Comparison

Readback vs Cockpit

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

Head to head
About

Readback

Streamline your air traffic control note-taking with this utility. Quickly record clearances and updates, eliminating the need for a physical scratchpad. Maintain a comprehensive log of all your flight information for better organization.

Highlights
  • Quickly capture ATC clearances
  • Record ATIS updates
  • Digital log of all clearances
  • Printable flight log
  • Add flight number to log
Features
Read full description

Good morning, Captain! Take your ATC note-taking to the next level. This app allows you to quickly capture ATC clearances, ATIS updates, and moreβ€”no more relying on a scratchpad, which isn’t the safest practice. Even the fastest controllers won’t slow you down. Jot down everything with ease and keep a complete log of all your clearances. Whether you’re taxiing at JFK, enroute to Los Angeles, or descending into Heathrow, this app ensures you stay organized and informed. You can even print your log and add your flight number for a full flight record. A must-have tool for every phase of flight.

About

Cockpit

Features
Read full description

CockpitCheck turns your paper checklist into a guided, always-current cockpit companion β€” organized exactly the way you already fly. Made for Flight Training Learning to fly, or teaching it? The Memory-Item Drill trains your emergency boldface items on the ground: hide the response, recall it from memory, then reveal to self-check. Every calculator shows its working: "How It's Calculated" opens the exact formula behind the result. And "Share with a Student" sends a plane's complete checklists to your student, ready to import. Not Bolted Onto a Map Every major EFB treats its checklist as a small tab behind maps, charts, and weather β€” CockpitCheck is built around nothing but the checklist itself. Guided Fly Mode and instant emergency access, built for the cockpit. Run it as your primary checklist, or keep it as an independent backup alongside the EFB you already fly with β€” no shared account, no shared point of failure. Organized by Phase of Flight Preflight, engine start, before takeoff, takeoff, enroute, and landing β€” every checklist lives exactly where you expect it, grouped and ordered the way your POH already teaches you to think. Fly Mode: Guided, Step by Step Your next checklist waits at the top of the Fleet screen, one tap on Fly away. Then a live progress ring, elapsed timer, and one-tap Check or Skip β€” heads up, not buried in a binder. Live Activity, Right There See your current step and progress on the Lock Screen or in the Dynamic Island β€” glance without unlocking your phone. Cockpit Night A true red-on-black night mode that preserves your night vision, one tap away β€” no digging through Settings before a night flight. Emergency Procedures, One Tap Away Every emergency checklist for your aircraft surfaces instantly from a single red button β€” no digging through tabs when seconds matter. Hands-Free Voice Readout Let CockpitCheck read each challenge and response aloud while you fly, in your choice of natural voice and pace β€” eyes on the panel, not the screen. Start From a Template Add a new plane and start from a generic checklist β€” single-engine, retractable gear, or glass cockpit β€” then make it your own, with an optional reference photo on any item. Your Whole Fleet Manage checklists for every aircraft you fly β€” a club rental, your own plane, or several you're checked out in β€” each with its own groups, checklists, and emergency procedures. Drag to put your most-flown aircraft first. Weight & Balance, Built In Set your aircraft's empty weight, stations, and certified CG envelope once β€” then load each flight and see a live, color-coded verdict plus a plotted takeoff/landing graph. Save named presets for the loads you fly most. The calculator is free; sharing or printing a full report with the envelope graph included comes with any one-time purchase. Pilot Tools, Built In Eleven offline tools with big, turbulence-friendly controls β€” a timer that rings even on silent, sunset & civil twilight for any airfield, climb/descent rate, wind correction, crosswind, fuel, time-speed-distance, density altitude & TAS, flight time, Zulu time, and unit conversion β€” each showing the formula behind the result. Nothing leaves your device. Works With Your Other Apps Export any checklist to PDF for printing, or to ForeFlight, Garmin Pilot, or Garmin G3X/GTN (.ace) format, so your existing EFB and avionics stay in sync. Built for iPhone and iPad A native SwiftUI app with an adaptive layout β€” compact on iPhone, spacious on iPad β€” with iCloud sync to keep your fleet current across every device. Private by Design No sign-up, no login. Your checklists sync through your own iCloud account, and nothing is ever uploaded to a third-party server. One-Time Purchase Buy CockpitCheck once, tiered by how many aircraft you fly, and own it for as long as you fly them. No subscription, ever. Whether you fly one Skyhawk on weekends or keep a small fleet current, CockpitCheck keeps every checklist exactly where β€” and how β€” you need it.

Screenshots

Cockpit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Cockpit at every 10 days against Readback's every 6 months. Readback's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Readback sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Cockpit sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Readback ships an update every 6 months, Cockpit every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 6 level
Readback versus Cockpit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReadbackCockpit
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews57.1% of reviewsβ€”
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 10 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesβ€”
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad β€” better
Requires iOS16.0 β€” better26.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size10 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSantiago Borja Lopezser.soft GmbH

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Readback

One-time5
  • Clearance Keypad$0.99
  • Qwerty Keypad$0.99
  • Azerty Keypad$0.99
Show 2 more
  • CDU Keypad$0.99
  • Qwertz Keypad$0.99
4 purchases

Cockpit

One-time4
  • Unlock CockpitCheck$2.99
  • 2 Planes$3.99
  • 5 Planes$5.99
Show 1 more
  • Unlimited Planes$12.99

Questions

Is Readback free?
Readback is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cockpit free?
Cockpit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Readback or Cockpit have ads?
Neither Readback nor Cockpit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Readback or Cockpit?
Readback ships an update every 6 months, and Cockpit every 10 days. Most recently, Readback was updated on October 23, 2026 and Cockpit on October 25, 2026.

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