Comparison

iFly EFB vs Airmate

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

Head to head
About

iFly EFB

This app provides pilots with essential flight information in an easy-to-use format for both VFR and IFR flying. It offers advanced navigation features, real-time weather, and safety alerts to enhance situational awareness and simplify flight planning.

Highlights
  • Geo-Reference Approach Plates & Airport Diagrams
  • 3D Synthetic Vision / EFIS Mode
  • Terrain, Obstructions, Traffic, Airspace Alerts
  • ADS-B Support
  • AutoTaxi+ for Safe Taxing
  • RealView Airport Imagery
  • Complete VFR & IFR Databases and Charts
Features
Read full description

iFly EFB delivers the perfect combination of affordability, capability, and usability for both VFR and IFR Pilots. Safely and quickly get the information you need so you can focus on flying! Key reasons to try iFly EFB: 1) Ease of use in the cockpit: Our intuitive and simple interface, easy to hit buttons, simple map gestures, large fonts, and more make this the best EFB for in-flight use 2) Pilot focused company: We have staff (pilots) on the ground at our office in Texas waiting to answer your questions. Call 214-585-0444 or email support@adventurepilot.com, we're here to help 3) Price: We are one of the most competitively priced EFBs on the market 4) Capabilities: We are one of the most capable EFBs on the market! Need proof? Visit www.iFlyEFB.com/Compare Following are some of our features and benefits: •Geo-Reference Approach Plates and Airport Diagrams •3D Synthetic Vision / EFIS Mode •Terrain, Obstructions, Traffic, and Airspaces Alerts •Complete ADSB support •AutoTaxi+ for safe taxing at any airport •RealView airport imagery •RealPlan automatic VFR Planner •Auto-load approach into plan •Complete VFR and IFR databases and charts (FAA) •Sectionals •Customizable Instruments •Public & Private Airports •Winds aloft including forecasts for 36 hours •Hi/Lo-Enroute Charts •Terminal Area Charts(TAC) •World Aeronautical Charts(WAC) •Vector Mode •Weather (Pre-Flight or ADS-B Live) •Hi-res Winds Aloft Optimizing •Rapid Flight planning •Plates & Diagrams (Approach, Departure Plates, Stars, SIDs Airport Diagrams) •Instruments Panel •Day/Night Mode •Online Flight Plan Filing •Custom Instrument Layouts (24 Instruments, e.g. HSI, Vertical Profile, and AHRS) •Vertical Terrain planning and Airspace preview •Find Nearest •History •North Up / Track Up •Pinch Zooming w/ One Touch Feature •Dynamic Distance Ring •Hybrid Compass Rose w/ Nav Function •Extended Course Line •Flight Trails •Past Flights •Rubber Band route modification •Custom Aircraft icons •AutoTaxi+ •Alerts & Warnings •Button Fading (maximizes screen space) •Custom User Waypoints •Customizable Instruments •Simulator Mode

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

iFly EFB4 screens
Airmate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: iFly EFB at 90% against Airmate's 75%. iFly EFB also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.5). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. iFly EFB sells 8 one-off in-app purchases 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iFly EFB holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 353 and 545 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of iFly EFB's written reviews are positive against 75% of Airmate's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iFly EFB ships an update every 3 weeks, Airmate every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
iFly EFB versus Airmate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriFly EFBAirmate
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (353 ratings) — better4.5 (545 ratings)
Positive reviews89.9% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings353545 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size107 MB220 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdventure Pilot, LLCMyriel Aviation SA

Customer experience

iFly EFB

All ratings353 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral2.3%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews99 reviews
Positive89.9%
Neutral1.0%
Negative9.1%

Airmate

All ratings545 ratings
Positive89.2%
Neutral4.4%
Negative6.4%
Written reviews412 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral9.5%
Negative15.5%

Bugs and requests

iFly EFB

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • App freezes when navigating between menus
  • Settings not saved after app lock
  • GPS weak signal and satellite lock issues on iOS 18+
  • Terrain loading delays during scrolling
  • Compatibility issues with some external GPS devices (Dual 150)
Show 3 more
  • Crashes during early versions (now resolved)
  • iPhone X screen resolution not fully optimized
  • Glitchy behavior with some ADS-B connections

Requested features

15 requests
  • Logbook functionality
  • Sunset/sunrise times display
  • One-button night mode
  • Annotation tools for approach plates
  • Scratch pad for ATC notes
Show 10 more
  • Pilot-entered fuel stop updates (like Waze model)
  • Mo-gas location database
  • Global map coverage beyond USA and Bahamas
  • Seamless chart display
  • Landscape mode support
  • Apple Watch companion app
  • Ability to submit e-APIS details from app
  • 10-year subscription option at discounted rate
  • Better sketching tools
  • Improved FBO information database

Airmate

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

iFly EFB

One-time8
  • iPad Add-On Subscription (1 Year)$24.99
  • IFR iPad Subscription Upgrade (1 Year)$49.99
  • VFR iPad Subscription (1 Year)$79.99
Show 5 more
  • Base VFR Subscription$94.99
  • VFR/MP Subscription$124.99
  • VFR+IFR iPad Subscription (1 Year)$129.99
  • VFR/IFR Subscription$149.99
  • VFR/IFR/MP Subscription$179.99
21 purchases

Airmate

Subscriptions2
  • Airmate Premium$24.991 Year
  • Photorealistic terrain display$47.991 Year
One-time19
  • Flight plan filing token$1.99
  • Token for 1 year chart access$3.99
  • Support Airmate development!$4.99
Show 16 more
  • 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

Questions

Is iFly EFB free?
iFly EFB is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Airmate free?
Airmate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, iFly EFB or Airmate?
iFly EFB is rated higher. iFly EFB averages 4.7 out of 5 from 353 ratings, while Airmate averages 4.5 from 545 ratings.
Do iFly EFB or Airmate have ads?
Neither iFly EFB nor Airmate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iFly EFB or Airmate?
iFly EFB ships an update every 3 weeks, and Airmate every 6 weeks. Most recently, iFly EFB was updated on October 12, 2026 and Airmate on October 9, 2026.

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