SkyCharts XC EFB vs SkyBound Dashboard
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SkyCharts XC EFB
Access FAA aviation charts, approach plates, and worldwide vector charts. Features include METAR/TAF overlays, route creation, and offline chart downloads. Navigation tools provide essential flight data.
- FAA aviation charts and approach plates
- Worldwide vector charts
- METAR/TAF weather overlays
- Route creation and modification
- Offline chart downloads
- Navigation calculations (GS, TRK, DIS, ETE)
- Built-in navigation database
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Current FAA aviation charts updated every 28 days, including approach plates. Now includes vector AIP worldwide vector chart. FAA raster charts have improved resolution. Includes a free 30 day trial! If you wish to continue using SkyCharts after the trial, please purchase a $3.99/month subscription. Note that buying a subscription does not unlock any additional features. See full description regarding auto-renewing subscriptions, privacy policy and EULA below. For USA/Alaska, the application has all current FAA VFR (sectional+WAC), IFR (High and Low), TAC, FLY (flip side of TAC chart). Grand Canyon charts are included in the TAC charts. Also included is a METAR/TAF overlay, and an IFR overlay to view routes on top of VFR charts. Its very easy to create and modify routes directly on the map or by drag&drop in table. Navigation has an auto-layout feature that selects fields for you in both portrait and landscape mode. DOUBLE TAP on map to view A/FD and approach plates. Map has VFR/IFR/LIFR color-coded weather METARs, with orange TAFs. SUA (Special Use Airspace) information is also available. Download charts and plates for offline usage. Features: * Fast zoom/scroll of included charts using standard gestures. * Allows download of charts for offline usage. Charts are selected on a region basis. * Navigation computes GS, TRK, DTK, DIS & ETE to final waypoint. * METAR/TAF color coded dots according to ADDS: http://www.skycharts.net/?page_id=421 * Double tap on airport to select A/FD and TPPs/IAPs to view. * Huge built-in navigation database, with all 20,000 airports, 45,000 FAA IFR/VFR navigation fixes and 2,100 FAA VOR/ADF fixes. For more information, please see the webpage at http://www.skycharts.net The monthly subscription of SkyCharts XC aviation data of $3.99 is auto-renewed. Payment will be charged to your iTunes/App Store account at confirmation of purchase. You can turn off auto-renew at any time from your iTunes/App Store account settings, but you must do so at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period to avoid being billed for the next cycle. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active period. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription to SkyCharts XC. The privacy policy and EULA can be found here: http://www.skycharts.net/?page_id=1465 For fast response to all questions, comments or suggestions, please email support@skycharts.net
SkyBound Dashboard
This platform helps hot air balloon pilots and crew track flights in real time, coordinate with each other, and plan routes with integrated weather data. It also offers tools for business management, competition support, and flight logging.
- Real-time GPS flight tracking
- Crew coordination with shared maps
- Integrated weather forecasts
- Flight planning with KML/GPX import
- Competition task extraction via AI
- Automatic flight logging
- Commercial pilot business tools
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SkyBound is the all-in-one platform for hot air balloon pilots and crew. Track flights in real time with precision GPS, coordinate with your crew, plan flights with integrated weather, and manage your ballooning business — all from one app. FLIGHT TRACKING Track every flight with live GPS including altitude, speed, heading, and vertical rate. Your crew sees your position in real time and gets navigation to your landing spot. Background tracking keeps working even when the app is minimized. Pair an external GPS or Balloon Live Sensor (BLS) for competition-grade position — or use your phone's GPS, which takes over automatically if a sensor drops. CREW COORDINATION Create teams with your pilots and crew. Everyone sees live positions on a shared map during flights. No more constant calls and texts — your crew knows exactly where you are and where you're headed. Talk to crew and spotters with push-to-talk voice, and let a spotter mark your map with a laser pointer to call out targets and hazards. CARPLAY CHASE Plug into Apple CarPlay and your crewed pilots load automatically — no need to unlock your phone. Follow each pilot's color-coded live track and drift projection on your car's display, with directions to the landing spot. WEATHER INTELLIGENCE Get flight-specific weather forecasts right at your launch coordinates. View wind speed and direction at multiple altitudes, hourly breakdowns, and sunrise/sunset times. Pick the forecast model that fits your flight — ECMWF, GFS, HRRR, NBM, or RAP. Check active TFRs and NOTAMs with an interactive map. SKYCAST WIND SIMULATOR Drop a takeoff, dial in a wind profile by altitude, and fly the app manually before you ever leave the ground. SkyCast uses the real flight HUD — gauges, target cards, drift cones — so you can see how altitude choices steer you across the map. Perfect for practicing competition tasks or briefing new crew. FLIGHT PLANNING Plan routes on an interactive map with zone overlays. Import KML and GPX files for competition targets, restricted areas, and custom boundaries. Set altitude floors and ceilings with color-coded rules. COMPETITION SUPPORT Snap a photo of your task sheet and let AI extract targets, coordinates, and scoring rules. Import task sheets directly from WatchMeFly. See task overlays on your flight map in real time. Share any target with another pilot — it lands in their pre-flight, in their own UTM zone. FLIGHT LOG Every flight is automatically logged with full GPS tracks, altitude profiles, duration, and distance. Replay any flight on the map. FOR COMMERCIAL PILOTS List your business in our nationwide pilot directory. Manage bookings, track your customer pipeline, send invoices with Stripe payments, and view revenue analytics. SUBSCRIPTIONS All features require an active subscription. Flight Plan — $9.99/month or $109.99/year (auto-renewable subscription) Includes: Flight tracking, weather briefings (ECMWF / GFS / HRRR / NBM / RAP), TFR/NOTAM alerts, flight logging, crew coordination, pilot-to-pilot connections, flight groups, pilot directory access, SkyBound AI Assistant, competition task sheet analysis, SkyCast wind simulator, lift calculator, and drift planning tools. Commercial Plan — $34.99/month or $379.99/year (auto-renewable subscription) Includes everything in Flight Plan, plus: Public pilot profile on skybounddashboard.com, online booking system, customer management, invoicing with Stripe payments, revenue analytics, and priority support. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. You can manage or cancel subscriptions in your Apple ID account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.skybounddashboard.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.skybounddashboard.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: SkyBound Dashboard at weekly against SkyCharts XC EFB's monthly. SkyBound Dashboard also leads on chart position (#193 vs unranked) and ratings volume (8 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. SkyCharts XC EFB sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month and SkyBound Dashboard sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for SkyCharts XC EFB against 5.0 for SkyBound Dashboard. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SkyBound Dashboard has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
SkyCharts XC EFB ships an update monthly, SkyBound Dashboard weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SkyCharts XC EFB | SkyBound Dashboard |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (8 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 31.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 8 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | — | #193 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 74 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SkyCharts LLC | Luke Thompson |
Customer experience
SkyCharts XC EFB
SkyBound Dashboard
In-app purchases
SkyCharts XC EFB
- Monthly subscription to current aviation data.$3.991 Month
SkyBound Dashboard
- Flight Plan Monthly$9.991 Month
- Commercial Plan Monthly$34.991 Month
- Flight Plan Yearly$109.991 Year
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- Commercial Plan Yearly$379.991 Year
Questions
Is SkyCharts XC EFB free?
Is SkyBound Dashboard free?
Which has better reviews, SkyCharts XC EFB or SkyBound Dashboard?
Do SkyCharts XC EFB or SkyBound Dashboard have ads?
Which is updated more often, SkyCharts XC EFB or SkyBound Dashboard?
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