Comparison

Approach Charts vs Flight Briefing

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

Head to head
About

Approach Charts

Access FAA Instrument Approach charts for the US, including airport diagrams, minimums, and runway information. Get live weather and NOTAMs, and search by various criteria. The database and charts update monthly.

Highlights
  • FAA Instrument Approach charts
  • Airport diagrams and runway information
  • Live weather and NOTAMs
  • Search by airport name, city, identifier, or state
  • Quick access to favorite airports
  • Monthly automatic updates
Features
Read full description

FAA Instrument Approach charts (Terminal Procedures) for the US - Includes Airport diagrams, Minimums, STARS and DPs - Includes detailed airport and runway information for all US airports - Includes weather and NOTAMs when available - Search by airport name, city, identifier or state - Quick access to your most used airports - Always current: database and charts update automatically every month - Full screen view option Approach charts requires a subscription that will give you access to all FAA instrument approach charts for the United States, updated every 28 days, live weather and NOTAMs. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.bbflight.com/in-cockpit-apps-for-pilots/approach-charts/approach-charts-privacy-policy

About

Flight Briefing

This app provides pilots with a comprehensive electronic flight folder for pre-flight briefings. It includes weather data, NOTAMs, operational flight plans with automatic calculations, and a customizable journey log. All flight data can be submitted directly to airline operations.

Highlights
  • Electronic Flight Folder
  • Interactive Operational Flight Plan
  • Weather and NOTAMs
  • Automatic Fuel and Time Calculations
  • Customizable Journey Log
  • Data Submission to Flight Ops
Features
Read full description

Prepare and perform your flight with the FlightBriefing App, then submit all the entered data and journey log to your airline's flight ops department or operations center from within the app. The Flight Briefing App contains a complete Electronic Flight Folder, with all necessary information for a pre-flight briefing, including map, weather (METAR, TAF, SIGMET, Wind and significant weather charts), NOTAMs, Operational Flight Plan (including Mass & Balance and Fuel Figures), and the filed ATC flight plan. - The Operational Flight Plan is interactive, perform time and fuel checks during the flight, remaining time and fuel is automatically calculated. - Weather and NOTAMs can be searched and marked as important or not applicable. - All data recorded during flight can then be submitted to your Airline's Flight Ops Department, eliminating the need for paper in the cockpit. - Includes a Journey Log with fields customized for your airline. Layout and data included can be adapted to your airline's own needs and operational procedures. The real data presented in the Flight Briefing App will come from your Airline's flight planning system (PPS, Navblue N-Flight Planning, other providers upon request), and contain the same information as you get in a traditional paper briefing package. An integration with your airline's flight planning provider and operational procedures is therefore necessary.

Screenshots

Approach Charts4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Flight Briefing at 100% against Approach Charts's 0%. Flight Briefing also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). Approach Charts's advantage is ratings volume (5 vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Approach Charts sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Flight Briefing asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Flight Briefing holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Approach Charts has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Approach Charts's written reviews are positive against 100% of Flight Briefing's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Approach Charts ships an update every 3 months, Flight Briefing fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Approach Charts versus Flight Briefing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterApproach ChartsFlight Briefing
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.0 (5 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB197 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCandidus LLCJohan Bergsee

Customer experience

Approach Charts

All ratings5 ratings
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Flight Briefing

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Approach Charts

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly subscription2 Months trial$0.991 Month
  • Annual subscription2 Months trial$9.991 Year
None

Flight Briefing

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Approach Charts free?
Approach Charts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Flight Briefing free?
Flight Briefing is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Approach Charts or Flight Briefing?
Flight Briefing is rated higher. Approach Charts averages 2.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Flight Briefing averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Approach Charts or Flight Briefing have ads?
Neither Approach Charts nor Flight Briefing shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Approach Charts or Flight Briefing?
Approach Charts ships an update every 3 months, and Flight Briefing fortnightly. Most recently, Approach Charts was updated on October 19, 2026 and Flight Briefing on October 11, 2026.

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