Comparison

Pilot vs Aviation Weather Decoder

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

Head to head
About

Pilot

This reference app provides flight crews with fast, offline access to over 14,000 aviation abbreviations and acronyms. It includes organized lists for general terms, datalink messages, airports, aircraft registrations, and airlines, drawing from numerous international sources.

Highlights
  • Offline access to 14,000+ aviation abbreviations
  • Organized lists: general, CPDLC, airports, registrations, airlines
  • Covers FAA, NOTAM, EASA, Jeppesen, and more
  • Fast and intuitive search functionality
  • Created by a pilot for pilots
  • Optimized for flight planning and in-flight reference
Features
Read full description

Pilot-Abbr – Aviation Abbreviations for Flight Crews Pilot-Abbr is a powerful reference app designed for professional pilots, providing fast, offline access to over 14,000 aviation abbreviations and acronyms from international sources. Main Features: Five Organized Lists: • Abbreviations – General aviation terms used by pilots. • CPDLC Messages – Commonly used datalink message elements. • Airports – IATA and ICAO codes, airport name, city, and flag. • Registrations – Aircraft registration codes by country. • Airlines – IATA and ICAO codes, airline name, and country. Sources Include: • FAA Abbreviations • U.S. Aeronautical Contractions • NOTAM Abbreviations • Canadian AIM • Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) • Jeppesen • Boeing Acronyms • EASA Acronyms • Dangerous Goods and Ground Handling codes • And more Whether you're decoding a NOTAM, preparing for departure, or reviewing CPDLC messages, Pilot-Abbr gives you the reference you need — anytime, even offline. Why Pilots Use Pilot-Abbr: • Created by a pilot, for pilots • Fast, intuitive search • Covers operational, regulatory, and airline-specific terms • Optimized for flight planning, briefing, and in-flight reference Subscription Details • $4.99/year, auto-renewable • Subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period • Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase • Manage or cancel your subscription in your iTunes account settings • No partial refunds Legal • Privacy Policy & Terms of Service: https://villarroel98.wixsite.com/hazmat-pjv/about • Apple EULA (End User License Agreement): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Pilot-Abbr — The most complete aviation abbreviation tool on the App Store. Essential for every flight crew.

About

Aviation Weather Decoder

Features
Read full description

Aviation Weather Decoder is a professional tool for airline pilots and aviation enthusiasts. Decode METAR, TAF, SPECI, and ATIS reports offline. Features: • Camera OCR recognition - snap a photo of printed reports, auto-extract and decode • Manual input - paste raw METAR/TAF text for instant translation • Live queries - fetch real-time METAR, TAF, NOTAM, and ATIS for airports worldwide • Supports METAR (routine weather), TAF (forecast), ATIS (terminal info), SPECI (special reports) • 100% local decoding - all decoding runs on device • History - auto-saves decode results for review • Bilingual UI - Chinese & English • Dark glass-morphism tech UI Premium subscription unlocks full decoding features: 7-day free trial, then $0.99/month auto-renewal. Terms of Use: https://777-9.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://777-9.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

Pilot4 screens
Aviation Weather Decoder3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Aviation Weather Decoder at every 4 weeks against Pilot's every 31 months. Pilot's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Pilot sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year and Aviation Weather Decoder sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pilot ships an update every 31 months, Aviation Weather Decoder every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Pilot versus Aviation Weather Decoder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPilotAviation Weather Decoder
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 31 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPedro Jose Villarroel Cuevas阳 何

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Pilot

Subscriptions1
  • PilotAbbr Subscription$4.991 Year
1 purchases

Aviation Weather Decoder

Subscriptions1
  • Metar Decoder Premium7 Days trial$0.991 Month

Questions

Is Pilot free?
Pilot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Aviation Weather Decoder free?
Aviation Weather Decoder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Pilot or Aviation Weather Decoder have ads?
Neither Pilot nor Aviation Weather Decoder shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pilot or Aviation Weather Decoder?
Pilot ships an update every 31 months, and Aviation Weather Decoder every 4 weeks. Most recently, Pilot was updated on September 24, 2026 and Aviation Weather Decoder on October 6, 2026.

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