Comparison

VATRadar vs AmhSkyBrief

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

Head to head
About

VATRadar

Features
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VATRadar brings the VATSIM network to your iPhone and iPad. Follow your own flight, see which controllers are online, browse the traffic connected right now, and keep track of the events you do not want to miss. MY FLIGHT Sign in with your VATSIM account and VATRadar picks up your flight automatically whenever you are connected. • Altitude, heading, ground speed and vertical speed • Your transponder code and the code ATC assigned you • Departure, arrival and alternate airports • Filed route, filed altitude and remaining distance • Aircraft type and current phase of flight CONTROLLERS AND AIRPORTS Browse the airports with ATC online, or work through FIRs and UIRs to see who is covering a region. Open any airport for: • The controllers and ATIS stations currently online • Live ATIS information • The current METAR for the field • Runways with headings, lengths, widths, surfaces and elevations • Published frequencies PILOTS Every pilot connected to the network, searchable by callsign, VATSIM CID or name. Open any flight to see the same detail you get for your own. EVENTS Browse upcoming VATSIM events, read the full briefing, and mark the ones you plan to fly as favorites. PUSH NOTIFICATIONS • Reminders for your favorited events, at the lead times you choose • VATSIM private messages, including a controller's contact me • SELCAL alerts Private message and SELCAL notifications need the free vPilot Push Notification Plugin, installed on the Windows PC you fly from. You can download it from inside the app, or at vatradar.io/vpilot-plugin. NETWORK STATS Connected clients and unique users, pilots online, controllers broken down by position, ATIS stations and prefiled flight plans. ACCESSIBLE BY DESIGN VATRadar is built by a blind developer and sim pilot, so VoiceOver is not an afterthought here - it is how the app gets used every day. Every screen, list and control is designed to be navigated comfortably without sight. The same care extends to the rest of Apple's accessibility features. VATRadar uses standard iOS controls throughout, so it works with Larger Text, Bold Text, increased contrast and Voice Control, and follows your Dark Mode setting. If something does not work with the accessibility features you rely on, that is a bug to be fixed, not a limitation to live with. FREE VATRadar is free. There are no ads, no in-app purchases and no subscriptions. Signing in requires a VATSIM account, which is also free. VATRadar is intended for flight simulation on the VATSIM network. The airport, runway, frequency, weather and ATIS information it shows must not be used for real-world flight planning or navigation. VATRadar is an independent project, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by VATSIM.

About

AmhSkyBrief

This app helps pilots prepare for flights by sharing experiences and information with other aviators. It facilitates a collaborative briefing process for safer and more informed journeys.

Highlights
  • Flight experience sharing
  • Collaborative pilot briefing
  • Information exchange for aviators
  • User-generated flight data
Features
Read full description

Made for pilots to share experiences which fellow pilots and self brief

Screenshots

VATRadar4 screens
AmhSkyBrief3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: AmhSkyBrief at 15.1 against VATRadar's 26.0. 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
VATRadar versus AmhSkyBrief: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVATRadarAmhSkyBrief
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB32 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperRobin KippYishagerew Yitaih

In-app purchases

None

VATRadar

No in-app purchases

None

AmhSkyBrief

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is VATRadar free?
VATRadar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AmhSkyBrief free?
AmhSkyBrief is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do VATRadar or AmhSkyBrief have ads?
Neither VATRadar nor AmhSkyBrief shows ads.

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