Comparison

SkyLogger vs xcNav

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

Head to head
About

SkyLogger

This app records and displays flight data for glider, hangglider, and paraglider pilots. It shows real-time information like speed, climb rate, and distance to take-off, and can export flight data in various formats for competition analysis.

Highlights
  • Real-time flight data display
  • IGC, GPX, KML file export
  • Competition data entry
  • 2D & 3D flight visualization
  • Apple Watch integration
  • Airspace visualization
  • XC point calculation
Features
Read full description

SkyLogger is a program for obtaining and storing flight data. The program is especially adapted for the usage by glider, hangglider and paraglider pilots. 
SkyLogger obtains the geodetic positions of the pilot during the flight and stores the data. Furthermore, the pilot is able to see during the flight the elapsed time, the distance to the take-off as well as the current ground speed and climb rate. A compass rose is indicating the current flight direction.
 For competitions the pilot's and the aircraft's name, the aircraft's ID and the to be flown route can be entered.
 During the flight the direction and distance to the next waypoint are shown on the display. After finishing the flight the stored geodetic data together with the data for the competition can be converted into the common IGC file format. Additionally, also other popular formats like GPX and KML are supported. The created files are stored on the iPhone or can be sent to servers or other computers. SkyLogger supports besides others the following features: - control by Apple Watch; - main data visualization on Apple Watch; - cockpit / instrument view; - 2D & 3D flight data visualization; - downloadable map data; - large and individually adaptable instruments on a moving map allow best viewing comfort; - north or in flight direction orientation of moving map; - live tracking support for Leonardo or Vgps servers - visualization of previously flown flights as track traces on moving map; - visualization of airspaces with user defined colors; - instrument showing the distance and direction to the closest airspace; - 3 axis acceleration measurements; - tracked flights are stored in highly efficient internal database; - default flight parameters can be stored and retrieved to make flight information entering for competitions easier; - SkyLoggerXXL supports common file formats like IGC, CSV, GPX and KML; - IGC files created by SkyLoggerXXL are OLC conform and can directly be sent to Leonardo, XCCup, XContest and XC globe based OLC servers; - calculation of XC points for FAI triangle, triangle and free distance over 5 points; - XC analysis (determination of FAI triangle areas); - printing of flightbooks, flight information and statistics - all diagrams, maps or charts can either be e-mailed or copied for incorporation into other apps; - integration of SkyView database for exchanging waypoints; - support of FlyNet accessories; - support of SensBox; - weather data history of selected weather stations for the last 48 hours; - online wind speed and direction visualization on maps for selected weather stations; - visualization of hotspots; - visualization of regions with thermals; - visualization of climb rate traces; - and much much more! Warning: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

About

xcNav

This app provides essential navigation tools for paramotor pilots, including waypoints, ETAs, and live location sharing. It also offers group chat, airspace charts, weather information, and proximity warnings with external hardware.

Highlights
  • Navigation tools (waypoints, ETAs)
  • Live location sharing
  • Group chat
  • Airspace sectional charts
  • Weather tools
  • ADSB-in proximity warnings
Features
Read full description

- Navigation tools (waypoints, ETAs, etc) - Live location sharing - Live shared waypoints - Group chat - Airspace sectional charts - Weather tools - ADSB-in with proximity warnings (requires external hardware)

Screenshots

SkyLogger4 screens
xcNav4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: xcNav at Free against SkyLogger's $5.99. xcNav also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10). SkyLogger's advantage is review sentiment (49% vs 20%). 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

xcNav is free to download; SkyLogger costs $5.99 up front. SkyLogger sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. xcNav asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SkyLogger ships an update every 2 months, xcNav every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
SkyLogger versus xcNav: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSkyLoggerxcNav
Price$5.99Free — better
Rating—4.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews48.6% of reviews — better20.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.618.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHartwig WiesmannCaleb Johnson

Customer experience

SkyLogger

Written reviews35 reviews
Positive48.6%
Neutral11.4%
Negative40.0%

xcNav

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

SkyLogger

One-time10
  • Track traces$0.99
  • Climb rate traces$1.99
  • Live Tracking$2.99
Show 7 more
  • Accelerometer$2.99
  • Airspaces$4.99
  • FlyNet accessory$9.99
  • 2D maps from 3rd parties$9.99
  • XC Tracer accessory$9.99
  • SkyDrop accessory$9.99
  • Maps from 3rd parties$11.99
None

xcNav

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SkyLogger free?
SkyLogger costs $5.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is xcNav free?
xcNav is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SkyLogger or xcNav have ads?
Neither SkyLogger nor xcNav shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SkyLogger or xcNav?
SkyLogger ships an update every 2 months, and xcNav every 6 weeks. Most recently, SkyLogger was updated on October 14, 2026 and xcNav on September 24, 2026.

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