Comparison

igc Viewer vs Vario One

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

Head to head
About

igc Viewer

Easily view flight data from .igc files. Simply open the file through your device's File App or share it directly to the application. It handles various file sizes, displaying your flight information efficiently.

Highlights
  • Open .igc files
  • File App integration
  • Share to app functionality
  • Handles various file sizes
  • Displays flight information
Features
Read full description

How to use. - Open File App. (Alternatively, click the share button and open with 'copy to igc viewer') - Select [.igc] file. - The app will open igc file (it might take a few seconds depending on the file size).

About

Vario One

This app provides a precise variometer for iPhone and Apple Watch, utilizing built-in sensors for real-time lift detection. It offers air traffic awareness, thermal assistance, and flight recording capabilities. Takeoff and landing sites are always visible, with a free 14-day trial for all features.

Highlights
  • Real-time variometer with acoustic lift signals
  • Air traffic awareness with Safesky integration
  • Thermal Assistant with climb/sink rate visualization
  • Flight recording with GPS and IGC tracks
  • Import flights via GPX/IGC
  • Standalone Apple Watch functionality
  • Visible takeoff and landing sites
Features
Read full description

VARIO One – Your smart variometer for iPhone and Apple Watch. As precise as a pro vario. As simple as an app. No extra hardware. VARIO One combines a pressure sensor, an accelerometer and GPS into a full-featured variometer — right on your iPhone and Apple Watch. Both apps work independently and signal lift with acoustic beeps. Optionally connect an external Bluetooth vario for even more precision. Try all features free for 14 days. VARIOMETER - Instantly audible lift by combining pressure and acceleration sensors. - Internal barometer (baro + IMU fusion) — a calmer, more precise signal. - Display of altitude, speed and glide ratio. - Barometric altitude with QNH — set directly on the flight screen. - Climb tone threshold freely configurable (down to −0.5 m/s). - Rotating wind direction indicator. FLIGHT RECORDING - Automatic recording as GPS and IGC track. - Digital logbook with map view and statistics. - Automatic upload to DHV-XC and XContest. - Automatic take-off and landing detection. MAP - Airspaces downloadable per country or importable as OpenAir files. - Current wind from thousands of weather stations. - Take-off and landing sites — permanently free to view. AIRSPACE MAP & ALERTS Download airspace maps for any country right in the app from OpenAIP. Or import your own OpenAir files (classic as well as Naviter 1.0/2.0). All airspaces are shown as a vector map; tap for details, altitude profile and legend. As you approach, VARIO One warns you with a voice announcement and a configurable lead time — including a snooze function and automatic escalation. REAL-TIME AIR TRAFFIC WITH SAFESKY See nearby aircraft — paragliders, hang gliders, sailplanes, helicopters — using SafeSky, including other SafeSky users on the map. ADS-B, FLARM, OGN, PilotAware, and other supported traffic sources — all in one real-time view. Coverage depends on the availability of compatible transmitters and network reception. BUDDY FLYING – FLY TOGETHER, EVERYONE IN VIEW With Buddy Flying you see your flying partners live on the map — perfect for a shared cross-country flight or a day at your local mountain. One person creates a group and shares the code, the others join. As soon as "Sharing" is active, you all see each other in real time. For each buddy you see position with distance and bearing, absolute altitude and altitude relative to you, current climb and an 8-second average, plus speed. When a buddy is climbing, you see it in their climb rate — and know where the thermal is. A colour scale shows how their climb compares to yours. EXTERNAL BLUETOOTH VARIOS Connect your device wirelessly to use it as your vario signal source: BlueFly Vario (multiple protocols), Mipfly MipBipX & MipTrack, Stodeus BlueBip & UltraBip, Skytraxx (BLE). Connect any time from the settings — no onboarding needed. THERMAL ASSISTANT Your flight track is coloured live by climb and sink values — so you instantly see where the best thermal is in the turn. The app automatically detects circling and switches to the thermal view. Including wind direction and speed. IMPORT FLIGHTS Import previously flown flights as GPX or IGC files straight into the logbook — via the + button or via "Open with" from the Files app. APPLE WATCH - Standalone vario with precise pressure sensors. - Ideal for hike & fly, as a backup or when there's no room in the cockpit. - Flight recording in GPX and IGC format. New features are added regularly. Try everything free for 14 days. Take-off and landing sites remain free afterwards too. The subscription renews automatically and can be cancelled any time.

Screenshots

igc Viewer4 screens
Vario One4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: igc Viewer at 4.0 against Vario One's 1.0. Vario One's advantage is review sentiment (85% vs 50%) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. igc Viewer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Vario One sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

igc Viewer holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of igc Viewer's written reviews are positive against 85% of Vario One's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

igc Viewer ships an update every 4 months, Vario One every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
igc Viewer versus Vario One: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterigc ViewerVario One
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (2 ratings) — better1.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews85.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings22
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS16.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size83 MB106 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHiroki KijimaLeobalo GmbH

Customer experience

igc Viewer

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

Vario One

All ratings2 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews47 reviews
Positive85.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.9%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

igc Viewer

One-time1
  • Flight Computer Mode$4.99
3 purchases

Vario One

Subscriptions3
  • 7 days for Apple iPhone/Watch14 Days trial$3.997 Days
  • 3 month Apple iPhone/Watch14 Days trial$11.993 Months
  • 1 year iPhone and Apple Watch14 Days trial$22.991 Year

Questions

Is igc Viewer free?
igc Viewer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Vario One free?
Vario One is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, igc Viewer or Vario One?
igc Viewer is rated higher. igc Viewer averages 4.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Vario One averages 1.0 from 2 ratings.
Do igc Viewer or Vario One have ads?
Neither igc Viewer nor Vario One shows ads.
Which is updated more often, igc Viewer or Vario One?
igc Viewer ships an update every 4 months, and Vario One every 5 weeks. Most recently, igc Viewer was updated on November 2, 2026 and Vario One on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons