Comparison

Flight Instruments vs iBFD

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

Head to head
About

Flight Instruments

Simulates essential flight instruments like attitude indicators and primary flight displays on your mobile device. It uses your device's sensors to show speed, altitude, heading, and more, offering a configurable reference for pilots. This tool is for informational purposes only and is not FAA approved.

Highlights
  • Attitude Indicator with extreme attitude chevrons
  • Primary Flight Display with digital tapes
  • Position relative to nearest airport
  • Configurable display with aviation or metric units
  • Continuous auto-calibration
Features
Read full description

Attitude Indicator and other key flight instruments on your iPhone or iPad, using built-in gyros and GPS. Key features: -Attitude Indicator using solid state gyros in your iPhone with extreme attitude chevrons to guide you back to a safety if you find yourself in an unusual attitude -"Glass cockpit" Primary Flight Display using digital tapes for Speed, Altitude, Heading, Vertical Speed, Rate of Turn and slip indicator -Position relative to nearest airport in plain English (convenient for ATC position reports), with communication frequency where available -Fully configurable display, with landscape mode and choice of aviation or metric units -Continuous auto-calibration feature adapts to different airplane environments and flying conditions This app is not FAA approved and should not be used for navigation. All information is presented for reference only, and BBFlight is not responsible for any damage, injury or death resulting from the use of this application: you assume total responsibility and risk associated with this application

About

iBFD

This iPhone-based backup flight display offers pilots essential instruments like an attitude indicator, heading indicator, and altimeter. It functions as a flight data and cockpit voice recorder, utilizing GPS and gyro sensors for accuracy. While not FAA certified, it provides a valuable reference during emergencies.

Highlights
  • Attitude Indicator
  • Heading Indicator
  • Altimeter
  • Flight Data Recorder (FDR)
  • Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR)
  • Map with airport direction/distance
  • Multiple display color modes
Features
Read full description

integrated Backup Flight Display (iBFD) Pilots understand the risk of a primary flight instrument failure while flying. In certain situations the loss of the Attitude Indicator is perhaps the greatest risk a pilot can face. This iPhone based integrated Backup Flight Display (iBFD) is an inexpensive, easy to operate tool intended to reduce risk and improve safety if an instrument fails and no other backup is available. This application consists of an Attitude Indicator, Heading Indicator, Altimeter, Vertical Speed Indicator, speed Indicator, Side Slip Indicator, and Clock. Furthermore, in the portrait mode of the iPad, a Map is displayed below the Attitude Indicator, and when you enter an airport code such as KFTW, the direction and distance to the airport are displayed. It can also be used as Flight Data Recorder(FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder(CVR). This function is activated by touching the red circle in the upper left corner. Recording is stopped by touching the red circle again or it will be stopped automatically when large G is applied. iBFD uses the iPhone's 3 axis Gyro sensor as its primary sensor. Pitch and Roll angles are calculated using the Gyro data and the same algorithm as strap down Inertial Reference Systems (IRS). GPS and Accelerometer are used with Kalman filter as sensor fusion to prevent gyro drift and improve Accuracy. The iBFD performs noticeably better than other comparable applications on the market. Unfortunately the iBFD doesn't have FAA certification. It doesn't have enough reliability for use as Primary Flight Instruments, and neither our software nor your iPhone have been subjected to rigorous certification tests. And the accuracy of Map and Airport Information is not guaranteed. All information displayed on the iBFD is for reference only! Therefore, we are not responsible for any death, injury or damage as a result of using the iBFD. USE THIS DEVICE AT YOUR OWN RISK! Nevertheless, during an In Flight Emergency having an iBFD is far better than having no instrument at all. Particularly if in a limited visibility situation with an inoperative Attitude Indicator. Engine vibration can affect accuracy of the iBFD, so special consideration must be given to mounting the iPhone to the cockpit instrument panel or glare shield. Other features (1) There are three display color modes; Day, Night or NVC. (2) Altitude/Speed is selectable in units of feet/knots, feet/MPH or meter/kilometers per hour. (3) Airspeed is calculated using GPS Speed, Wind Direction, and Wind Velocity. Wind Direction and Velocity are obtained via ATIS and set manually. (4) Pitch angle zero can be adjusted manually by touching center of the display or slider setting. (5) Magnetic Heading or True Heading, and GPS or M.S.(Magnetic Sensor) are selectable. (6) Settings Window for entering parameters and user preferences. (7) Battery Icon indication. (8) Recorded data can be accessed by Files. (9) Magnetic Heading can be adjusted with the slider. (10) Function to correct roll angle. However, when performing this function, the iPhone needs to be correctly placed horizontally. (11) Local time or UTC is selectable. (12) GPS Altimeter and Barometric Altimeter. (13) Roll indication by Sky pointer and Ground pointer. Note: Initial roll and pitch angle are calculated using the accelerometer at the time of alignment (same as real IRS). Therefore, if acceleration due to motion is applied during alignment, an angle error will occur. However, such initial angle error automatically decreases with time and disappears after a few minutes in case of level flight.

Screenshots

Flight Instruments3 screens
iBFD2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Flight Instruments at $1.99 against iBFD's $11.99. Flight Instruments also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). iBFD's advantage is rating (3.5 vs 2.6) and review sentiment (70% vs 43%). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Flight Instruments costs $1.99 and iBFD $11.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iBFD holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of Flight Instruments's written reviews are positive against 70% of iBFD's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Flight Instruments versus iBFD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlight InstrumentsiBFD
Price$1.99 — better$11.99
Rating2.6 (5 ratings)3.5 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews42.9% of reviews70.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCandidus LLCTatsuo Saeki

Customer experience

Flight Instruments

All ratings5 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral9.5%
Negative47.6%

iBFD

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative20.0%

In-app purchases

None

Flight Instruments

No in-app purchases

None

iBFD

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Flight Instruments free?
Flight Instruments costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is iBFD free?
iBFD costs $11.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Flight Instruments or iBFD?
iBFD is rated higher. Flight Instruments averages 2.6 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while iBFD averages 3.5 from 4 ratings.
Do Flight Instruments or iBFD have ads?
Neither Flight Instruments nor iBFD shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flight Instruments or iBFD?
Flight Instruments ships an update every 3 months, and iBFD every 3 months. Most recently, Flight Instruments was updated on October 3, 2026 and iBFD on October 5, 2026.

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