Comparison

Gulfstream PlaneBook vs EFB

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

Head to head
About

Gulfstream PlaneBook

This application offers a paperless solution for flight crew, product, and feature manuals on an iPad. It allows pilots to easily organize and access essential flight information during all phases of operations, providing advantages both in and out of the flight deck.

Highlights
  • Paperless flight manuals
  • Organize flight information
  • Access information during flight
  • Product and feature manuals
  • iPad-based solution
Read full description

Conceived by pilots, PlaneBook is Gulfstream’s definitive and popular flight crew application. PlaneBook is designed to provide a paperless solution of flight crew, product, and feature manuals through an iPad. PlaneBook provides numerous advantages both in and out of the flight deck, giving pilots the ability to easily organize and access information they need during all phases of flight operations.

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

EFB4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: EFB at 5.0 against Gulfstream PlaneBook's 2.5. EFB also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (35% vs 18%). Gulfstream PlaneBook's advantage is ratings volume (65 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

EFB holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Gulfstream PlaneBook has 65 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 18% of Gulfstream PlaneBook's written reviews are positive against 35% of EFB's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Gulfstream PlaneBook ships an update every 4 months, EFB monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Gulfstream PlaneBook versus EFB: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGulfstream PlaneBookEFB
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.5 (65 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews17.9% of reviews35.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings65 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.615.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size101 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGulfstream AerospaceCAVU Companies

Customer experience

Gulfstream PlaneBook

All ratings65 ratings
Positive29.2%
Neutral7.7%
Negative63.1%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive17.9%
Neutral3.6%
Negative78.6%

EFB

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

In-app purchases

None

Gulfstream PlaneBook

No in-app purchases

None

EFB

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Gulfstream PlaneBook free?
Gulfstream PlaneBook is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is EFB free?
EFB is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Gulfstream PlaneBook or EFB?
EFB is rated higher. Gulfstream PlaneBook averages 2.5 out of 5 from 65 ratings, while EFB averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Gulfstream PlaneBook or EFB have ads?
Neither Gulfstream PlaneBook nor EFB shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Gulfstream PlaneBook or EFB?
Gulfstream PlaneBook ships an update every 4 months, and EFB monthly. Most recently, Gulfstream PlaneBook was updated on October 15, 2026 and EFB on October 7, 2026.

Other comparisons