Comparison

Zulu Time vs Virtual PAPI

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Zulu Time

This app displays local and UTC (Zulu) time, along with multiple time zones, on your iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad. It offers widgets for quick access and features for calculating future or past times with offsets, simplifying timezone conversions for various professions.

Highlights
  • Display local and Zulu (UTC) time
  • Multiple time zone display
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
  • Apple Watch complications
  • Future/past time offset calculations
  • Time zone conversion
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

An iPhone, Apple Watch and iPad app to see Local and Zulu time (GMT) or multiple time zones in a single glance. Includes Widgets for both the iPhone and Apple Watch. Useful for pilots in getting weather briefings and filing flight plans, or Ham radio operators to do timezone conversions. No more worrying about getting the timezone offset correct or Daylight Savings Time conversions. Easily convert from different time zones, including times in the future or past. On the iPhone: - Home and Lock Screen widgets - The Zulu Time page gives a quick view of both Zulu and Local times - The Offset Time page allows you to see Zulu and local time either in the future or past by entering an offset via the Offset button. Tapping either Zulu or Local times will allow you to enter a time in the future or past, synchronizing both Local and Zulu times with that offset. The offset only applies to this view (except on the iPad the offset applies to everything on the page) - The Multiple Zones page allows you to add as many time zones as you wish in a scrolling view. Clicking on any Time Zone will allow you to change it. on iPad: All information is combined on one screen. You have user customizable time zones on the right hand side. On the left, you have Zulu and Local time and one customizable time zone. The offset to see future or past time can be done via the Offset button or tapping any of either the Zulu, Local or Custom time buttons on the left. On the Watch: Complications available in all watch faces making for glanceable ZuluTime and access to the app, which gives offset able time computation.

About

Virtual PAPI

This app offers adjustable visual descent guidance for any runway, allowing pilots to select airports and runways, then customize descent angles and aiming points. It provides accurate vertical guidance for various approach types and works offline with an extensive runway database.

Highlights
  • Adjustable visual descent guidance
  • Select airport and runway
  • Customize descent angle and aiming point
  • Accurate vertical guidance
  • Works offline
  • 30,000+ runway database
Features
Read full description

Pilots love runways with visual descent guidance, such as PAPI or VASI, but unfortunately they don't exist everywhere. This app provides an adjustable visual descent guidance for every runway on the planet. The pilot can select an airport, a runway, adjust the desired descent angle and the aiming point, then Virtual PAPI will create a glide slope indicator style. The glide slope will provide accurate vertical guidance to the aiming point from any direction, 360 degrees, providing a valuable guidance for any type of approach, like base entries, short approaches, straight-ins, etc. The app comes with over 30 thousand runways in its offline database, and more will be added as they are discovered. The app works completely offline and never tries to use the internet. All it needs is access to your location. Virtual PAPI is and free and open source, with all the code available on GitHub.

Screenshots

Zulu Time4 screens
Virtual PAPI2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Virtual PAPI at Free against Zulu Time's $0.99. Virtual PAPI also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 79%). Zulu Time's advantage is ratings volume (2.6K vs 1) and chart position (#36 vs unranked). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Virtual PAPI is free to download; Zulu Time costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Virtual PAPI holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Zulu Time has 2.6K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Zulu Time's written reviews are positive against 100% of Virtual PAPI's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Zulu Time ships an update every 3 months, Virtual PAPI weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Zulu Time versus Virtual PAPI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZulu TimeVirtual PAPI
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (2.6K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.6K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#36 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDerek SpearsMarlon Dutra

Customer experience

Zulu Time

All ratings2,596 ratings
Positive96.5%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews98 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral10.2%
Negative11.2%

Virtual PAPI

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Zulu Time

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Complication freezes after a few days
  • Zulu time loses accuracy over time on Apple Watch
  • Widget not updating local time properly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add alarm feature
  • Allow landscape mode for bedside clock view
  • Provide option for always-on display
  • Add time zone map for quick reference
  • Show day of year in display

Virtual PAPI

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Zulu Time

No in-app purchases

None

Virtual PAPI

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Zulu Time free?
Zulu Time costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Virtual PAPI free?
Virtual PAPI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Zulu Time or Virtual PAPI?
Virtual PAPI is rated higher. Zulu Time averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.6K ratings, while Virtual PAPI averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Zulu Time or Virtual PAPI have ads?
Neither Zulu Time nor Virtual PAPI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Zulu Time or Virtual PAPI?
Zulu Time ships an update every 3 months, and Virtual PAPI weekly. Most recently, Zulu Time was updated on September 30, 2026 and Virtual PAPI on September 26, 2026.

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