Garmin Pilot vs METAR Plot
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Garmin Pilot
This app offers comprehensive tools for general aviation and corporate pilots, including flight planning, interactive maps, weather briefings, and navigation. It streamlines pre-flight preparation, filing, inflight navigation, and post-flight logging with an intuitive interface.
- Pre-flight planning with aviation weather data
- Interactive maps with track-up navigation
- Flight plan filing via Leidos Flight Service or DUATS
- En-route navigation with moving map and GPS panel
- Electronic logbook with automatic GPS data generation
- Real-time weather and traffic information (with compatible hardware)
Read full descriptionHide full description
*30 Days Free Trial on initial download!* Plan. File. Fly. Log. Garmin Pilot is the most comprehensive suite of tools for the iPad designed specifically for general aviation and corporate pilots. Flight planning, charts, interactive maps, weather briefing resources and navigation capabilities; it’s all included. The app’s intuitive interface mirrors those on the newest Garmin touchscreen avionics so you can go seamlessly from preflight to inflight. Plan Garmin Pilot’s powerful capabilities start with pre-flight planning, providing pilots with the most comprehensive aviation weather information to make better-informed flight decisions. Pilots can check NEXRAD radar, visible and infrared cloud imagery, METARs, TAFs, AIRMETs, SIGMETs, PIREPs, NOTAMs, winds and temperature aloft, TFRs and lightning data. With Garmin Pilot, data can be displayed over Garmin’s interactive maps that support track-up navigation, VFR sectional or an IFR low or high en-route chart to visualize the weather for your route. Add text-based weather widgets and use the exclusive NavTrack feature to view weather along the planned route. File With Garmin Pilot, users can easily enter a flight plan and interactively edit it on the map. Pre-loaded forms make it quick to save and reuse data for frequently flown routes. And when the flight plan is ready, Garmin Pilot makes it simple to file, amend or close the flight plan via Leidos Flight Service or DUATS. Fly Garmin Pilot provides full en-route navigation capability on its moving map. Pilots can also navigate with Garmin’s patented panel, a GPS-driven instrument pack with a graphical HSI directional display and indicators for groundspeed, altitude and vertical speed. After takeoff, pilots can continue to view real-time weather in the U.S. and traffic information by wirelessly connecting to Garmin’s GDL 50 series portable ADS-B Receiver (sold separately). Log Garmin Pilot includes a comprehensive electronic logbook that syncs with flyGarmin. The logbook automatically generates entries based upon GPS data collected during the flight, tracks currency, supports manual entries, endorsements and creates reports. Garmin Pilot U.S. Standard: - Rich, interactive maps support Track-Up navigation - Charts: VFR Sectionals, low and high IFR en-route, airport diagrams and approach procedures - Ability to view Jeppesen Terminal Charts (Jeppesen echart subscription required) - Weather Maps: Animated radar, Infrared and Visible Satellite, AIRMETs, SIGMETs, Lightning, TFRs and more! - Extensive text products: METARs, TAFs, Winds Aloft, PIREPs, AIRMETs, SIGMETs, Area Forecasts and NOTAMs - AOPA Airport Directory - Weight and Balance - Checklists - Flight plan filing via Leidos Flight Services - Garmin patented navigation panel - Terrain and Obstacles - Smart Airspace - Fast Find predictive Waypoint Entry - Logbook - Optional VFR Premium: Synthetic Vision (SVX), Terrain and obstacle alerting, and Garmin SafeTaxi® - Optional IFR Premium: VFR Premium plus geo-referenced Garmin FliteCharts® Garmin Pilot has regional offerings for Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe and Latin America. Features include: - Worldwide Jeppesen NavData - Rich, interactive maps support Track-Up navigation - Radar and Satellite imagery for Western Europe, U.S., Canada and Australia - Ability to view Jeppesen Terminal Charts (Jeppesen echart subscription required) - Worldwide METARs, TAFs, AIRMETs, SIGMETs, NOTAMs and winds aloft - VFR Flight Plan Filing - IFR autorouting and Flight plan filing in Europe - Terrain and Obstacles with alerting - Synthetic Vision (SVX) - Smart Airspace - Logbook - Optional VFR charts from DFS, IGN and NATS and IFR enroute charts from EuroControl - Optional Garmin FliteCharts® and SafeTaxi® diagrams available on a country-by-country basis *Note: Use of GPS running in the background may decrease battery life.* *Note: One subscription to Garmin Pilot may be used on three devices.*
METAR Plot
Access up-to-date METAR station data for airports worldwide. View station models and raw METARs, manage custom and nearby station lists, and customize flight rules and units. This app works independently on your Apple Watch.
- Worldwide airport METAR data
- Station models and raw reports
- Nearby and user-defined station lists
- Offline station database access
- Automatic data updates
- Customizable flight rules and units
- Watch face complications
Read full descriptionHide full description
METAR Plot for Apple Watch displays station models (plots) as well as raw METARs for most airports worldwide, using current METAR data. The app features two stations lists: nearby and user-defined. While the entire station database can be used offline (to add station or lookup nearby station), an internet connection is required to load METAR data. Data is updated automatically. Preferences can be set for type of flight rules and units (visibility, temperature, and pressure). Options for observation time in LT or UTC as well as sort order of user list. The app works completely independent from your iPhone and includes complications for watch faces with rectangular and circular types.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Garmin Pilot at Free against METAR Plot's $1.49. Garmin Pilot also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.4) and ratings volume (4.1K vs 5). METAR Plot's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 18) and review sentiment (60% vs 42%). On 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
Garmin Pilot is free to download; METAR Plot costs $1.49 up front. Garmin Pilot sells 18 one-off in-app purchases. METAR Plot asks for nothing beyond the download.
Garmin Pilot holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Garmin Pilot has 4.1K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 42% of Garmin Pilot's written reviews are positive against 60% of METAR Plot's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Garmin Pilot ships an update fortnightly, METAR Plot every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Garmin Pilot | METAR Plot |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.49 |
| Rating | 4.7 (4.1K ratings) — better | 3.4 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 41.8% of reviews | 60.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4.1K — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #55 — better | #192 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 633 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Garmin DCI | Lakehorn AG |
Customer experience
Garmin Pilot
METAR Plot
Bugs and requests
Garmin Pilot
Reported bugs
5 issues- Crashes when viewing weather data
- Weight and balance profile import/export issues
- Database concierge not working as expected
- Inability to file VFR flight plans in some regions
- Groundspeed and track data not working on certain devices
Requested features
9 requests- Ability to mark up and annotate charts
- Vertical navigation view
- Cabin altitude/hypoxia warning
- Apple Watch app
- Passenger app for flight following
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Google Maps integration with user waypoints
- Ability to import GPX/CSV waypoints
- Printable logbook reports
- More detailed weather imagery and forecasts
METAR Plot
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Garmin Pilot
- Canada Premium$74.99
- Latin American Premium Upgrade$74.99
- Europe Premium Upgrade$74.99
Show 15 moreShow fewer
- U.S. Premium Upgrade$99.99
- Africa Standard$109.99
- Pilot Asia Standard$109.99
- Australia Standard$109.99
- Canada Standard$109.99
- Europe Standard$109.99
- Latin American Standard$109.99
- U.S. Standard$109.99
- Garmin Pilot Africa Premium$184.99
- Garmin Pilot Canada Premium$184.99
- Garmin Pilot Asia Premium$184.99
- Garmin Pilot Europe Premium$184.99
- Garmin Pilot Latin America Premium$184.99
- Garmin Pilot U.S. Premium$209.99
- Worldwide Premium$599.99
METAR Plot
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Garmin Pilot free?
Is METAR Plot free?
Which has better reviews, Garmin Pilot or METAR Plot?
Do Garmin Pilot or METAR Plot have ads?
Which is updated more often, Garmin Pilot or METAR Plot?
Which is more popular, Garmin Pilot or METAR Plot?
Other comparisons















