# Balloon Live vs XCMania

The clearest difference is price: XCMania at Free against Balloon Live's $4.99. XCMania also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (7 vs 1). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

XCMania is free to download; Balloon Live costs $4.99 up front. Balloon Live sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and XCMania sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

XCMania holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: XCMania has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Balloon Live ships an update monthly, XCMania every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Balloon Live | XCMania |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balloon-live/id1471336096/reviews) | **[4.9 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xcmania/id1494610953/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **7** |
| Positive reviews | — | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 49 MB | 133 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Fédération Aéronautique Internationale](https://appshunter.io/developer/1471336095) | [刚 刘](https://appshunter.io/developer/1318656438) |

## What reviewers say

### Balloon Live

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balloon-live/id1471336096)

This official competition logger app is designed for hot air balloon pilots. It offers flight recording, electronic marker drops, and goal declarations. It synchronizes with online platforms for live tracking and competition data.

**Highlights:** Two app modes: training and competition, Flight recording with start/stop, Up to 18 electronic marker drops, Up to 18 goal declaration slots, IGC-file recording and export, Automatic flight resume, Connects to external Balloon Live Sensor box

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Balloon Live event credit | $9.99 | one-time |


### XCMania

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xcmania/id1494610953)

This app transforms your mobile device into a sophisticated flight computer, offering advanced features like real-time weather radar, 3D thermal visualization, and automated SOS alerts. It provides certified flight records and integrates with online contests, aiming to enhance pilot decision-making and safety.

**Highlights:** Real-time Doppler weather radar, 3D thermal visualization, Live Tracking with automatic SOS, Certified flight record for online contests, Flight Planner, Global elevation and airspace maps, Support for external varios and FLARM devices

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Competition - Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Competition - Annual | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Balloon Live free?

Balloon Live costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is XCMania free?

XCMania is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Balloon Live or XCMania?

XCMania is rated higher. Balloon Live averages 4.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while XCMania averages 4.9 from 7 ratings.

### Do Balloon Live or XCMania have ads?

Neither Balloon Live nor XCMania shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Balloon Live or XCMania?

Balloon Live ships an update monthly, and XCMania every 3 weeks. Most recently, Balloon Live was updated on October 25, 2026 and XCMania on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*