# Garmin Pilot vs METAR Plot

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Garmin Pilot | METAR Plot |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.49 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (4.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garmin-pilot/id340917615/reviews)** | [3.4 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/metar-plot/id1481127656/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4.1K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 41.8% of reviews | **60.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#51** | #190 |
| Size | 633 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Garmin DCI](https://appshunter.io/developer/309920282) | [Lakehorn AG](https://appshunter.io/developer/288286082) |

## What reviewers say

### Garmin Pilot

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garmin-pilot/id340917615)

**Currently charting:** #51 Top Grossing · Weather, #158 Top Free · Weather (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** 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)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (18)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Canada Premium | $74.99 | one-time |
| Latin American Premium Upgrade | $74.99 | one-time |
| Europe Premium Upgrade | $74.99 | one-time |
| U.S. Premium Upgrade | $99.99 | one-time |
| Africa Standard | $109.99 | one-time |
| Pilot Asia Standard | $109.99 | one-time |
| Australia Standard | $109.99 | one-time |
| Canada Standard | $109.99 | one-time |
| Europe Standard | $109.99 | one-time |
| Latin American Standard | $109.99 | one-time |
| U.S. Standard | $109.99 | one-time |
| Garmin Pilot Africa Premium | $184.99 | one-time |
| Garmin Pilot Canada Premium | $184.99 | one-time |
| Garmin Pilot Asia Premium | $184.99 | one-time |
| Garmin Pilot Europe Premium | $184.99 | one-time |
| Garmin Pilot Latin America Premium | $184.99 | one-time |
| Garmin Pilot U.S. Premium | $209.99 | one-time |
| Worldwide Premium | $599.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent EFB app
- 🚀 Seamless integration with Garmin avionics
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 👍 Reliable and stable
- 👍 Great features like engine monitoring and data recording

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Clunky and multi-step process to view plates
- 🐛 Issues with NOTAM updates and database concierge
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and lockups
- 🐛 Winds aloft data often inaccurate
- 🐛 Lacks support for some aircraft models

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- Ability to mark up and annotate charts
- Vertical navigation view
- Cabin altitude/hypoxia warning
- Apple Watch app
- Passenger app for flight following


### METAR Plot

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/metar-plot/id1481127656)

**Currently charting:** #190 Top Paid · Weather (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Garmin Pilot free?

Garmin Pilot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is METAR Plot free?

METAR Plot costs $1.49, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Garmin Pilot or METAR Plot?

Garmin Pilot is rated higher. Garmin Pilot averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.1K ratings, while METAR Plot averages 3.4 from 5 ratings.

### Do Garmin Pilot or METAR Plot have ads?

Neither Garmin Pilot nor METAR Plot shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Garmin Pilot or METAR Plot?

Garmin Pilot ships an update fortnightly, and METAR Plot every 2 months. Most recently, Garmin Pilot was updated on September 29, 2026 and METAR Plot on September 20, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Garmin Pilot or METAR Plot?

Garmin Pilot currently peaks at #51 in the App Store charts, and METAR Plot at #190. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*