Comparison

E6B Descent Planner vs Sparkys E6B

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

Head to head
About

E6B Descent Planner

This tool offers a digital circular slide rule for pilots to perform real-time descent planning. It calculates crucial metrics like top of descent distance, descent angle, and glide ratio with simple one-finger operation.

Highlights
  • Digital circular slide rule
  • Real-time descent planning
  • Top of descent distance calculation
  • Descent angle calculation
  • Vertical descent rate calculation
  • Glide ratio calculation
  • Maximum glide distance calculation
Features
Read full description

The E6B Descent Planner provides a fully functional circular slide rule for use in real time descent planning. Using one finger, and with a single turn of the rotating inner disk, pilots can easily perform calculations to determine top of descent distance, angle of descent, vertical descent rate required, glide ratio, maximum glide distance based on altitude, plus many other calculations that are not commonly associated with a mechanical E6B.

About

Sparkys E6B

This app emulates a mechanical E6B flight computer, offering digital readouts for precise calculations. It combines the speed and intuitiveness of analog input with the accuracy of digital output for various aviation computations.

Highlights
  • Digital readouts for calculations
  • Analog input with cursors and steppers
  • Multiplication and division
  • Rate problems (fuel, time, speed)
  • Wind correction angle calculations
  • Conversions (miles, fuel, weight)
Features
Read full description

Sparky's E6B emulates a mechanical E6B Flight Computer, with significant additional capabilities. The app provides digital readouts of values that would otherwise have to be eyeballed in a standard E6B. The use of cursors and steppers enables the precision of a digital computer with the speed and intuitiveness of an analog computer. The E6B is an analog computer invented in the 1930's by Lt. Philip Dalton, USN for purposes of training and flight calculations. The app can be used to perform calculations, or to practice and learn how to use a mechanical E6B. Advantages of analog slide-rule E6Bs include the speed of entering data, and continous operation that can enable a more intuitive feel for how outputs change as inputs are changed. If inputs are changed, it is simply a matter of a swipe or using a stepper to fine tune inputs, and outputs are updated simultaneously. Advantages of digital E6B's includes precision, but as E6Bs are in reality often used to estimate data, this precision often cannot be taken advantage of. Furthermore, entering data is slowed down by soft keypads popping up and down. It may be hard to understand how outputs change in response to inputs if individual numbers need to be entered on a keypad. Sparky's E6B provides the best of both worlds. The speed and intuitive entry of an analog E6B, along with the digital readout of a digital E6B. The "slide rule" or "front" side includes a circular log-log scale that can be used for multiplication, division, fuel consumption and time/speed/distance calculations. There are also various conversions available, such as nautical-miles/statute-miles/kilometers, fuel and oil volume and weight. The windows on the front are used for airspeed, various forms of "altitude' and mach number calculations. Digital output is provided for - Multiplication and division - Ascent and descent vertical and horizontal speed and angles - Rate problems such as gallons per hour, time to destination etc. - Density Altitude and True Airspeed calculations. - True Altitude Calculations - Mach speeds vs. temperature - Conversions of Nautical and Statue Miles to and from Kilometers - Volume of oil and fuel vs. weight - Conversion of Pounds to Kilograms - Conversion of Feet to Meters The "wind" side is a vector computer used to determine flight headings, wind correction angle etc. It also provides digital readouts to provide an intuitive feel for wind correction, as well as to let the inputs be fine-tuned or updated as conditions change. We have no ads and collect no personal information. We hope you enjoy Sparky's E6B and find it useful.

Screenshots

E6B Descent Planner4 screens
Sparkys E6B4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sparkys E6B at 4.7 against E6B Descent Planner's 3.5. E6B Descent Planner's advantage is update cadence (every 9 months vs every 57 months) and review sentiment (92% vs 75%). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sparkys E6B holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 15 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 92% of E6B Descent Planner's written reviews are positive against 75% of Sparkys E6B's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

E6B Descent Planner ships an update every 9 months, Sparkys E6B every 57 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
E6B Descent Planner versus Sparkys E6B: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterE6B Descent PlannerSparkys E6B
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (14 ratings)4.7 (15 ratings) — better
Positive reviews92.3% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1415 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 months — betterEvery 57 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperArthur VarrassiIntineo LLC

Customer experience

E6B Descent Planner

All ratings14 ratings
Positive64.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative35.7%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive92.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.7%

Sparkys E6B

All ratings15 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative12.5%

In-app purchases

None

E6B Descent Planner

No in-app purchases

None

Sparkys E6B

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is E6B Descent Planner free?
E6B Descent Planner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sparkys E6B free?
Sparkys E6B is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, E6B Descent Planner or Sparkys E6B?
Sparkys E6B is rated higher. E6B Descent Planner averages 3.5 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while Sparkys E6B averages 4.7 from 15 ratings.
Do E6B Descent Planner or Sparkys E6B have ads?
Neither E6B Descent Planner nor Sparkys E6B shows ads.
Which is updated more often, E6B Descent Planner or Sparkys E6B?
E6B Descent Planner ships an update every 9 months, and Sparkys E6B every 57 months. Most recently, E6B Descent Planner was updated on November 1, 2026 and Sparkys E6B on November 6, 2026.

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