FlyBy Nav vs iBFD
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
FlyBy Nav
This app simplifies flight planning by allowing users to input departure and arrival points, along with wind data. It provides a comprehensive overview of flight details including track, heading, distance, speed, ETA, and fuel burn. Users can access a vast database of airports and navaids, plot routes on a map, and utilize weather information.
- One-screen flight detail display
- Fast waypoint database search
- Great circle route plotting on map
- Offline airport and navaid database
- METAR and TAF weather access
- User-defined waypoint saving
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Flight planning is as easy as tapping in your point of departure, arrival and winds! In one screen, FlyBy Nav displays track, heading, distance, ground speed, time enroute, ETA, and fuel burn. - Fast database search and lookup of waypoints. - Search function lets you search for an airport using its identifier, name or city name. - Stores your favorite aircraft cruise performance numbers. - Plots your great circle route on map. - Quick Charter Quote feature. - Track units in either Magnetic, True, or Grid - Sunrise/Sunset and Azimuth feature. - METAR and TAF weather access. - 55,000 Airports and Navaids included (offline). - Save your own user waypoints. - No subscription charges. Please visit our web site for more detail and screen shots of all the program features.
iBFD
This iPhone-based backup flight display offers pilots essential instruments like an attitude indicator, heading indicator, and altimeter. It functions as a flight data and cockpit voice recorder, utilizing GPS and gyro sensors for accuracy. While not FAA certified, it provides a valuable reference during emergencies.
- Attitude Indicator
- Heading Indicator
- Altimeter
- Flight Data Recorder (FDR)
- Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR)
- Map with airport direction/distance
- Multiple display color modes
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integrated Backup Flight Display (iBFD) Pilots understand the risk of a primary flight instrument failure while flying. In certain situations the loss of the Attitude Indicator is perhaps the greatest risk a pilot can face. This iPhone based integrated Backup Flight Display (iBFD) is an inexpensive, easy to operate tool intended to reduce risk and improve safety if an instrument fails and no other backup is available. This application consists of an Attitude Indicator, Heading Indicator, Altimeter, Vertical Speed Indicator, speed Indicator, Side Slip Indicator, and Clock. Furthermore, in the portrait mode of the iPad, a Map is displayed below the Attitude Indicator, and when you enter an airport code such as KFTW, the direction and distance to the airport are displayed. It can also be used as Flight Data Recorder(FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder(CVR). This function is activated by touching the red circle in the upper left corner. Recording is stopped by touching the red circle again or it will be stopped automatically when large G is applied. iBFD uses the iPhone's 3 axis Gyro sensor as its primary sensor. Pitch and Roll angles are calculated using the Gyro data and the same algorithm as strap down Inertial Reference Systems (IRS). GPS and Accelerometer are used with Kalman filter as sensor fusion to prevent gyro drift and improve Accuracy. The iBFD performs noticeably better than other comparable applications on the market. Unfortunately the iBFD doesn't have FAA certification. It doesn't have enough reliability for use as Primary Flight Instruments, and neither our software nor your iPhone have been subjected to rigorous certification tests. And the accuracy of Map and Airport Information is not guaranteed. All information displayed on the iBFD is for reference only! Therefore, we are not responsible for any death, injury or damage as a result of using the iBFD. USE THIS DEVICE AT YOUR OWN RISK! Nevertheless, during an In Flight Emergency having an iBFD is far better than having no instrument at all. Particularly if in a limited visibility situation with an inoperative Attitude Indicator. Engine vibration can affect accuracy of the iBFD, so special consideration must be given to mounting the iPhone to the cockpit instrument panel or glare shield. Other features (1) There are three display color modes; Day, Night or NVC. (2) Altitude/Speed is selectable in units of feet/knots, feet/MPH or meter/kilometers per hour. (3) Airspeed is calculated using GPS Speed, Wind Direction, and Wind Velocity. Wind Direction and Velocity are obtained via ATIS and set manually. (4) Pitch angle zero can be adjusted manually by touching center of the display or slider setting. (5) Magnetic Heading or True Heading, and GPS or M.S.(Magnetic Sensor) are selectable. (6) Settings Window for entering parameters and user preferences. (7) Battery Icon indication. (8) Recorded data can be accessed by Files. (9) Magnetic Heading can be adjusted with the slider. (10) Function to correct roll angle. However, when performing this function, the iPhone needs to be correctly placed horizontally. (11) Local time or UTC is selectable. (12) GPS Altimeter and Barometric Altimeter. (13) Roll indication by Sky pointer and Ground pointer. Note: Initial roll and pitch angle are calculated using the accelerometer at the time of alignment (same as real IRS). Therefore, if acceleration due to motion is applied during alignment, an angle error will occur. However, such initial angle error automatically decreases with time and disappears after a few minutes in case of level flight.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: FlyBy Nav at $0.99 against iBFD's $11.99. FlyBy Nav also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.5) and review sentiment (100% vs 67%). iBFD's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
FlyBy Nav costs $0.99 and iBFD $11.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
FlyBy Nav holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of FlyBy Nav's written reviews are positive against 67% of iBFD's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 11, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FlyBy Nav | iBFD |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 — better | $11.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 3.5 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lonnie Ganz | Tatsuo Saeki |
Customer experience
FlyBy Nav
iBFD
In-app purchases
FlyBy Nav
No in-app purchases
iBFD
No in-app purchases









