Comparison

Q Code vs Airmate

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

Head to head
About

Q Code

Decode aviation Notam Q-codes quickly and easily. Enter the four letters following 'Q' to instantly see the Notam Subject, Component, and Condition codes. Essential for pilots and aviation enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Q-Code decoding
  • Notam Subject lookup
  • Component code display
  • Condition code display
  • Simple interface
Features
Read full description

Aviation Notam Q-Code decoder. Simply enter the four letters following the Q and the program will display the associated Notam Subject, Component and Condition codes.

About

Airmate

This app provides pilots with comprehensive flight planning tools, including weather forecasts, airport data, and navigation charts. It enhances situational awareness with a moving map, traffic displays, and terrain elevation views. Pilots can also file flight plans and record their flights.

Highlights
  • Flight planning and weather forecasts
  • Airport data and aviation maps
  • Moving map with aircraft location
  • Traffic and terrain elevation display
  • Flight plan filing and management
  • Flight recording and replay
  • ADS-B traffic and weather reception
Features
Read full description

Airmate is a free and easy to use flight planning and weather app for pilots, improving situational awareness and providing instant access to airport data and aviation maps, up to date weather and NOTAMs, traffic around. IFR and VFR airport plates are freely available in US (FAA charts), Europe, and more than 200 other countries. Many of them are georeferenced and could be overlaid on the aviation chart. A powerful Plate Manager allows to download in advance all airport plates in a country, they could be easily printed and viewed. During the flight, the moving map will display the aircraft location along the route, show airports and aeronautical data details and traffic around, warn you if your planned route is crossing restricted areas. A profile view is available to display terrain elevation, crossed areas and forecasted weather across the route. Airmate can also display a backup aircraft attitude indicator and flight parameters in an EFIS-like view. In the whole world, Synthetic Vision displaying in the EFIS-like view the ups and downs of rolling terrain ahead is available. In selected countries, Airmate can display scenery if this option is purchased. Airmate includes a worldwide aeronautical database updated free of charge with airports, navigation beacons, waypoints, airways, obstacles, regulated and restricted areas. Topographic maps and elevation data for most countries may be downloaded free of charge, as well as additional aviation map overlays such US Sectionals. A procedure database provide details of departure (SID), arrival (STAR) and instrument approaches in the USA, and you could add those procedures to your planned flight route (the procedure database includes all US airports, we are workding to add airports in other countries). Once loaded, the procedure path is displayed on the aeronautical map, including curved paths and racetracks. When coupled with a supported external ADS-B received, Airmate will display nearby traffic on the moving map, and receive FIS-B weather and NOTAM during the flight. To improve safety, Airmate can display neighbouring traffic received over mobile network. Such traffic include commercial airlines and transponder-equiped aircrafts, FLARM gliders, aircrafts whose pilots are using Airmate and other users using other safety broadcasting equipment. Airmate is able to transmit the flight plan data to supported avionics such Dynon SkyView. Thanks to the Auto Route feature, you could search and select the best route for your flight, and then file your VFR or IFR flight plan. Once filed, your flight plan could easily be managed, delayed or cancelled. Airmate will also record your flights and allow to replay them later or export the flight path in gpx format, you could take pictures from the app during flights. Pilot log entries are automatically computed from flown flights. A Satellite map display mode in flight planning or replay mode allows to familiarize with significant landmarks. Airmate will save planned and flown flights, user waypoints and user aircrafts in the cloud and sync them between your devices and Airmate web flight planning. Airmate brings numerous social features to the community. Pilots may leave ratings, tips and comments to share their experience with fellow pilots, and report fuel prices and landing fees. They could find friends, instructors, flight schools, aviation events and aircraft to rent near their home airport or any visited airport. Airmate may be connected to most flight simulators to keep flying skills sharp, and will manage also AHRS and simulated traffic data transmitted by the flight simulator. Planned flights and personal waypoints may be imported and exported. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Q Code1 screens
Airmate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Airmate at 4.5 against Q Code's 3.0. Airmate also leads on ratings volume (545 vs 2) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 5 months). Q Code's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 21). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support 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

Both are free to download. Airmate sells 21 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per year. Q Code asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Airmate holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Airmate has 545 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of Q Code's written reviews are positive against 75% of Airmate's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Q Code ships an update every 5 months, Airmate every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Q Code versus Airmate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterQ CodeAirmate
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings)4.5 (545 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2545 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB220 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLonnie GanzMyriel Aviation SA

Customer experience

Q Code

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

Airmate

All ratings545 ratings
Positive89.2%
Neutral4.4%
Negative6.4%
Written reviews412 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral9.5%
Negative15.5%

In-app purchases

None

Q Code

No in-app purchases

21 purchases

Airmate

Subscriptions2
  • Airmate Premium$24.991 Year
  • Photorealistic terrain display$47.991 Year
One-time19
  • Flight plan filing token$1.99
  • Token for 1 year chart access$3.99
  • Support Airmate development!$4.99
Show 16 more
  • Argentina Center VFR 2022$4.99
  • Chile North VFR chart 2022$4.99
  • Chile Santiago VFR chart 2022$4.99
  • Argentina/Chile South VFR 2022$4.99
  • Support Airmate development!$8.99
  • Chart download token$8.99
  • Italy North Avioportolano 2022$11.99
  • Support Airmate development!$17.99
  • Airmate Pro version$22.99
  • Tunisia VFR Air Million 2024$24.99
  • Skyguide Swiss VFR Airport Plates (with one year updates)$36.99
  • Airmate Dispatcher$44.99
  • Avioportolano VFR Airfield Plates for Italy (one year subscription)$46.99
  • Airport Plates premium browser$54.99
  • UAE 2023 Rogers Data$79.99
  • UAE 2025 Rogers Data$89.99

Questions

Is Q Code free?
Q Code is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Airmate free?
Airmate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Q Code or Airmate?
Airmate is rated higher. Q Code averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Airmate averages 4.5 from 545 ratings.
Do Q Code or Airmate have ads?
Neither Q Code nor Airmate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Q Code or Airmate?
Q Code ships an update every 5 months, and Airmate every 6 weeks. Most recently, Q Code was updated on September 30, 2026 and Airmate on October 3, 2026.

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