Comparison

Metar vs SkyTrace

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

Head to head
About

Metar

This app visualizes aviation weather reports (METAR and TAF) for airports worldwide. It offers easy-to-understand metrics, weather symbols, crosswind calculations, and flight rule categories. Users can listen to decoded reports, track favorite stations, and view historical weather trends.

Highlights
  • Visualized METAR and TAF data
  • Weather symbols and flight rule categories
  • Crosswind calculations
  • Text-to-speech readout
  • Favorite station tracking
  • Interactive airport map
  • Weather trend graphs
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Visualized METAR and TAF weather information for all airports in the world. Concise summary of everything you need to know about today's aviation weather. METAR features: - Visualized in easy to understand and colourful metrics - Weather symbols for significant weather and clouds, like in a non-aviation weather report - Crosswind calculations, by combining METAR and runway information - Flight rules category: VFR, MVFR, IFR, LIFR - Read out by text-to-speech available, listen to a decoded METAR while doing other things TAF features: - TAF broken down and displayed per hour in a table - Show sunrise/sunset, minimum and maximum temperature Keeping track: - Add your favorite stations to the list, see their weather at a glance - Get observations near your location - Find stations in the interactive map with weather codes - Search airports by ICAO code or name History: - Graphs with weather trends today and yesterday: temperature, visibility, wind speed, QNH - METAR history for the last hours and link to more on the website Airport information: - See information about the airports, like runway directions, elevation, location - If the airport doesn't report a METAR, the nearest station used for calculations Calculations: - All units are customizable units: speed (knots, km/h, m/s, mph), altitude (meters/feet), visibility (kilometers/miles), temperature (Celcius/Fahrenheit) and air pressure (Hectopascal, Inch Hg) - Times are converted to the local time for each airport - Sunrise and sunset are calculated based on the airports latitude/longitude General: - METAR, TAF and airport data are automatically saved for offline use - Available in 6 languages: English, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, German and French

About

SkyTrace

Read full description

SkyTrace helps you plan better stargazing sessions by showing sky observation conditions based on your location or selected places. With Sky Score, you can quickly understand how suitable a location is for observing the night sky. SkyTrace combines factors such as sky darkness, cloud coverage, moonlight, humidity, air quality, altitude, and timing to help you compare nearby observation spots. Explore locations on the map, check your current sky conditions, and find better times and places for your next clear night. SkyTrace Pro unlocks unlimited Sky Score checks, more recommendations, favorite locations, and detailed sky condition breakdowns. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://oguzhanaydin.art/skytrace/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Metar4 screens
SkyTrace4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: SkyTrace at Free against Metar's $5.99. Metar's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#44 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

SkyTrace is free to download; Metar costs $5.99 up front. SkyTrace sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. Metar asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Metar ships an update monthly, SkyTrace every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Metar versus SkyTrace: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMetarSkyTrace
Price$5.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (586 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews77.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings586 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
Best chart rank#44 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB69 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEveline van den BoomMUSTAFA 0GUZHAN AYDIN

Bugs and requests

Metar

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Autocorrect adds unwanted spaces to airport codes
  • Visual cloud base off by 2000 feet on iPad
  • Screen goes black when searching for airports
  • App badge cannot be cleared
  • Browse Older Metars redirects to blank website
Show 3 more
  • App defaults to portrait mode on iPad
  • Incorrect METAR data shown for nearby airports instead of requested airport
  • Excessive 'verify you're human' prompts after donation

Requested features

14 requests
  • Home screen widget support
  • Crosswind with gust information
  • Runway alignment feature in app (not just web)
  • Dewpoint and temperature meteogram graph
  • Runway degree headings display
Show 9 more
  • Split-screen support for iPad
  • Refresh button on active METAR page
  • Ability to sort favorite airports
  • Landscape mode default for iPad
  • Unit conversion tools (gallons/liters)
  • MSFS 2020 integration or compatibility
  • Extended METAR history (12+ hours)
  • Disable autocorrect option for search
  • More comprehensive airport coverage

SkyTrace

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Metar

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

SkyTrace

Subscriptions1
  • SkyTrace Pro Monthly$2.991 Month

Questions

Is Metar free?
Metar costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SkyTrace free?
SkyTrace is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Metar or SkyTrace have ads?
Neither Metar nor SkyTrace shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Metar or SkyTrace?
Metar ships an update monthly, and SkyTrace every 2 months. Most recently, Metar was updated on November 7, 2026 and SkyTrace on November 9, 2026.

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