Comparison

METAR Reader vs VATRadar

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

Head to head
About

METAR Reader

Fetch and decode preflight weather reports for pilots and aviation enthusiasts. Easily access METAR and TAF data for airports worldwide, with a clear, readable format for educational purposes. Manage favorite stations and share reports.

Highlights
  • Fetch METAR and TAF reports
  • Decode weather forecasts
  • Discover nearby weather stations
  • Manage favorite airports
  • Share weather reports
  • Intuitive user interface
Features
Read full description

METAR Reader is one of the most popular apps to fetch and decode your preflight weather reports and is used by pilots, aviation corporations, flight schools, students, cockpit crew, flight ops and flight simmers all around the world. Use our app to discover airports and weather stations that provide preflight METAR and TAF reports. Keep a list of all your favourite weather stations up-to-date TAF and METAR reports on one screen. Decode METAR reports into a clear and readable format; our very popular feature frequently used for instructional and educational purposes. With the new METAR Reader app comes a completely rewritten decode engine that is actively being updated so it can decode most observations in even the most sophisticated METAR reports provided by thousands of airports and weather stations around the world. KEY FEATURES in METAR Reader: * Fetch METAR and TAF reports for your favorite airports. * Decode sophisticated METAR weather forecasts into a readable format and learn what each dissected code means. * Discover airports and weather stations that provide METAR or TAF near your location. * Keep a list of your favorite airports and weather stations' up-to-date TAF and/or METAR reports. * Share any weather report with your friends or on social media. * Intuitive, fast and responsive user interface With METAR Reader version 2 comes a new and intuitive native iOS experience. Lightweight, incredibly fast and support for older devices. Note: METAR Reader 2 requires you to create a user account.

About

VATRadar

Features
Read full description

VATRadar brings the VATSIM network to your iPhone and iPad. Follow your own flight, see which controllers are online, browse the traffic connected right now, and keep track of the events you do not want to miss. MY FLIGHT Sign in with your VATSIM account and VATRadar picks up your flight automatically whenever you are connected. • Altitude, heading, ground speed and vertical speed • Your transponder code and the code ATC assigned you • Departure, arrival and alternate airports • Filed route, filed altitude and remaining distance • Aircraft type and current phase of flight CONTROLLERS AND AIRPORTS Browse the airports with ATC online, or work through FIRs and UIRs to see who is covering a region. Open any airport for: • The controllers and ATIS stations currently online • Live ATIS information • The current METAR for the field • Runways with headings, lengths, widths, surfaces and elevations • Published frequencies PILOTS Every pilot connected to the network, searchable by callsign, VATSIM CID or name. Open any flight to see the same detail you get for your own. EVENTS Browse upcoming VATSIM events, read the full briefing, and mark the ones you plan to fly as favorites. PUSH NOTIFICATIONS • Reminders for your favorited events, at the lead times you choose • VATSIM private messages, including a controller's contact me • SELCAL alerts Private message and SELCAL notifications need the free vPilot Push Notification Plugin, installed on the Windows PC you fly from. You can download it from inside the app, or at vatradar.io/vpilot-plugin. NETWORK STATS Connected clients and unique users, pilots online, controllers broken down by position, ATIS stations and prefiled flight plans. ACCESSIBLE BY DESIGN VATRadar is built by a blind developer and sim pilot, so VoiceOver is not an afterthought here - it is how the app gets used every day. Every screen, list and control is designed to be navigated comfortably without sight. The same care extends to the rest of Apple's accessibility features. VATRadar uses standard iOS controls throughout, so it works with Larger Text, Bold Text, increased contrast and Voice Control, and follows your Dark Mode setting. If something does not work with the accessibility features you rely on, that is a bug to be fixed, not a limitation to live with. FREE VATRadar is free. There are no ads, no in-app purchases and no subscriptions. Signing in requires a VATSIM account, which is also free. VATRadar is intended for flight simulation on the VATSIM network. The airport, runway, frequency, weather and ATIS information it shows must not be used for real-world flight planning or navigation. VATRadar is an independent project, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by VATSIM.

Screenshots

METAR Reader4 screens
VATRadar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: VATRadar at Free against METAR Reader's $3.99. VATRadar also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). METAR Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 26.0). On ads, in-app purchases 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

VATRadar is free to download; METAR Reader costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

METAR Reader ships an update every 3 months, VATRadar every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
METAR Reader versus VATRadar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMETAR ReaderVATRadar
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (67 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews38.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings67 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS9.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB6 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperF. WillemseRobin Kipp

In-app purchases

None

METAR Reader

No in-app purchases

None

VATRadar

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is METAR Reader free?
METAR Reader costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is VATRadar free?
VATRadar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do METAR Reader or VATRadar have ads?
Neither METAR Reader nor VATRadar shows ads.
Which is updated more often, METAR Reader or VATRadar?
METAR Reader ships an update every 3 months, and VATRadar every 5 weeks. Most recently, METAR Reader was updated on November 1, 2026 and VATRadar on November 3, 2026.

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