SkyDemon vs Xavion
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SkyDemon
Plan and navigate VFR flights across Europe with detailed aeronautical charts, dynamic airspace clipping, and real-time hazard warnings. Features include virtual radar, automated weather briefings, and comprehensive flight logging for pilots.
- Vector aeronautical charts with dynamic airspace clipping
- Intuitive route planning and modification
- Virtual Radar for hazard and airspace visualization
- Automated weather briefings (TAF, METAR, SIGMET)
- Real-time hazard and airspace warnings
- Georeferenced airfield plates and documents
- Fuel, weight, and balance calculations
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SkyDemon is Europe's favourite software for VFR flight planning and in-flight navigation. Use this app to access your SkyDemon subscription on your iOS device, unlocking SkyDemon's powerful features while on the move. FLIGHT PLANNING FEATURES - SkyDemon vector charts are the clearest aeronautical charts you'll ever use, with dynamic airspace clipping and choice of map layers - Route planning is as simple as touching consecutive waypoints and dragging to make changes - Virtual Radar shows how your route relates to airspace, terrain, obstructions and other features - Pilot Log facility calculates headings and groundspeeds from actual wind data, and shows useful frequencies - Plates and other documents for relevant airfields are displayed automatically as you plan, and many are available georeferenced for use in flight - Intuitive pan, pinch and rotate support with no loss of map clarity or text legibility - File a VFR flightplan for your route directly to air traffic controllers - Automatic TAF, METAR and SIGMET briefing as you plan a route, with graphical decoding - Rainfall data can be overlaid on the main map, with animation, showing the trend of rainfall over time - Integration of GAFOR route forecasts for Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia - Both narrow-route and area NOTAM briefings available, updated as you plan - Advanced NOTAM graphical interpretation and depiction on the main map - Easily print your PLOG and the output from various briefings - Warnings for airspace and other potential hazards to your flight, updated in real time - Airfield Admin Information shows useful contacts and other details for airfields featured in our charts - Forecast winds aloft are automatically retrieved for the flight time and displayed on the map - Create an advanced flight performance profile for each aircraft you use - ATS Routes mode offers an alternative chart presentation for flight along airways - Accurate fuel, weight and balance calculations including flight costings - Create an unlimited number of user-defined waypoints - Analyse your track logs for posterity - Choose between six different vector chart styles - Extensive European chart coverage as standard GPS NAVIGATION FEATURES - Intelligent warnings for approaching airspace, NOTAM, obstacles, terrain and other hazards - Virtual Radar shows a side-on projection of all approaching features and how your trajectory relates to them - Vector map automatically follows the aircraft in north up, track up or course up orientation - Clear and concise instruments show you flight statistics and help keep you on track - An HSI/ILS instrument helps you keep to your planned route and line up early for approach - Live Pilot Log shows progress through your route, ETAs, ATAs and useful frequencies based on your current position - TerrainSafe dynamically colours mountainous terrain around you to quickly identify safer areas - Direct To allows easy re-routing in a hurry by picking from a selection of nearby airfields - Approach Information shows runway diagrams, TAF, METAR, NOTAM and other airfield details useful for making an approach - Live updates of TAF and METAR while in flight, with associated alerts* - Extended runway centrelines appear automatically on the map as you near your destination airfield - Permanent display of position relative to nearest well-known waypoint, for position reporting - Easy changing of the planned route while in flight by touching and dragging Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. * Internet connection required for live weather update while in flight
Xavion
This app provides critical in-flight guidance for engine failures, calculating safe glide routes to airports. It also offers 3D instrument approaches, tracks aircraft and their wake turbulence, and displays real-time weather data. Additionally, it assists with pre-flight planning, weight and balance calculations, and takeoff performance analysis.
- Engine-out glide path calculation
- 3D instrument approaches
- ADS-B aircraft and wake turbulence tracking
- Real-time ADS-B weather display
- Weight and balance calculations
- Takeoff distance estimation
- Enroute time and fuel burn estimation
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In flight, Xavion constantly imagines engine-failed glides to every runway in gliding range, and then shows you the safest-possible route as a Highway-In-The-Sky to take to an airport in the event of engine failure. This, finally, gives you guidance after an engine failure that is based on energy-management all the way down. Xavion also has instrument approaches in 3-D for the United States, so you can simply select any approach and then fly through the hoops to fly it! As well, Xavion tracks other airplanes via ADS-B, and memorizes their location to track their WAKE TURBULENCE, moving the wake turbulence down and with the wind over time, showing the wake turbulence as little spiraling tornados. Finally, an App that tracks and shows you the wake turbulence of other airplanes. As well, Xavion gets ADS-B weather if you have a portable receiver, and displays it, including the new icing, turbulence, and lightning products. Xavion also gets METARS and winds aloft from the internet if you have a WIFI or cell signal to help you plan before a flight! Also, Xavion checks your weight and balance, and even estimates your takeoff distance and compares that to the length of the runway that you are about to take off on to warn you if the available runway length from your current location is marginal for a safe take-off. Also, Xavion estimates time and fuel burn at all different altitudes to any destination, showing you the time and fuel burn required for each altitude enroute, so you can pick the best altitude. All USA VFR and IFR charts and plates are included with base subscription. Terms of use and Privacy Policy can be found at: http://xavion.com/xavion-privacy-policy-and-terms-of-service/ Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Xavion at free with in-app purchases against SkyDemon's subscription. Xavion also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly). SkyDemon's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (92% vs 70%). On price, 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
Both are free to download. SkyDemon sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Xavion sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
SkyDemon holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SkyDemon has 548 ratings behind it against 100, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of SkyDemon's written reviews are positive against 70% of Xavion's.
SkyDemon ships an update monthly, Xavion every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SkyDemon | Xavion |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (548 ratings) — better | 4.3 (100 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 92.3% of reviews — better | 69.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 548 — better | 100 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 53 MB | 3.5 GB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Divelements Limited | X-Avionics, LLC |
Customer experience
SkyDemon
Xavion
User reviews
SkyDemon
From 548 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fantastic
- 🚀 Best software ever used
- 🚀 Essential for flying
- 🚀 Excellent app
- 🚀 Unbeatable in all respects
Room to improve
- 🐛 Updates can be slow
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🔒 Limited to 2 devices
Xavion
From 100 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💡 Revolutionary emergency glide guidance to nearest airport
- 🛡️ Life-saving safety feature for engine-out scenarios
- 📊 Accurate synthetic vision and attitude indicator
- 🎯 Excellent integration with X-Plane simulator
- ⚖️ Comprehensive weight and balance calculations
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive subscription model after initial purchase
- 🌍 Limited to USA only (no EU/UK/Australia support)
- 📱 Not compatible with newer iPhones (notch/no home button)
- 📦 Extremely large app size (3.6GB+ updates)
- 🧩 Complex and confusing user interface
Bugs and requests
SkyDemon
Reported bugs
2 issues- Incompatible with latest iPad OS
- Crashes when trying to download all charts
Requested features
6 requests- Print PLOG or route on iPad
- Improved logbook functionality
- Support for official CAA/NATS charts
- Synthetic vision
- IFR flight plan filing to Eurocontrol
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- Integration with Jeppesen IFR charts
Xavion
Reported bugs
12 issues- App crashes when adding new airports
- Flight recording stops during touch-and-go landings
- Runway guidance sometimes hidden by terrain or trees
- Approach procedure turn opposite of plate indication
- App freezes entire iPad when trial period expires
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- Incompatibility with X-Plane 11 connection
- Ghost hijacking of other apps after trial expiration
- App fails to open after updates
- Display issues on iPad mini 6
- Inconsistent airport database with generic runway lengths outside USA
- Altimeter takes QNH from distant airport causing altitude errors
- App behaves like virus during trial period
Requested features
19 requests- Support for EU, UK, and international regions
- Canadian VFR charts and airport data
- iPhone X and newer device compatibility
- Custom waypoint addition for VFR flight plans
- Multiple flight plan legs support
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- Manual altimeter adjustment capability
- Negative coordinate input support
- Integration with Seattle Avionics existing subscriptions
- Fixed-pitch propeller glide calculations
- 3D airspace visualization
- Cloud storage for backup and device transfer
- Runway-specific lateral guidance (not just airport center)
- User waypoint database
- Improved user interface design
- Lock runway feature to prevent approach switching
- Better terrain view visualization
- Stratus/Scout GPS receiver support
- Free chart integration from FAA
- Certified panel replacement option
In-app purchases
SkyDemon
- SkyDemon iOS Subscription$199.99
Xavion
- Airport, Chart, and Plate Data$9.991 Month
- Airport, Chart, and Plate Data$99.991 Year








