# Garmin Pilot vs 8Flight Aviator EFB

The clearest difference is monetization model: Garmin Pilot at free with in-app purchases against 8Flight Aviator EFB's subscription. Garmin Pilot also leads on ratings volume (4.1K vs 81) and chart position (#43 vs #190). 8Flight Aviator EFB's advantage is review sentiment (71% vs 42%) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Garmin Pilot sells 18 one-off in-app purchases and 8Flight Aviator EFB sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Garmin Pilot against 4.6 for 8Flight Aviator EFB. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Garmin Pilot has 4.1K ratings behind it against 81, 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 71% of 8Flight Aviator EFB's.

Garmin Pilot ships an update fortnightly, 8Flight Aviator EFB weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Garmin Pilot | 8Flight Aviator EFB |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (4.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garmin-pilot/id340917615/reviews)** | [4.6 (81 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/8flight-aviator-efb/id6471322281/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4.1K** | 81 |
| Positive reviews | 42.0% of reviews | **70.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#43** | #190 |
| Size | 650 MB | 201 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Garmin DCI](https://appshunter.io/developer/309920282) | [Eight Flight](https://appshunter.io/developer/1715092060) |

## What reviewers say

### Garmin Pilot

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

**Currently charting:** #43 Top Grossing · Weather, #144 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


### 8Flight Aviator EFB

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/8flight-aviator-efb/id6471322281)

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

This app provides advanced flight planning with real-time weather forecasts and complete, accurate fuel and FBO pricing. It offers graphical weather data, FBO filtering by service and hours, and includes information on airport amenities. Designed for pilots to save time and make informed decisions.

**Highlights:** Data-driven flight planning, Complete fuel and FBO pricing, Graphical aviation weather forecasts, Real-time weather radar, FBO filtering by service and hours, Airport amenities information, Offline access

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 8Flight Data | $5.99 | per month |
| 8Flight Data | $59.99 | per year |
| 8Flight Aviator | $99.99 | per year |
| aviator | $129.99 | per year |
| 8Flight Aviator + Pro Logbook | $179.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Garmin Pilot free?

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

### Is 8Flight Aviator EFB free?

8Flight Aviator EFB is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Garmin Pilot or 8Flight Aviator EFB?

Garmin Pilot is rated higher. Garmin Pilot averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.1K ratings, while 8Flight Aviator EFB averages 4.6 from 81 ratings.

### Do Garmin Pilot or 8Flight Aviator EFB have ads?

Neither Garmin Pilot nor 8Flight Aviator EFB shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Garmin Pilot or 8Flight Aviator EFB?

Garmin Pilot ships an update fortnightly, and 8Flight Aviator EFB weekly. Most recently, Garmin Pilot was updated on October 26, 2026 and 8Flight Aviator EFB on October 25, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Garmin Pilot or 8Flight Aviator EFB?

Garmin Pilot currently peaks at #43 in the App Store charts, and 8Flight Aviator EFB at #190. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

---

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