Comparison

Kubicek FlyMate vs Balloon Pilot Chaser

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

Head to head
About

Kubicek FlyMate

This app provides professional navigation and flight planning for balloon pilots and their chase crews. It offers tools for analyzing wind conditions, predicting landing areas, and recording flights, with global map coverage and community features to keep everyone connected.

Highlights
  • Real-time wind trajectory simulation
  • Landing area prediction
  • Fuel and ballast monitoring
  • Topographic ballooning maps
  • Pre-flight planning tools
  • Flight log recording
  • Team and event group creation
Features
Read full description

FlyMate is a professional navigation and flight planning app for hot air and gas balloon pilots worldwide, with tools to keep pilots and chase crews connected. Analyze wind conditions, simulate flight trajectories, assess potential landing areas, and record your flights. Global map coverage supports balloon operations around the world. A modernized interface brings refreshed graphics, clear flight instruments, and consistent light and dark modes throughout the app. Core Features • Real-time wind trajectory simulation • Landing area prediction • Fuel consumption and ballast usage monitoring • Detailed topographic ballooning maps • Pre-flight planning tools • Flight log recording and review • Dedicated Hot Air Pilot, Gas Pilot, and Driver modes Community and Chase Crew • Create or join Team and Event groups • Invite members through links and QR codes • Share your flights with multiple groups independently • View shared flight tracks from individual pilots or an entire group • Manage group invitations and membership requests • Select your chase driver and follow their shared position Maps for Ballooning FlyMate includes custom ballooning maps optimized for aerial navigation and landing analysis, powered by MapTiler. Designed For • Commercial balloon operations • Private hot air and gas balloon pilots • Chase crews • Training organizations • Balloon schools and instructors FlyMate Premium Premium unlocks advanced navigation, planning, and sharing tools: • Advanced trajectory prediction • Multi-altitude wind analysis • Extended flight planning tools • Community groups and flight sharing for pilots • Dedicated gas balloon flight tools Subscription FlyMate Premium is available as a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple ID account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Balloon Pilot Chaser

Features
Read full description

Balloon Pilot Chaser brings balloon and retrieve vehicle together: the pilot shares the position with one tap, the crew sees the balloon live and is guided all the way to the landing site – farm tracks and trailer included. THE PILOT SHARES – THE CREW NEEDS NO APP Tap “Share position” in the basket and send the link to your crew by messenger, SMS or email. Anyone who opens the link sees the balloon live on the map – on any phone, tablet or computer, nothing to install. When the iPhone lies still after landing, the crew still sees the position as current. NAVIGATION BUILT FOR CAR AND TRAILER “Go to Balloon” starts Chaser Navigation with voice guidance, even with the screen locked. It plans for a car towing a balloon trailer and avoids barriers, fords and spots too narrow or too low. You decide how far off the road it may go: • Off – paved roads only • Firm – plus firm farm and service tracks mainly on the last stretch to the balloon • All – every drivable track, for 4×4 retrieve vehicles One tap takes you from the navigation back to the map. Apple Maps and Google Maps remain available as alternatives at any time. WHERE THE SIGNAL DROPS In Hesse, Germany, routes are calculated entirely on the device – exactly where rural coverage tends to fail. With a data connection, reported closures there are avoided as well. In the rest of Europe and in Turkey, routes come from the Chaser server. Everywhere else, “Go to Balloon” opens Apple Maps or Google Maps automatically. Live position and sharing work worldwide; a new balloon position always needs a data connection. THE CREW ON THE PILOT’S MAP Followers can choose “Show to pilot” to share their car with the pilot – in the app or straight from the link, no app needed – and say who has the trailer. The pilot sees each car as a coloured dot with name and distance, the car with the trailer always in blue. So the pilot knows in the basket who is closest. PILOT VIEW While sharing, the pilot sees altitude, vertical speed, speed, track and their own flight path on the map – a simple backup in the basket. MADE FOR THE FIELD • Choose your units: m or ft, m/s or ft/min, km/h, kt or mph, km or miles in the car • Topographic map and satellite imagery • English and German • For iPhone and iPad, with CarPlay: map, flight data and “Go to Balloon” on the car display PRIVACY No account, no ads, no tracking. Shared positions are deleted when sharing ends, otherwise at the latest one hour after the chosen duration (up to 8 hours), crew car positions after 30 minutes without an update. Only the pilot sees the cars. Background location only while you share or while a navigation you started is running. BUY ONCE No subscription, no in-app purchases. NOTE The app is a guide for driving to the balloon, not an aviation navigation instrument. Traffic rules, track conditions and landowners’ rights always come first.

Screenshots

Kubicek FlyMate4 screens
Balloon Pilot Chaser4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Kubicek FlyMate at Free against Balloon Pilot Chaser's $3.99. Balloon Pilot Chaser's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (daily vs every 5 days). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Kubicek FlyMate is free to download; Balloon Pilot Chaser costs $3.99 up front. Kubicek FlyMate sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Balloon Pilot Chaser asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kubicek FlyMate ships an update every 5 days, Balloon Pilot Chaser daily. Both last shipped on November 8, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Kubicek FlyMate versus Balloon Pilot Chaser: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKubicek FlyMateBalloon Pilot Chaser
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size64 MB331 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKubicek Factory s.r.o.Frank-Alexander Uhdris

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Kubicek FlyMate

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly Plan7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly Plan7 Days trial$49.991 Year
None

Balloon Pilot Chaser

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Kubicek FlyMate free?
Kubicek FlyMate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Balloon Pilot Chaser free?
Balloon Pilot Chaser costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Kubicek FlyMate or Balloon Pilot Chaser have ads?
Neither Kubicek FlyMate nor Balloon Pilot Chaser shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kubicek FlyMate or Balloon Pilot Chaser?
Kubicek FlyMate ships an update every 5 days, and Balloon Pilot Chaser daily. Most recently, Kubicek FlyMate was updated on November 8, 2026 and Balloon Pilot Chaser on November 8, 2026.

Other comparisons