AvPlan EFB vs Dsky
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AvPlan EFB
This app provides comprehensive flight planning and electronic flight bag capabilities for pilots. It offers advanced features like terrain warning, airspace status, and graphical replanning to enhance situational awareness and streamline flight preparation and execution.
- VFR & IFR Flight Planning
- Terrain Warning & Alerting
- Graphical Flight Replanning
- Weight and Balance
- Geo-referenced Airport Diagrams
- GPS Moving Map
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Get flying faster with AvPlan EFB - the premier lifetime Electronic Flight Bag that grows with you. Continuing to lead the market with unparalleled innovation and functionality, AvPlan features multiple firsts with terrain warning, touch to display restricted airspace status, automatic IFR airway planning and geo-referenced airport taxi & instrument approach diagrams to arm you with superior situational awareness. Envisioned, developed and rigorously tested over a two year period by pilots for pilots, AvPlan EFB integrates everything you need to prepare, plan and execute your flight - whether it be in a recreational aircraft, corporate jet or something in between. Your AvPlan EFB comes packed with the following features: • Comprehensive VFR & IFR Flight Planning • Complete official FAA airport/waypoint database • All necessary documentation • Advanced aircraft flight model setup • Automatic TOC, TOD, PNR and optimum altitude calculation • Full DUATS integration (WX, NOTAMS, flight plan submission) • All US VFR & IFR aeronautical charts (with pan, zoom and rotation) • Touch and drag (rubber band) graphical flight replanning/diversion • Weight and balance (with loadsheet and passenger manifest) • Graphical WX overlays on any chart (WX Radar, Lightning, METAR, SIGMET) • GPS moving map with display data labels • Touch-to-display TFR status • Terrain map overlay and in-flight terrain alerting • Geo-referenced airport diagrams (auto displays aircraft position on landing) • Geo-referenced instrument approach plates which support route editing and more • FAA Documentation (including full text search and bookmark functions) • Aircraft pilot operating handbook import • Send a briefing pack to PDF file, email & Apple AirPrint compatible printers • Extensive integration with external flight planning systems/panel GPS/FMS’s (Including Garmin G1000) • Ability to sync flight plans between Apple IOS devices • Easy to access support from a team of committed professionals • And much more we can’t list here The Perfect Co-pilot Intuitive, reliable and responsive, AvPlan’s inbuilt context awareness engine ensures it’s always up to date and ready to provide you with the right information at the right time, whether you’re preparing for your flight or already airborne. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. AvPlan EFB – Plan faster, fly sooner
Dsky
Experience the Apollo Guidance Computer DSKY interface on your iPad. This photo-realistic simulator lets you input commands like Apollo astronauts to navigate, using your device's GPS and accelerometers for real-world data.
- Photo-realistic DSKY interface simulation
- Uses iPad GPS for latitude, longitude, altitude
- Utilizes iPad accelerometers for attitude
- Subset of original DSKY verbs and nouns
- Configurable units (meters, nautical miles, statute miles)
- Includes help page and usage instructions
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Description Tap on the 'i' icon lower right for help on using Dsky. Dsky is the Apollo Guidance Computer DSKY simulator for iPad. Dsky simulates the look and feel of the original Apollo DSKY keyboard and user interface used by the Apollo astronauts to navigate to the moon and back in the 1960’s and 70’s. Dsky is a photo-realistic simulation, based on actual photographs of original Apollo DSKY hardware, realistically animated for the iPad to be as close as possible to the real thing. The Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) and DSKY user interface were installed in every Apollo Command Module (CM) and Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) that flew in the Apollo program. They were used to navigate and control the spacecraft in all phases of flight. The AGC and DSKY were designed and programmed by MIT for NASA, and although they were among the most advanced electronics of their time, the DSKY user interface was necessarily limited and simple. Now you can use this exact same interface to do your own navigation! Its harder than using a Tom-Tom, but you know, this actually is rocket science. And its free! Although you can’t use Dsky to maneouvre your LEM or land on the moon, you can use it for some real-world down-to-earth applications: Current GPS Latitude, Longitude and Altitude Current attitude using the iPad acccelerometers. Distance-to-go, time and velocity, using the iPad internal GPS. A subset of the original DSKY verbs and nouns is faithfully implemented, allowing you to program and use the Dsky just like the Apollo astronauts did. Unlike the original DSKY, you can configure Dsky to use your own choice of units: Meters, Nautical Miles or Statute Miles. See the iPad Settings page. A comprehensive help page and usage instructions is included (look for the little ‘i’ at the bottom right of Dsky).
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Dsky at none against AvPlan EFB's 11. Dsky also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.6). AvPlan EFB's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 32 months) and ratings volume (94 vs 11). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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
Both are free to download. AvPlan EFB sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Dsky asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for AvPlan EFB against 4.6 for Dsky. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AvPlan EFB has 94 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 86% and 86% positive.
AvPlan EFB ships an update monthly, Dsky every 32 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AvPlan EFB | Dsky |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (94 ratings) | 4.6 (11 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 85.6% of reviews | 85.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 94 — better | 11 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 32 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 146 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | BJA Consulting Pty Ltd | AirSpayce |
Customer experience
AvPlan EFB
Dsky
Bugs and requests
AvPlan EFB
Reported bugs
9 issues- App crashes during flight planning
- Wind data fails to download
- Registration process causes app to close
- Performance data not recognized during planning
- Georeference errors on NZ IFR charts (NZKK RNAV, NZNS STARs)
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- Inconsistent syncing with external devices
- Occasional freezing during data interruptions
- UI elements layering on top of each other
- Continued crashes despite updates
Requested features
12 requests- Fixed range rings around airports
- Better STARS and APPROACH plate access like JeppFD
- Larger heads-up display options for better readability
- Ability to sort flight plans in list view
- Dark mode option
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- Better bookmark organization for AIP documents
- Flight log to logbook conversion with endorsements
- Dropbox synchronization for document libraries
- Canadian mapping support
- Vector-based boundary layers for UAV operations
- Weather overlay restoration
- Webcam integration for airport conditions
Dsky
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
AvPlan EFB
- AvPlan VFR - 1 Month Subscription$12.00
- AvPlan EFB USA IFR Upgrade 1 Year Subscription$49.99
- AvPlan USA VFR 1 Year Subscription$59.99
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- AvPlan EFB Velocity Weather Upgrade 1 Year Subscription$59.99
- AvPlan NZ IFR Upgrade - 1 year subscription$79.00
- AvPlan Worldwide 1 Year Subscription$89.99
- AvPlan VFR - 1 Year Subscription$129.00
- AvPlan NZ VFR 1 year subscription$149.00
- AvPlan EFB VFR Plus$149.99
- AvPlan EFB Premium Bundle - United States$169.99
- AvPlan EFB Premium Bundle - Australia$249.00
Dsky
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is AvPlan EFB free?
Is Dsky free?
Which has better reviews, AvPlan EFB or Dsky?
Do AvPlan EFB or Dsky have ads?
Which is updated more often, AvPlan EFB or Dsky?
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