Vario One vs Paragliding Navigation
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Vario One
This app functions as a digital variometer for your iPhone and Apple Watch, utilizing built-in sensors to detect lift with audible beeps. It offers flight recording, route planning, airspace alerts, and real-time air traffic visualization. Connect external Bluetooth varios for enhanced functionality.
- Audible lift detection with sensors
- Automatic GPS and IGC track recording
- Digital logbook with map view
- Airspace map with alerts
- Real-time air traffic visualization
- Buddy flying for group tracking
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VARIO One – your variometer for iPhone and Apple Watch. As simple as an app, no extra device. VARIO One combines pressure sensor, accelerometer and GPS into a variometer – right on your iPhone and Apple Watch. Both apps work independently and signal lift with beeps. Optionally connect an external Bluetooth vario. Try all features free for 14 days. VARIOMETER • Lift is audible instantly thanks to combined pressure and acceleration sensors. • Internal barometer (baro + IMU fusion) for a calm signal. • Display of altitude, speed and glide ratio. • Barometric altitude with QNH – set directly on the flight screen. • Climb tone threshold freely adjustable (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. ROUTE PLANNING Plan your route with waypoints and comparison flights comfortably on your computer at vario-one.com. With your account it's on the map in the app. Download the map along the route before you fly, and it's there even without signal. DHV PROOF OF FLIGHT PRACTICE Your proof of flight practice is created automatically from your logbook. VARIO One counts your flights of the last 24 months and shows how many of the required ten you have. The app fills in missing mandatory details at the tap of a button – pilot, glider, launch type and take-off and landing site from the coordinates of your track. Export the finished proof as a PDF. MAP • 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 appear as a vector map; tap for details, altitude profile and legend. As you approach, VARIO One warns you with a voice announcement and an adjustable lead time – with snooze function and automatic escalation. OpenAIP airspace data is not official data; the official aeronautical charts are authoritative. REAL-TIME AIR TRAFFIC See air traffic near you – paragliders, hang gliders, sailplanes, helicopters – via SafeSky, including other SafeSky users on the map. ADS-B, FLARM, OGN, PilotAware and other sources in one real-time view. Coverage depends on compatible transmitters and network reception; not every aircraft is visible. BUDDY FLYING – FLY TOGETHER, EVERYONE IN VIEW With Buddy Flying you see your flying partners live on the map. 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, altitude, climb and speed. EXTERNAL BLUETOOTH VARIOS Connect your device wirelessly to use it as your vario signal source: BlueFly Vario (multiple protocols), XC TRACER Mini, XC TRACER MAXX, Mipfly MipBipX & MipTrack, Stodeus BlueBip & UltraBip. Connect any time from the settings. THERMAL ASSISTANT Your flight track is coloured live by climb and sink values – so you see where in the turn the best climb was. The app detects circling automatically and switches to the thermal view. APPLE WATCH • Standalone vario using the watch's pressure sensor. • 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. The subscription renews automatically and can be cancelled any time. VARIO One is an aid, not a certified flight instrument. It replaces neither your flight preparation nor keeping an eye on the airspace.
Paragliding Navigation
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Paragliding Navigation is a navigation, airspace-alert and flight-logging app built for paraglider pilots. It runs on your iPhone and on your Apple Watch at the same time. AIRSPACE GUARD - Worldwide CTR, TMA, restricted/danger/prohibited and ATZ airspace on the map - iPhone and Apple Watch alert you when you approach or enter an airspace - Vertical limits are watched too: you get a warning while thermalling up towards a TMA floor - Gliding sectors understood: inside a gliding sector (e.g. Oludeniz LTC6) the overlying TMA stays quiet and you are warned before the sector ceiling - Turn alerts on/off or mute a single airspace FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS - Barometric vario (GPS fallback), altitude, ground speed, track and height gain - Audio vario - Distance, bearing, ETE and ETA to a target - Required glide ratio and arrival altitude: see in advance whether you will make it - Metric, imperial and aviation units LIVE TRACKING FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS - When you start recording, the people you choose receive an e-mail with a tracking link - They follow your live position, altitude, speed, flight time and (if you allow) heart rate in any browser, no app needed - "Share my location" sends your live position via Messages, WhatsApp or e-mail without recording a flight - Off by default; when the flight ends the link stops working and the location data is deleted FLIGHT LOG - Automatic takeoff and landing detection - Recording continues with the screen locked or the app in the background - Every second: position, altitude, pressure, speed, track, GPS accuracy, vario and heart rate - Crash recovery: a flight is never lost - Calendar, list and all-time statistics with records - Detailed replay with altitude, vario, speed and heart-rate charts - IGC (XContest, Leonardo) and GPX export APPLE WATCH - The watch records the flight with its own GPS and barometer - Heart rate (read from Health) is merged into the flight - Live map, airspace radar, vario, ETE/ETA and flight log on the wrist - Flights move to the iPhone automatically OFFLINE MAPS - Download several regions in advance: no mobile signal needed in the mountains - Topographic, satellite and plain base maps PRICING All features are free for the first 7 days (no purchase needed, ads shown). After that the free mode shows only your position on the map. The yearly auto-renewing subscription "Pro" unlocks everything and removes ads. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.kalyndatech.com/privacy SAFETY This app is an aid. It does not replace official aeronautical charts, NOTAMs or ATC instructions. Airspace data comes from an open, community-maintained airspace database and may be incomplete or outdated. You remain responsible for your flight decisions. Heart rate is shown for flight context only and is not a medical measurement. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Vario One at none against Paragliding Navigation's shown. Vario One also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Paragliding Navigation's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 5 weeks). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Vario One sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days and Paragliding Navigation sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $19.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Vario One ships an update every 5 weeks, Paragliding Navigation daily. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Vario One | Paragliding Navigation |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 85.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Daily — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 107 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Leobalo GmbH | Kalynda Teknoloji Havacilik ve Turizm Limited Sirketi |
In-app purchases
Vario One
- 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
Paragliding Navigation
- Pro — yearly$19.991 Year
Questions
Is Vario One free?
Is Paragliding Navigation free?
Do Vario One or Paragliding Navigation have ads?
Which is updated more often, Vario One or Paragliding Navigation?
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