SkyDemon vs Airmate
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
Airmate
This app provides pilots with comprehensive flight planning tools, including weather forecasts, airport data, and navigation charts. It enhances situational awareness with a moving map, traffic displays, and terrain elevation views. Pilots can also file flight plans and record their flights.
- Flight planning and weather forecasts
- Airport data and aviation maps
- Moving map with aircraft location
- Traffic and terrain elevation display
- Flight plan filing and management
- Flight recording and replay
- ADS-B traffic and weather reception
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Airmate is a free and easy to use flight planning and weather app for pilots, improving situational awareness and providing instant access to airport data and aviation maps, up to date weather and NOTAMs, traffic around. IFR and VFR airport plates are freely available in US (FAA charts), Europe, and more than 200 other countries. Many of them are georeferenced and could be overlaid on the aviation chart. A powerful Plate Manager allows to download in advance all airport plates in a country, they could be easily printed and viewed. During the flight, the moving map will display the aircraft location along the route, show airports and aeronautical data details and traffic around, warn you if your planned route is crossing restricted areas. A profile view is available to display terrain elevation, crossed areas and forecasted weather across the route. Airmate can also display a backup aircraft attitude indicator and flight parameters in an EFIS-like view. In the whole world, Synthetic Vision displaying in the EFIS-like view the ups and downs of rolling terrain ahead is available. In selected countries, Airmate can display scenery if this option is purchased. Airmate includes a worldwide aeronautical database updated free of charge with airports, navigation beacons, waypoints, airways, obstacles, regulated and restricted areas. Topographic maps and elevation data for most countries may be downloaded free of charge, as well as additional aviation map overlays such US Sectionals. A procedure database provide details of departure (SID), arrival (STAR) and instrument approaches in the USA, and you could add those procedures to your planned flight route (the procedure database includes all US airports, we are workding to add airports in other countries). Once loaded, the procedure path is displayed on the aeronautical map, including curved paths and racetracks. When coupled with a supported external ADS-B received, Airmate will display nearby traffic on the moving map, and receive FIS-B weather and NOTAM during the flight. To improve safety, Airmate can display neighbouring traffic received over mobile network. Such traffic include commercial airlines and transponder-equiped aircrafts, FLARM gliders, aircrafts whose pilots are using Airmate and other users using other safety broadcasting equipment. Airmate is able to transmit the flight plan data to supported avionics such Dynon SkyView. Thanks to the Auto Route feature, you could search and select the best route for your flight, and then file your VFR or IFR flight plan. Once filed, your flight plan could easily be managed, delayed or cancelled. Airmate will also record your flights and allow to replay them later or export the flight path in gpx format, you could take pictures from the app during flights. Pilot log entries are automatically computed from flown flights. A Satellite map display mode in flight planning or replay mode allows to familiarize with significant landmarks. Airmate will save planned and flown flights, user waypoints and user aircrafts in the cloud and sync them between your devices and Airmate web flight planning. Airmate brings numerous social features to the community. Pilots may leave ratings, tips and comments to share their experience with fellow pilots, and report fuel prices and landing fees. They could find friends, instructors, flight schools, aviation events and aircraft to rent near their home airport or any visited airport. Airmate may be connected to most flight simulators to keep flying skills sharp, and will manage also AHRS and simulated traffic data transmitted by the flight simulator. Planned flights and personal waypoints may be imported and exported. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Airmate at free with in-app purchases against SkyDemon's subscription. SkyDemon's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (92% vs 75%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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 Airmate sells 21 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
SkyDemon holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 546 and 541 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of SkyDemon's written reviews are positive against 75% of Airmate's.
SkyDemon ships an update monthly, Airmate every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SkyDemon | Airmate |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (546 ratings) — better | 4.5 (541 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 92.3% of reviews — better | 75.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 546 — better | 541 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| 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 | 12.2 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 220 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Divelements Limited | Myriel Aviation SA |
Customer experience
SkyDemon
Airmate
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
Airmate
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SkyDemon
- SkyDemon iOS Subscription$199.99
Airmate
- Airmate Premium$24.991 Year
- Photorealistic terrain display$47.991 Year
- Flight plan filing token$1.99
- Token for 1 year chart access$3.99
- Support Airmate development!$4.99
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- Argentina Center VFR 2022$4.99
- Chile North VFR chart 2022$4.99
- Chile Santiago VFR chart 2022$4.99
- Argentina/Chile South VFR 2022$4.99
- Support Airmate development!$8.99
- Chart download token$8.99
- Italy North Avioportolano 2022$11.99
- Support Airmate development!$17.99
- Airmate Pro version$22.99
- Tunisia VFR Air Million 2024$24.99
- Skyguide Swiss VFR Airport Plates (with one year updates)$36.99
- Airmate Dispatcher$44.99
- Avioportolano VFR Airfield Plates for Italy (one year subscription)$46.99
- Airport Plates premium browser$54.99
- UAE 2023 Rogers Data$79.99
- UAE 2025 Rogers Data$89.99








