Comparison

SkyBrief vs VFR Weather Basic

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

Head to head
About

SkyBrief

This app provides comprehensive preflight weather briefings, route planning, and weight & balance calculations for general aviation pilots. It summarizes conditions, highlights hazards, and assesses flight risks to ensure safe departures. Supports custom aircraft profiles and personal minimums.

Highlights
  • Weather briefings with AI summaries
  • Route planning with hazard highlighting
  • Weight & balance calculations
  • Personal minimums and alerts
  • Flight risk assessment (FRAT)
  • Regional weather charts and NOTAMs
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

SkyBrief — Preflight Weather Briefings for Pilots Honest, complete weather briefings you can trust before every flight. SkyBrief turns raw METAR, TAF, TFR and NOTAM data into a clear go/no-go picture — with no invented values and no guesswork. When a data source is unavailable, SkyBrief tells you plainly instead of filling the gap with made-up numbers. FREE • Live METAR & TAF for any U.S. airport, decoded into plain language • Automatic VFR / MVFR / IFR / LIFR flight category and a go/no-go read • NOTAM digest — active notices grouped by type, closures and restrictions first • Nearby stations, airport directory, and a 24-hour conditions trend • Weight & balance calculator with CG envelope • Flight logbook, currency tracker, and custom checklists • Home Screen widget — your home airport's conditions at a glance • Shareable briefing cards PRO • AI-powered plain-language briefings, with voice read-aloud • Route briefings with real FAA TFRs and true terrain profiles • Winds-aloft nav log and a best-altitude optimizer (compare time & fuel by altitude) • Live radar & satellite overlay on your route • Personal-minimums monitoring with optional push alerts • Kneeboard flight mode, W&B what-if scenarios, and PDF briefing export • Cloud-synced briefing history BUILT ON HONEST DATA Your decisions deserve honest inputs. SkyBrief shows real observations and forecasts from aviationweather.gov and the FAA — and is transparent whenever data is missing or a scan can't complete. ACCESSIBLE Full in-app text-size scaling and high-contrast, readable text in every lighting and sky condition. SkyBrief is a decision-support tool and is not a substitute for an official FAA weather briefing. Always obtain an official briefing before flight. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://skybriefapp.com/privacy.html SkyBrief Pro is an auto-renewable subscription. Monthly and annual plans are available with a 7-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your App Store account settings.

About

VFR Weather Basic

Read full description

VFR Weather Basic is a limited version of VFR Weather. It allows you to get the current METAR of an airport (user input of any US airport ICAO code). It will then show the latest METAR report gathered from aviationweather.gov This free version has limitations that the paid VFR Weather app does not: - Only allows METAR, no TAF or Runway information. - Only one airport vs departure, multiple en-route and destinations airports. - Show me button does not show satellite view of airport with wind sock and wind information. - Runway selection for report is disabled (does not show runway details in report page). - Winds Aloft button is disabled.

Screenshots

SkyBrief4 screens
VFR Weather Basic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: VFR Weather Basic at none against SkyBrief's 4. VFR Weather Basic also leads on ads (none vs shown). SkyBrief's advantage is chart position (#191 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.6). On price and device support 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. SkyBrief sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. VFR Weather Basic asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
SkyBrief versus VFR Weather Basic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSkyBriefVFR Weather Basic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (16 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews25.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings16 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 days—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
Best chart rank#191 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRohith VelmuruganJeff Bieren

In-app purchases

4 purchases

SkyBrief

Subscriptions2
  • SkyBrief Pro Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • SkyBrief Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time2
  • SkyBrief Pro Monthly$4.99
  • SkyBrief Pro Annual$39.99
None

VFR Weather Basic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SkyBrief free?
SkyBrief is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is VFR Weather Basic free?
VFR Weather Basic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SkyBrief or VFR Weather Basic have ads?
SkyBrief shows ads; VFR Weather Basic does not.

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