Comparison

HOTCalculator vs EFB

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

Head to head
About

HOTCalculator

Quickly calculate hold-over times for various de-icing and anti-icing fluids. This tool supports different fluid types, temperature units, and includes adjusted times for specific conditions, making it ideal for pilots.

Highlights
  • Calculate hold-over time for de-icing/anti-icing fluids
  • Support for Type I, II, III, and IV fluids
  • FAA or Transport Canada guidelines
  • Support for °C or °F
  • Adjusted times for flaps extended
  • In-flight mode usability
  • Holdover time expiration alarm
Features
Read full description

Calculate hold-over time fast and easy with the HOTCalculator! With this app you can find the holdover-time in a few seconds. No more searching for the right page and table in your paper manuals. Very handy tool for all pilots during winter ops. The perfect tool to include in your Electronic Flight Bag! Features: - Support for Type I, Type II, Type III and Type IV de-icing and anti-icing fluids - *NEW*: Select FAA or Transport Canada HOT guidelines - Use °C or °F as appropriate - *NEW*: Includes adjusted holdover times for anti-icing with flaps extended - Usable in flight mode, when you need it the most - Set a timer that gives off an alarm when the holdover-time expires - Includes Allowance Times for Type IV fluids Terms of use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

EFB

This app calculates critical aircraft performance data for takeoff and landing, offline. It includes runway and weather data, weight and balance calculations, and performance forecasting. Meets FAA, EASA, and JAR requirements.

Highlights
  • Offline aircraft performance calculations
  • International runway database
  • Real-time weather integration
  • Weight & Balance calculations
  • Performance forecasting
  • Supports turbine aircraft
Features
Read full description

EFB-Pro is a self-contained aircraft performance calculator, which does not require an internet connection to perform critical takeoff and landing calculations. Whether you are in the middle-of-nowhere or at FL310, EFB-Pro is ready to calculate all the "numbers" directly from the AFM. Only iPhone/iPad app that accurately follows the AFM for OEI procedures following the published departure procedure path and conforms to FMS RNP settings appropriate for the procedure flown. An international runway database is contained within the application, which allows the user to simply select the airport and runway desired. If internet connectivity is available, real time weather automatically integrates into the calculation. The Net Takeoff Flight Path profile is used to calculate obstacle clearance weight restrictions. EFB-Pro meets all FAA, EASA and JAR requirements. Weight & Balance integrates into performance calculations. Standard or actual weights. Switch between Male, Female or Child for winter and summer standard weights. No need for curtailments. Simple, click-in-the-seat interface. Enter fuel, baggage, enroute fuel burn and reserve fuel. The manifest shows the "weight tree" from BOW to Zero Fuel to Ramp to Landing weights and limits. Anything out of CG or weight limit is shown in red. If you plan to land with fuel below your reserve, the landing fuel weight will show in red. The CG envelop appears with the actual fuel burn CG shift displayed. Takeoff and Landing CG limits are also displayed. The W&B can be emailed. The TOLD card format, displays the key VSpeeds off the results screen and displays them. Also, cargo pallets (or just large baggage area) can now be displayed on the seat configuration screen (W&B). Weight is entered directly on the keyboard and placed into each pallet. Multiple layouts are available and it works great with the Zone seating (enter the number of passengers of each type by zone) feature. Most aircraft come with wet and contaminated runway data when available. EFB-Pro provides analysis for most turbine aircraft. Current aircraft type availability can be found on the CAVU website (Link below). Aircraft not currently available can be added by contacting CAVU. Multiple aircraft can be stored and retrieved on the device by simply selecting the tail number from a list. Performance Forecasting: PCast, for short, allows the user to quickly view takeoff performance as a function of temperature. In an easy to read graphical format; T/O Distance, OEI Climb Gradient and Max WAT, are displayed in 2C degree increments, as green and red icons depicting meeting or not meeting, respectively, that particular segment or limitation. The weight, runway slope, winds (which can be zero'd out), barometric pressure and field elevation are all held constant. The user has full control over "what-if" parameters for forecasting departure times. A green icon, filled with yellow, represents a calculation that meets the limitation (i.e. runway length) but is within 500 of the limitation giving the user a quick safety margin representation. Touching any temperature row, shows the actual values (i.e. T/O Distance, Max Weight 2nd Segment) digitally for that temperature. Toggle the switch in the upper right corner and do the same type of calculations holding OAT constant and varies the Gross Weight. Fuel Tankering - answers the question whether its economical or not to tanker fuel. Uses aircraft specific fuel flow values at various altitudes and speed profiles. Addresses FBO landing fee or fuel rebates. Holdover Time calculator for deice fluid applications. Types 1-4 solutions with all approved brands included. Selecting weather conditions and other factors from pull-down lists generates a countdown clock for valid protection periods. Updated annually. US and Canadian tables included. Use of this application requires the subscriber to be a current customer of CAVU Companies with an EFB-Mobile account.

Screenshots

HOTCalculator4 screens
EFB4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: HOTCalculator at 87% against EFB's 35%. EFB's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.2) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ratings volume, 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. HOTCalculator sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per year. EFB asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

EFB holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 2 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 87% of HOTCalculator's written reviews are positive against 35% of EFB's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HOTCalculator ships an update every 6 months, EFB monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
HOTCalculator versus EFB: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHOTCalculatorEFB
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (5 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews86.7% of reviews — better35.3% of reviews
Number of ratings5 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.615.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJohan BergseeCAVU Companies

Customer experience

HOTCalculator

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive86.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative13.3%

EFB

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive35.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative64.7%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

HOTCalculator

Subscriptions1
  • All fluids, 1 year7 Days trial$3.991 Year
One-time2
  • All fluids winter 2025-2026$4.99
  • All fluids winter 2024-2025$4.99
None

EFB

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HOTCalculator free?
HOTCalculator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is EFB free?
EFB is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HOTCalculator or EFB?
EFB is rated higher. HOTCalculator averages 4.2 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while EFB averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do HOTCalculator or EFB have ads?
Neither HOTCalculator nor EFB shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HOTCalculator or EFB?
HOTCalculator ships an update every 6 months, and EFB monthly. Most recently, HOTCalculator was updated on October 14, 2026 and EFB on October 7, 2026.

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