Comparison

ForeFlight Mobile EFB vs METAR

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

Head to head
About

ForeFlight Mobile EFB

This app simplifies flight planning, briefing, and filing for pilots. It offers interactive weather layers, detailed charts, and hazard awareness tools for enhanced situational awareness. Logbook features track flight hours and currency.

Highlights
  • Touch Planning on Map
  • Interactive Weather Layers
  • Geo-referenced Plates & Charts
  • Global Hazard Awareness
  • Digital Logbook
  • Synthetic Vision
Features
Read full description

Download for a 30-day free trial of our top subscription plan! Visit our website for more information on available plans and add-ons. ForeFlight is the leading flight app for VFR and IFR pilots everywhere, making flight planning and flying easier, safer, and more enjoyable. FLIGHT PLANNING, BRIEFING, & FILING Plan flights with Touch Planning on the Map or full-featured form-based Flights view. Tap out a route in seconds and quickly see if flights will be affected by weather or TFRs. Helpful Route, Altitude, and Procedure Advisors make planning easy and accurate. Generate a graphical preflight briefing and file your flight plan directly from the app. Print a professional-grade Navlog for inflight reference. WEATHER Interactive weather layers include animated radar, global satellite and winds aloft, global icing, turbulence, and surface analysis, graphical AIR/SIGMETs, flight category, visibility, and more. View decoded METARs, TAFs, and MOS forecasts. Thoughtfully organized Imagery view puts a full range of forecast tools at your fingertips. PLATES, CHARTS, & MAPS Both VFR and IFR operations are covered with all of the essentials required for planning and navigation: data-driven Aeronautical Maps, VFR Sectionals, High/Low Enroute charts, SIDs, STARs, approach and taxi charts, and terrain, satellite, and street map views. GEO-REFERENCED APPROACHES & TAXI CHARTS Plates and taxi charts enable the real time display of your GPS location on the chart. They can also be overlaid on the Maps view along with weather and hazards for the ultimate situational awareness. GLOBAL HAZARD AWARENESS TECHNOLOGY Plan and fly with more confidence in all conditions and terrain. Top-down-view Hazard Advisor map layer, Terrain Profile View, and 3D Synthetic Vision seamlessly integrate into the map display to depict a clear picture of terrain and obstacle hazards anywhere in the world. When paired with an AHRS source, Synthetic Vision provides a backup attitude display. LOGBOOK Logbook makes it easy to log and share flights, track hours, review currency, record certificates and ratings, receive electronic instructor endorsements, and create experience reports. Your data is automatically synced across all your devices and protected in secure cloud storage. ADDITIONAL FEATURES INCLUDE: Built-in documents catalog with FAR/AIM, charts supplements, and more Airport, FBO, and fuel price information for thousands of locations Dynamic data-driven Aeronautical Maps Weight & Balance Glide Advisor Automatic chart and data data updates Chart color inversion for better night flying experience Access to web planner

About

METAR

Access decoded aviation weather reports and forecasts for thousands of airports globally. View nearby weather, runway winds, and customize units. A Pro version offers expanded nearby airport views and home screen widgets.

Highlights
  • Decoded METARs & TAFs
  • Nearby airport weather
  • Runway wind components
  • Search and favorite airports
  • Customizable units
  • Light/dark mode
  • Widgets (Pro)
Features
Read full description

- View decoded METARs & TAFs from thousands of airports worldwide - View up to 10 nearby airports and their current weather observations and forecasts - See observed runway wind components - Search and favourite airports that you visit frequently - Customise the units being displayed to suit you - Switch between light and dark mode METAR Pro - Subscription* The same great features we've always provided for free will always be available for free, but we've created a couple of extra premium features to add a little more to METAR for people who'd like to subscribe to METAR Pro. - View up to 50 nearby airports and their current weather observations and forecasts - Display raw METAR or TAF text on lock and home screen widgets - Display runway layout and wind indications on home screen widgets * Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your iTunes account will automatically be charged the renewal price within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period unless your change your subscription preferences in your App Store account settings. You can manage your subscription at any time through your App Store account settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when making a purchase of an auto-renewing subscription. METAR makes it quick and easy to find and decode weather reports and forecasts for airports all over the world. Terms - https://metarapp.io/legals/terms Privacy - https://metarapp.io/legals/privacy

Screenshots

ForeFlight Mobile EFB4 screens
METAR4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ForeFlight Mobile EFB at 4.4 against METAR's 3.8. ForeFlight Mobile EFB also leads on ratings volume (3.3K vs 22) and chart position (#13 vs unranked). METAR's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. ForeFlight Mobile EFB sells 14 one-off in-app purchases and METAR sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ForeFlight Mobile EFB holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ForeFlight Mobile EFB has 3.3K ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of ForeFlight Mobile EFB's written reviews are positive against 57% of METAR's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ForeFlight Mobile EFB ships an update every 2 weeks, METAR every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
ForeFlight Mobile EFB versus METAR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterForeFlight Mobile EFBMETAR
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (3.3K ratings) — better3.8 (22 ratings)
Positive reviews68.2% of reviews — better57.1% of reviews
Number of ratings3.3K — better22
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#13 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size592 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperForeFlightLuke Cashion-Lozell

Customer experience

ForeFlight Mobile EFB

All ratings3,265 ratings
Positive83.6%
Neutral5.3%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews443 reviews
Positive68.2%
Neutral9.0%
Negative22.8%

METAR

All ratings22 ratings
Positive68.2%
Neutral4.5%
Negative27.3%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral14.3%
Negative28.6%

Bugs and requests

ForeFlight Mobile EFB

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Weather data not updating correctly
  • Issues with syncing user waypoints and annotations
  • Incompatibility with certain iOS versions and device models

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to add multiple landing legs in a single flight plan
  • Improved map annotations and drawing tools
  • Customizable logbook and flight data export options
  • Better support for Apple Watch and other wearables
  • More comprehensive coverage of international airports and charts

METAR

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

14 purchases

ForeFlight Mobile EFB

One-time14
  • Basic Plus US - 3 months$70.00
  • Starter LATAM - 1 Year$129.99
  • Starter US - 1 Year$129.99
Show 11 more
  • Starter CA - 1 Year$129.99
  • Starter EUR - 1 Year$129.99
  • Starter APAC - 1 Year$129.99
  • Starter ME & SA - 1 Year$129.99
  • Essential APAC - 1 Year$259.99
  • Essential ME & SA - 1 Year$259.99
  • Essential US - 1 Year$259.99
  • Essential CA - 1 Year$259.99
  • Premium LATAM$390.00
  • Premium ME & SA$390.00
  • Premium US - 1 Year2 variants$390.00
1 purchases

METAR

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month

Questions

Is ForeFlight Mobile EFB free?
ForeFlight Mobile EFB is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is METAR free?
METAR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ForeFlight Mobile EFB or METAR?
ForeFlight Mobile EFB is rated higher. ForeFlight Mobile EFB averages 4.4 out of 5 from 3.3K ratings, while METAR averages 3.8 from 22 ratings.
Do ForeFlight Mobile EFB or METAR have ads?
Neither ForeFlight Mobile EFB nor METAR shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ForeFlight Mobile EFB or METAR?
ForeFlight Mobile EFB ships an update every 2 weeks, and METAR every 4 days. Most recently, ForeFlight Mobile EFB was updated on October 17, 2026 and METAR on October 16, 2026.

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