Hot Air vs FlyOn Pilot
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hot Air
This app serves as a comprehensive flight companion for hot air balloon pilots. It offers features like live tracking, flight recording, navigation, and wind profiling, all tailored for ballooning. It supports pilots from students to commercial operators for planning, execution, and post-flight analysis.
- Live tracking on maps
- Wind profiling by altitude
- Waypoint navigation
- Automatic flight recording
- Custom map overlays
- Offline map caching
- Real-time flight sharing
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Hot Air is a complete balloon flight companion, built by balloon pilots for balloon pilots. From preflight planning to postflight review, it delivers live tracking, flight recording, waypoint navigation, wind profiling, and more — all designed specifically for the unique needs of hot air ballooning. Whether you’re a student pilot, a commercial operator, or flying for fun, Hot Air helps you stay organized, informed, and connected. Features include: • Live tracking on street or satellite maps • Wind profiling by altitude during climb and descent • Waypoint navigation with bearing, distance, and estimated time • Automatic flight recording with 3D export support • Custom map overlays (KML/KMZ) • Offline-capable with map caching • Real-time flight sharing with crew or friends • Detailed flight logs for crew, passengers, propane, and temperature • Flight summaries and totals for logs or checkrides • Interactive map history of takeoffs and landings • Export to HTML, KML, or GPX • Payload calculator for accurate weight and balance • Integrated weather data and forecasts • Improved UTM 4x4 waypoint format support Additional features: • Real-time heading projection • Built-in data backup and restore • Localized in English, French, Czech, and Slovak • Fully optimized for iPhone and iPad (portrait and landscape) Note: Continued use of GPS can reduce battery life. Use an external battery for longer flights.
FlyOn Pilot
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The FlyOn Pilot app is a flight planning and navigation app for Hot Air balloon pilots. It includes target guidance, drawing lines and geometries, adding map overlays and supports a wide range of map formats including kml, aip, geojson, tile maps and more. UTM formats are supported in both 4/4 and 6/7 formats for competition use. While the features may be super useful, the app is not a substitute for legally required flight planning and aviation instruments.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Hot Air at $9.99 against FlyOn Pilot's $19.99. Hot Air also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly) and device support (4 vs 2). FlyOn Pilot's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4). On ads 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
Hot Air costs $9.99 and FlyOn Pilot $19.99 up front. Hot Air sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per year. FlyOn Pilot asks for nothing beyond the download.
Hot Air ships an update every 5 days, FlyOn Pilot fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hot Air | FlyOn Pilot |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 — better | $19.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (578 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 90.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 578 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 129 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | Cato Technologies LLC | Rune Paamand |
Bugs and requests
Hot Air
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashing after latest update
- Freezing when switching to camera
- Flight tracking not syncing to logbook
Requested features
5 requests- Option to disable Glympse sharing
- Ability to switch between mph and knots
- More customization options for overlays and pins
- Flight data sync between iPhone and iPad
- Playback capability for past flights
FlyOn Pilot
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Hot Air
- Offline Maps$2.991 Year
- Pro$3.991 Month
- Pro$24.991 Year
- Offline Map Subscription$2.99
FlyOn Pilot
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Hot Air free?
Is FlyOn Pilot free?
Do Hot Air or FlyOn Pilot have ads?
Which is updated more often, Hot Air or FlyOn Pilot?
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