Comparison

VIRFuel vs PilotBox

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

Head to head
About

VIRFuel

This app calculates fuel and weight for Boeing 787 and Airbus A350/330 aircraft, using Sabre flight plan data. It supports metric tonnes and Virgin Atlantic SOPs, allowing for updates with desired loads and actual figures from the loadsheet. It also provides fuel uplift calculations in Litres and USG, and can display aircraft fuel book data.

Highlights
  • Fuel and weight calculations for B787, A350/330
  • Sabre flight plan integration
  • Metric tonnes and Virgin Atlantic SOPs
  • Loadsheet data updates
  • Fuel uplift in Litres and USG
  • Aircraft Fuel Book representation
  • TAF and Metar report downloads
Features
Read full description

VIRFuel is a fuel and weight calculation application designed for Boeing 787, Airbus A350/330 operations using the Sabre flight plan. The application is in metric tonnes and conforms to SOPs used for Virgin Atlantic operations. Fuel and weight data is inserted from the front page of the flight plan (the 'plan figures') and can then be updated with desired loads and actual figures from the final ZFW/loadsheet. Changes in zero-fuel weight calculate updates to trip fuel and suggest a new ramp fuel. Alternatively a manually entered ramp fuel, touchdown fuel or required extra fuel at destination will calculate updates to trip fuel and ramp fuel. At each stage a take-off weight will be updated and TODC/OPT weights calculated (a TODC buffer of 1T is used). For near maximum weight plans, Std and Aft CG RTOW weights can be provided to calculate a maximum possible ZFW & Ramp fuel combination. Fuel uplift calculations in Litres and USG with commonly used density units are available to ensure an indicated versus calculated fuel load within +/-1.5%. A representation of the Aircraft Fuel Book can be shown for the easy entry or cross-checking of log book entries. Finally, flight plan waypoint fuel checks can be updated for changes in trip fuel burn. Internal cross-checking is performed and aircraft type limits can be set using the application settings menu or from the plan input page. Engineers have the option to skip directly to the fuel uplift page. A 'swipe-to-reveal' calculator has time addition and unit conversion functions. A list of favourite airports can be maintained for which TAF and Metar reports can be downloaded from the NOAA ADDS service. The reports are crosschecked for format errors, download errors and time validity. A colour coded system will highlight wind/visibility/weather/cloud fields that may have operationally significant values. RMK fields are not comprehensively scanned for all decodes and runway states or local variations in format are not necessarily decoded.

About

PilotBox

This aviation utility app provides pilots with automated weather reports, significant weather charts, and essential flight calculation tools. It offers features like fuel uplift calculation, temperature altitude corrections, and a coordinates converter, accessible on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

Highlights
  • Automated Weather (METAR & TAF)
  • Significant Weather Charts
  • Fuel Uplift Calculator
  • Temperature Altitude Corrections
  • iPhone Widgets
  • Watch App
  • Coordinates Converter
Features
Read full description

Pilot Weather and Tools perfect for Airline Pilots - Fully Automated Weather (METAR & TAF) - Significant Weather Charts - Fuel Uplift Calculator - Temperature Altitude Corrections - iPhone Widgets - Watch App - Useful Aviation Tools - Coordinates Converter Find out more: https://pilotbox.app Payments and Subscriptions: Subscription payments will be charged to your Apple Account once you confirm your purchase. Subscription automatically renews at the end of your current subscription period, unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours prior to end of the current period. Terms of Service: https://pilotbox.app/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://pilotbox.app/privacy/

Screenshots

VIRFuel4 screens
PilotBox4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PilotBox at 4.9 against VIRFuel's 3.0. PilotBox also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (26 vs 2). VIRFuel's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, ads, device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PilotBox sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. VIRFuel asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PilotBox holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PilotBox has 26 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VIRFuel ships an update every 9 months, PilotBox every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
VIRFuel versus PilotBox: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVIRFuelPilotBox
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings)4.9 (26 ratings) — better
Positive reviews94.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings226 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB170 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBearCodeAero Notion Limited

Customer experience

VIRFuel

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive94.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.9%

PilotBox

All ratings26 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral3.8%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

VIRFuel

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

PilotBox

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$2.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$24.991 Year

Questions

Is VIRFuel free?
VIRFuel is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PilotBox free?
PilotBox is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, VIRFuel or PilotBox?
PilotBox is rated higher. VIRFuel averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while PilotBox averages 4.9 from 26 ratings.
Do VIRFuel or PilotBox have ads?
Neither VIRFuel nor PilotBox shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VIRFuel or PilotBox?
VIRFuel ships an update every 9 months, and PilotBox every 3 weeks. Most recently, VIRFuel was updated on September 12, 2026 and PilotBox on September 21, 2026.

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