Comparison

MagVar vs Flight Display

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

Head to head
About

MagVar

This navigation tool calculates magnetic variation, the difference between true and magnetic north, essential for plotting courses on maps. It's designed for pilots, sailors, cartographers, and anyone using maps and a compass.

Highlights
  • Magnetic variation calculation
  • True vs. magnetic north difference
  • Map overlay display
  • Accurate for 2025-2029
  • Declination and inclination calculation
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

MagVar is targeted towards anyone interested in navigation. This includes, pilots of aircraft, captains of sea going vessels, cartographers, engineers and surveyors. Anyone who uses maps and a compass will find the declination calculation (also referred to magnetic variation) very useful. (Declination is the difference between true and magnetic north and used when plotting a course on a map.) MagVar calculates the magnetic flux density for any location on the Earth and then uses this data to calculate magnetic variation. The model is accurate for dates ranging from January 1, 2025 up through December 31, 2029. Using the model, the app calculates declination and inclination. As the user pans the map, the magnetic variation is calculated and graphically shown as a map overlay.

About

Flight Display

Read full description

The Flight Display provides you with main flight instruments in digital format. Your iPhone or Cellular iPad already has all required sensors inside – just install the app and it is ready for flight. The Flight Display’s fusion algorithms use internal device GNSS module and sensors (gyroscope, accelerometer and magnetometer) to calculate all parameters. NOTE: Device internal GNSS module does not provide required stability and precision? Just connect an external GNSS sensor (receiver) to your device and it is ready for more! The Flight Display app is simple and flexible, offering you to: - Create multiple profiles for different aircrafts or conditions. One profile – one unique set of settings; - Setup units and ranges of displayed parameters. Enable alarms for parameters and adjust alarm intervals; - Customize appearance of indicators; - Select portrait or landscape interface orientation; - Mount the device in any position inside the cabin – the app is smart enough to perform correct calculation of attitude and all other parameters even if the device axes are not aligned with the aircraft axes. Just run app’s built-in device orientation adjustment mode and fix the device in any convenient position. List of indicators: - Primary Display indicator; - Ground speed indicator; - Altitude indicator; - Heading indicator; - Turn coordinator/Turn indicator; - Chronometer (with multiple time display modes); - Flight info indicator; - GNSS info indicator; - Device status info indicator; - Destination point info indicator. Result fusion parameters / calculated parameters: - Heading (based on GNSS course/magnetic heading/true magnetic heading); - Ground speed; - Altitude; - Attitude angles (pitch and roll); - Coordinates; - Heading rate; - Flight parameters (time, passed distance, average speed, distance to start point); - Destination point parameters (distance, azimuth, course, reach time).

Screenshots

MagVar4 screens
Flight Display4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: MagVar at $0.99 against Flight Display's $12.99. MagVar also leads on chart position (#58 vs unranked). Flight Display's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On 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

MagVar costs $0.99 and Flight Display $12.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
MagVar versus Flight Display: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMagVarFlight Display
Price$0.99 — better$12.99
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 23 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#58 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRobert WalkerDaria Tokareva

In-app purchases

None

MagVar

No in-app purchases

None

Flight Display

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MagVar free?
MagVar costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Flight Display free?
Flight Display costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do MagVar or Flight Display have ads?
Neither MagVar nor Flight Display shows ads.

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