Comparison

METAR Reader vs Pilot Duty & Performance Calc

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

Pilot Duty & Performance Calc

This app simplifies complex aviation calculations for pilots, including duty time, performance metrics, and landing data. It consolidates numerous aviation tools into a single, easy-to-use application for professional pilots.

Highlights
  • Duty time calculations (8/24, 10/24)
  • Departure gradients
  • Climb performance
  • Approach planning
  • Landing performance summaries
  • Date calculator for MEL and VOR checks
  • Aviation conversions
Features
Read full description

Have you been waiting for an all-encompassing Part 135 Application to come along to assist in the laborious calculations associated with the job? Ever wonder how nice it would be to be have an iPad/iPhone App compute your “rolling” block/flight time requirements, in accordance with FAR 135.267, whether you are a single pilot (8/24) operator or dual piloted (10/24) operator? What about an App to assist with computing Departure Gradients, Climb Performance, Enroute Descents, Approach Planning Descent Distance and Timing, Landing Performance summaries including wet, dry and DAAP calculations, Runway Gradients and daily utilized aviation conversions? The wait is over! The Pilot Aviation Duty and Performance Calculator Application offers all these calculations wrapped up in a single application. It also includes a Date Calculator that makes it easy to compute the common Minimum Equipment List (MEL) due dates or even your 30 day VOR Check. You no longer need to fill your iPad/iPhone with countless Apps to get the aviation information you desire, everything you need is included in this one simple to use App. Although this App is geared toward Part 135 operators the various calculations can easily be adapted for use by all Part 91 General Aviation operators as well as Part 121 Commercial Airline pilots. There is something here for every professional pilot.

Screenshots

METAR Reader4 screens
Pilot Duty & Performance Calc4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: METAR Reader at 4.9 against Pilot Duty & Performance Calc's 3.5. METAR Reader also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (65 vs 12). Pilot Duty & Performance Calc's advantage is review sentiment (80% vs 39%). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

METAR Reader costs $3.99 and Pilot Duty & Performance Calc $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

METAR Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: METAR Reader has 65 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 39% of METAR Reader's written reviews are positive against 80% of Pilot Duty & Performance Calc's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

METAR Reader ships an update every 3 months, Pilot Duty & Performance Calc every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on July 6, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
METAR Reader versus Pilot Duty & Performance Calc: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMETAR ReaderPilot Duty & Performance Calc
Price$3.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.9 (65 ratings) — better3.5 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews38.9% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings65 — better12
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS9.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperF. WillemseCrop Applications, LLC.

Customer experience

METAR Reader

All ratings65 ratings
Positive96.9%
Neutral3.1%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive38.9%
Neutral11.1%
Negative50.0%

Pilot Duty & Performance Calc

All ratings12 ratings
Positive58.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral13.3%
Negative6.7%

In-app purchases

None

METAR Reader

No in-app purchases

None

Pilot Duty & Performance Calc

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is METAR Reader free?
METAR Reader costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pilot Duty & Performance Calc free?
Pilot Duty & Performance Calc costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, METAR Reader or Pilot Duty & Performance Calc?
METAR Reader is rated higher. METAR Reader averages 4.9 out of 5 from 65 ratings, while Pilot Duty & Performance Calc averages 3.5 from 12 ratings.
Do METAR Reader or Pilot Duty & Performance Calc have ads?
Neither METAR Reader nor Pilot Duty & Performance Calc shows ads.
Which is updated more often, METAR Reader or Pilot Duty & Performance Calc?
METAR Reader ships an update every 3 months, and Pilot Duty & Performance Calc every 9 months. Most recently, METAR Reader was updated on July 6, 2026 and Pilot Duty & Performance Calc on September 21, 2026.

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