# Garmin Pilot vs Metar

The clearest difference is price: Garmin Pilot at Free against Metar's $5.99. Garmin Pilot also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly) and ratings volume (4.2K vs 586). Metar's advantage is review sentiment (77% vs 42%) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). On rating, ads, chart position and device support there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Garmin Pilot against 4.8 for Metar. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Garmin Pilot has 4.2K ratings behind it against 586, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 42% of Garmin Pilot's written reviews are positive against 77% of Metar's.

Garmin Pilot ships an update fortnightly, Metar monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Garmin Pilot | Metar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $5.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (4.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garmin-pilot/id340917615/reviews) | **[4.8 (586 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/metar-taf/id1608949422/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **4.2K** | 586 |
| Positive reviews | 41.7% of reviews | **77.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | #50 | **#20** |
| Size | 676 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Garmin DCI](https://appshunter.io/developer/309920282) | [Eveline van den Boom](https://appshunter.io/developer/1603980774) |

## What reviewers say

### Garmin Pilot

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

**Currently charting:** #50 Top Grossing · Weather, #130 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 (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/metar-taf/id1608949422)

**Currently charting:** #20 Top Paid · Weather (US App Store)

This app visualizes aviation weather reports (METAR and TAF) for airports worldwide. It offers easy-to-understand metrics, weather symbols, crosswind calculations, and flight rule categories. Users can listen to decoded reports, track favorite stations, and view historical weather trends.

**Highlights:** Visualized METAR and TAF data, Weather symbols and flight rule categories, Crosswind calculations, Text-to-speech readout, Favorite station tracking, Interactive airport map, Weather trend graphs

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to read and understand interface
- 📊 Clear visual representation of METAR/TAF data
- 🎯 Quick access to airport weather information
- ⚡ Fast and responsive app performance
- 💰 Reasonable pricing for the features offered

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Autocorrect issues with ICAO airport codes
- 🚫 Missing widget functionality (home screen)
- 📍 Incorrect airport data for some locations
- 🔐 Excessive verification prompts and login requirements
- 📊 Visual cloud base calculation error on iPad

**Reported bugs**

- Autocorrect adds unwanted spaces to airport codes
- Visual cloud base off by 2000 feet on iPad
- Screen goes black when searching for airports
- App badge cannot be cleared
- Browse Older Metars redirects to blank website

**Requested features**

- Home screen widget support
- Crosswind with gust information
- Runway alignment feature in app (not just web)
- Dewpoint and temperature meteogram graph
- Runway degree headings display


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Garmin Pilot free?

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

### Is Metar free?

Metar costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Garmin Pilot or Metar?

Metar is rated higher. Garmin Pilot averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.2K ratings, while Metar averages 4.8 from 586 ratings.

### Do Garmin Pilot or Metar have ads?

Neither Garmin Pilot nor Metar shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Garmin Pilot or Metar?

Garmin Pilot ships an update fortnightly, and Metar monthly. Most recently, Garmin Pilot was updated on November 10, 2026 and Metar on November 7, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Garmin Pilot or Metar?

Garmin Pilot currently peaks at #50 in the App Store charts, and Metar at #20. 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.*