currently charting
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OFF-GRID NAVIGATION When paired with your compatible Garmin device(1), the Garmin Explore app lets you use your mobile device for outdoor navigation, trip planning, mapping and more — with or without Wi-Fi® connectivity or cellular service. SEARCH TOOL Easily locate geographic points — such as trailheads or mountain summits — associated with your adventure. STREAMING MAPS For pre-trip planning, you can use the Garmin Explore app to stream maps when you’re within cellular or Wi-Fi range — saving valuable time as well as storage space on your mobile device. Download maps for offline use when venturing outside cellular range. PAIR, SYNC AND SHARE With Garmin Explore, you can pair your smartphone or tablet with your compatible Garmin device to sync and share data for off-grid adventures. Use downloadable maps for navigation anywhere. EASY TRIP PLANNING Plan your next trip by downloading maps and creating courses. Specify your start and finish points, and automatically create a course you can sync with your compatible Garmin device. ACTIVITY LIBRARY Under the Saved tab, review and edit your organized data, including your saved waypoints, tracks, courses and activities. See map thumbnails to easily recognize your trips. SAVED COLLECTIONS The collections list allows you to quickly find all data related to any trip — making it easy to sort and locate the course or location you’re looking for. CLOUD STORAGE The waypoints, courses and activities you’ve created will automatically sync to your Garmin Explore web account when you’re within cellular or Wi-Fi range, preserving your activity data with cloud storage. A Garmin account is required for storing your data in the cloud. LIVETRACK™ With the use of the LiveTrack™ feature, loved ones can follow your location in real time(2) and see data such as distance, time and elevation. What You Get with Garmin Explore • Unlimited map downloads; access topographic maps, USGS quad sheets and more • Aerial imagery • Waypoints, tracking and route navigation • High-detail GPS trip logging and location sharing • Unlimited cloud storage of routes, waypoints, tracks, and activities • Online trip planning 1. https://explore.garmin.com/appcompatibility 2. When used with your compatible smartphone, the Garmin Explore® app and your compatible inReach® technology-enabled Garmin device. The Bluetooth word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Garmin is under license.

About

pgpilot flight companion

This app provides paragliding pilots with essential tools for flight, including navigation, thermal assist, and instrument panels. It also features voice chat, group creation, and visualization of landing spots with glide range.

Highlights
  • Thermal assist
  • Navigation
  • Instrument panels
  • External vario support
  • Voice chat
  • Group creation
  • Glide range visualization
Features
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Simply the most awesome flight companion for paragliding. Just log in and fly! Features: - All the standard stuff: thermal assist, navigation, instrument panels etc. - External vario + PTT button over bluetooth. - Voice chat directly in the app (!) - Create groups with private chats, share tasks, etc. - Visualize potential landing spots with glide range layer on the map. - Takeoffs, landings, live wind, thermal hotspots, ++ We are in beta, expect some hard edges and give feedback! Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://pgpilot.app/privacy

Screenshots

Garmin Explore™4 screens
pgpilot flight companion4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: pgpilot flight companion at 100% against Garmin Explore™'s 46%. pgpilot flight companion also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.2) and update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly). Garmin Explore™'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (1.1K vs 1). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. pgpilot flight companion sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Garmin Explore™ asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

pgpilot flight companion holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Garmin Explore™ has 1.1K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Garmin Explore™'s written reviews are positive against 100% of pgpilot flight companion's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Garmin Explore™ ships an update monthly, pgpilot flight companion every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Garmin Explore™ versus pgpilot flight companion: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGarmin Explore™pgpilot flight companion
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (1.1K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.1K — better1
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#112 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.416.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size452 MB135 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperGarmineide.ai

Customer experience

Garmin Explore™

All ratings1,046 ratings
Positive77.5%
Neutral5.8%
Negative16.6%
Written reviews958 reviews
Positive45.8%
Neutral11.3%
Negative42.9%

pgpilot flight companion

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Garmin Explore™

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Sync failures between app and Garmin devices
  • Disappearing or corrupted user data
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS/Android versions
  • Unreliable offline map downloads

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to edit waypoint coordinates
  • More customization options for map layers and displays
  • Improved route planning and navigation features
  • Better syncing and data management between app and devices
  • Support for more Garmin device models

pgpilot flight companion

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Garmin Explore™

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

pgpilot flight companion

Subscriptions4
  • Supporter$1.991 Month
  • pgpilot Supporter$6.001 Month
  • pgpilot Early Supporter14 Days trial$29.001 Year
Show 1 more
  • pgpilot Supporter Year$39.001 Year

Questions

Is Garmin Explore™ free?
Garmin Explore™ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is pgpilot flight companion free?
pgpilot flight companion is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Garmin Explore™ or pgpilot flight companion?
pgpilot flight companion is rated higher. Garmin Explore™ averages 4.2 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while pgpilot flight companion averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Garmin Explore™ or pgpilot flight companion have ads?
Neither Garmin Explore™ nor pgpilot flight companion shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Garmin Explore™ or pgpilot flight companion?
Garmin Explore™ ships an update monthly, and pgpilot flight companion every 5 days. Most recently, Garmin Explore™ was updated on November 1, 2026 and pgpilot flight companion on October 31, 2026.

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