# ForeFlight Mobile EFB vs Lightning Locator

The clearest difference is price: ForeFlight Mobile EFB at Free against Lightning Locator's $1.99. ForeFlight Mobile EFB also leads on ratings volume (3.3K vs 3) and chart position (#15 vs unranked). Lightning Locator's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). On ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

ForeFlight Mobile EFB is free to download; Lightning Locator costs $1.99 up front. ForeFlight Mobile EFB sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Lightning Locator asks for nothing beyond the download.

Lightning Locator holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ForeFlight Mobile EFB has 3.3K ratings behind it against 3, 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 100% of Lightning Locator's.

ForeFlight Mobile EFB ships an update every 2 weeks, Lightning Locator daily. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ForeFlight Mobile EFB | Lightning Locator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | [4.4 (3.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/foreflight-mobile-efb/id333252638/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightning-locator-strike/id6808739957/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.3K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 67.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Daily** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#15** | — |
| Size | 592 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ForeFlight](https://appshunter.io/developer/283512699) | [Envision Development LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6808739959) |

## What reviewers say

### ForeFlight Mobile EFB

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/foreflight-mobile-efb/id333252638)

**Currently charting:** #15 Top Grossing · Weather, #48 Top Free · Weather (US App Store)

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:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Basic Plus US - 3 months | $70.00 | one-time |
| Starter US - 1 Year | $129.99 | one-time |
| Starter CA - 1 Year | $129.99 | one-time |
| Starter EUR - 1 Year | $129.99 | one-time |
| Starter APAC - 1 Year | $129.99 | one-time |
| Starter ME & SA - 1 Year | $129.99 | one-time |
| Essential US - 1 Year | $259.99 | one-time |
| Essential CA - 1 Year | $259.99 | one-time |
| Premium US - 1 Year | $390.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent flight planning and navigation tool
- 🔒 Enhances safety and situational awareness
- 👍 Comprehensive and user-friendly features
- 👍 Seamless integration with avionics
- 👍 Responsive and helpful customer support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
- 🔋 High battery consumption on mobile devices
- 🚫 Limited functionality for non-US/Canada users
- 💰 Expensive subscription model for some users

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Lightning Locator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightning-locator-strike/id6808739957)

Estimate the distance and location of lightning strikes by measuring the time between seeing a flash and hearing thunder. It uses your iPhone's location and heading to display strike locations on a map, serving as an educational tool.

**Highlights:** Measures flash-to-thunder time, Estimates strike distance, Uses iPhone location and heading, Displays strike location on map, Shows calculation details

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ForeFlight Mobile EFB free?

ForeFlight Mobile EFB is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Lightning Locator free?

Lightning Locator costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ForeFlight Mobile EFB or Lightning Locator?

Lightning Locator is rated higher. ForeFlight Mobile EFB averages 4.4 out of 5 from 3.3K ratings, while Lightning Locator averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do ForeFlight Mobile EFB or Lightning Locator have ads?

Neither ForeFlight Mobile EFB nor Lightning Locator shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ForeFlight Mobile EFB or Lightning Locator?

ForeFlight Mobile EFB ships an update every 2 weeks, and Lightning Locator daily. Most recently, ForeFlight Mobile EFB was updated on November 1, 2026 and Lightning Locator on October 13, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*