Comparison

Ascent EFB vs Tachbase

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

Head to head
About

Ascent EFB

Plan and navigate flights with a high-performance moving map and integrated weather and airspace data. Features include flight planning, real-time weather overlays, global airspace information, and an electronic logbook. Built by pilots for pilots, it offers a clean interface for enhanced situational awareness.

Highlights
  • High-performance moving map
  • Integrated weather overlays
  • Global airspace information
  • Flight planning tools
  • Electronic logbook
  • 3D map view
Features
Read full description

Ascent is the electronic flight bag built to keep you ahead of the airplane. Plan the flight, brief the weather, and see the airspace around you, all on one fast, uncluttered map. Whether you're a student pilot flying your first cross-country or a working crew planning a long leg, Ascent gives you a clean, high-performance moving map and the tools to back it up. No clutter, no learning curve, just the picture you need to fly. FLIGHT PLANNING Build your route right on the map. Set your departure and destination, drop waypoints along the way, and watch the whole flight come together from takeoff to touchdown. Ascent runs the numbers for you: distance, ETE, and fuel burn, laid out in a clean nav log so you know exactly what each leg costs before you fly it. Your plan stays live as conditions change, so you always know where you're headed and what's between you and the airport. WEATHER Get the full picture before you go and stay ahead of it en route. Ascent layers a deep set of weather products right over your route, so you can see the sky the way it actually is: Radar and precipitation, thunderstorms, convective clouds, hail severity, and tropical cyclones for the big-picture threats. Winds aloft with wind speed and wind speed contours, plus temperature, dew point, and humidity to understand what the air is doing. Cloud cover and visibility for the go/no-go call, and sea-level pressure to read the systems moving through. PIREPs, AIRMETs and SIGMETs, Center Weather Advisories (CWA), and the Traffic Flow Management Convective Forecast (TCF). Flying overwater or oceanic? Ocean currents and wave height layers have you covered. Turn on only what you want and keep the map clean. GLOBAL AIRSPACE Fly anywhere. Ascent shows airspace worldwide, so the map works the same whether you're shooting the pattern at your home field or crossing into a new country. See Class B, C, D, and E, MOAs, restricted and prohibited areas, and TFRs, so you know what's around you and what's ahead before you get there. 3D It’s time to stop thinking of EFBs in a 2D manner. We’ve decided that rather than the traditional map layout, the modern pilot should be able to interact with their navigational data with new perspective. You can now enhance your situational awareness and ease of use of your EFB by interacting with a 3D map. LOGBOOK Keep your hours where you fly them. Log your flights in the app so your times, currency, and history are always with you, right next to the map you flew them on. CHARTS Geo-referenced FAA charts, tied to your position on the map. VFR Sectionals and Terminal Area Charts, plus IFR Enroute Low, High and Area charts. Download them before you go and they keep working with no signal at all. OFFLINE Charts and the full 3D map work completely offline. Download the regions you need while you have signal, and the whole picture stays with you when the bars do not. COMING SOON We're just getting started. On the way: Mayday Mode. One tap stands up 7700 and guard 121.5, ready for you to confirm. You fly the airplane. Ascent EFB is built by pilots, for pilots. We ship fast and we listen. Tell us what you want to see next. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Tachbase

This app provides pilots with essential tools for flight planning, in-cockpit navigation, and flight logging. It offers offline access to charts, weather data, and airport information, enhancing situational awareness and simplifying post-flight record-keeping.

Highlights
  • Offline moving map with VFR/IFR charts
  • Georeferenced approach plates and procedures
  • Airport information and weather data
  • Live traffic and weather with ADS-B receiver
  • IFR/VFR flight plan filing and management
  • Smart logbook with auto-logging and currency tracking
  • Customizable checklists
Features
Read full description

Tachbase is an electronic flight bag (EFB) for general aviation pilots — preflight planning, in-cockpit awareness, and logging in one fast, offline-first app for iPhone, iPad, and the web. TACHBASE ASSISTANT Ask in plain English — "Any NOTAMs at KSFO?", "Cat A minimums for the RNAV 31 at KPAO?", "Am I night current?" — and get answers looked up live, not from memory: weather, PIREPs and winds aloft; runways, crosswinds and Chart Supplement remarks; approach fixes and minimums from the plate; the FAR/AIM and FAA handbooks; and your own logbook, currency and aircraft. Runs on Tachbase's own servers — your questions never go to a third-party AI. Aviation only; sign in for your own records. Advisory, not an official briefing. FREE — EVERYTHING INCLUDED No subscription, nothing to buy. The moving map, charts and georeferenced plates, in-flight tools, and offline downloads all work without an account. Create a free account and nothing lives on one device: your logbook, flights, plans, aircraft, and checklists sync across iPhone, iPad, and the web. MOVING MAP Airports, airspace, navaids, fixes, airways, and MTRs — tap any feature for details. Airport diagrams draw on the map as you zoom in. Overlay VFR/IFR charts, live weather (radar, satellite, winds aloft, PIREPs, AIRMETs/SIGMETs), TFRs, and your route. Download states & territories offline. CHARTS & PLATES FAA approach plates, departure/arrival procedures, airport diagrams, and takeoff/alternate minimums — plus taxi diagrams where the FAA has none. Plates are georeferenced (your aircraft draws on the chart); drop any chart onto the map. AIRPORTS Frequencies, runway wind analysis, METARs/TAFs, NOTAMs, fuel & services, sunrise/sunset, and the chart supplement — all offline-ready. WEATHER Local Weather for your home or nearest airport: conditions, a plain-English TAF outlook and the 7-day forecast. Decoded METARs and TAFs, 270+ imagery products cached offline, FAA weather cameras, and FIS-B with an ADS-B receiver. NWS warnings, forecaster discussions and satellite loops arrive live from Tachbase's own GOES-18 satellite dish. TRAFFIC & FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS Connect any GDL90 ADS-B receiver — Stratux, Stratus 3, SkyEcho — for live traffic and weather. A PFD pairs an AHRS attitude indicator with an HSI that tracks your active leg or Direct-To. A customizable data bar adds terrain, obstacle, and traffic alerts with spoken callouts. FLIGHT PLANNING The route finder suggests routes ATC recently assigned — SIDs and STARs load with published legs on the map. Add approaches and airways; check a terrain profile with recommended MEA. Wind-corrected nav log with fuel planning, weight & balance, and PDF export. File, activate, amend, and close flight plans with Leidos Flight Services and official FAA/FSS briefings. Direct-To with holds and track lines. SMART LOGBOOK Log flights with approaches, passengers, and cost-splitting; auto-log with a GPS track; track FAA currency; and generate experience and 8710 reports. Import from ForeFlight or MyFlightbook, export CSV. Sign entries inline or via QR for instructor endorsements. AI APPS & DEVELOPERS Bring Tachbase into Claude or any MCP app, or build on our API: weather, airports, charts and regs — and, only with your approval, read-only access to your logbook, currency and aircraft. tachbase.com/developers PLUS: Home Screen widgets and a live Lock Screen flight activity; an aircraft hangar with weight & balance, POH takeoff/landing distances, and maintenance tracking; normal and emergency checklists; an E6B; an offline FAA library (FAR/AIM, handbooks, ACs); your own POHs and PDFs; iCloud backup; contacts; 8 themes. Tachbase supplements, not replaces, certified avionics and official sources. All data — aeronautical, weather, own-ship position — is for situational awareness only, not for primary or IFR navigation. Per FAA AC 91-78 and AC 120-76, the pilot in command must verify all information against official sources.

Screenshots

Ascent EFB4 screens
Tachbase4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Ascent EFB at 7 against Tachbase's 2. On price, rating, 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. Ascent EFB sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $89.99 per year and Tachbase sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Ascent EFB against 5.0 for Tachbase. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ascent EFB ships an update every 10 days, Tachbase every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Ascent EFB versus Tachbase: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAscent EFBTachbase
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (7 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings7 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size121 MB69 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperGeoSpatios808 Heavy Industries LLC

Customer experience

Ascent EFB

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Tachbase

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Ascent EFB

Subscriptions1
  • Yearly1 Year trial$89.991 Year
2 purchases

Tachbase

Subscriptions2
  • Tachbase Pro Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Tachbase Pro Annual$59.991 Year

Questions

Is Ascent EFB free?
Ascent EFB is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tachbase free?
Tachbase is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ascent EFB or Tachbase?
Ascent EFB and Tachbase are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 7 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Ascent EFB or Tachbase have ads?
Neither Ascent EFB nor Tachbase shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ascent EFB or Tachbase?
Ascent EFB ships an update every 10 days, and Tachbase every 6 days. Most recently, Ascent EFB was updated on October 21, 2026 and Tachbase on October 28, 2026.

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