Comparison

Tachbase vs Jeb's 3D Flight Bag

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

Head to head
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.

About

Jeb's 3D Flight Bag

Features
Read full description

Jeb's Lite is an electronic flight bag (EFB) for general aviation pilots — moving map, charts, weather, traffic, and ATC transcription, all in your pocket. It's the lighter, App Store edition of Jeb's Flight Bag from Orchestr Aerospace. WHAT'S INSIDE • Moving map with VFR sectional, IFR enroute (low/high), satellite, and terrain layers. Your ownship icon updates live from GPS as you fly. • Live weather: current METAR and TAF for any airport, NEXRAD radar overlay, winds aloft. Data sourced from aviationweather.gov. • ADS-B traffic: nearby aircraft on the map with altitude, heading, and ground speed. Powered by adsb.fi with OpenSky fallback. • ATC transcription: tune a LiveATC stream and get the controller's calls transcribed in real time on-device with Whisper. Callsigns, frequencies, and flight levels highlighted live. • Flight planning: type a route ("KOWD KBOS"), get distance, ETE, fuel burn, and a vertical profile. Airports, navaids, fixes, and airways all queryable. • Airport reference: runway diagrams, frequencies, fuel availability, and FAA approach plates for the US. • AI copilot: ask "should I fly given the current METAR for KBOS?" or "decode this TAF" and the on-device AI answers using the live data you've already fetched. Use OpenAI or Anthropic with your own key, or the in-browser Phi-3.5 model that runs on Neural Engine / GPU — no key required, no data leaves your device. • Offline first: navdata cached on first run; moving map keeps working in the air with no signal. WHO IT'S FOR VFR and IFR private pilots, student pilots, CFIs, and anyone planning a flight from home before driving to the airport. JEB'S LITE vs JEB'S FLIGHT BAG (FULL) Lite is the mobile + web experience. The full Jeb's Flight Bag prosumer edition adds hardware integrations — USB SDR (bring your own ADS-B-in receiver), GDL90 input from Sentry or Stratux, native PDF rendering for terminal procedure publications, and runs on Jetson Orin Nano or Raspberry Pi 5 cockpit hardware. Lite has the same software, minus the hardware bridges. SAFETY Jeb's Lite is advisory only. It does not replace official charts, the weather briefing, ATIS, the POH, or any FAA/Transport Canada/EASA publication. The pilot in command is always responsible for the safe conduct of the flight. Cross-check every value the app shows. ABOUT Built by Orchestr Aerospace Inc., based in Montréal and Irvine. orchaerospace.com Sentry is a trademark of uAvionix. Stratux is a community project. ForeFlight is a trademark of Boeing. Orchestr Aerospace Inc. is not affiliated with any of these. JEB'S PRO SUBSCRIPTION Jeb's Pro is offered as an auto-renewing monthly or annual subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it any time in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.orchaerospace.com/privacy

Screenshots

Tachbase4 screens
Jeb's 3D Flight Bag4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Tachbase at every 6 days against Jeb's 3D Flight Bag's every 4 months. Jeb's 3D Flight Bag's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Tachbase sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Jeb's 3D Flight Bag sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tachbase ships an update every 6 days, Jeb's 3D Flight Bag every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Tachbase versus Jeb's 3D Flight Bag: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTachbaseJeb's 3D Flight Bag
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer808 Heavy Industries LLCWonmo Seong

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Tachbase

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

Jeb's 3D Flight Bag

Subscriptions2
  • Jeb's Pro Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Jeb's Pro Annual7 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Jeb's Pro Lifetime$149.99

Questions

Is Tachbase free?
Tachbase is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Jeb's 3D Flight Bag free?
Jeb's 3D Flight Bag is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Tachbase or Jeb's 3D Flight Bag have ads?
Neither Tachbase nor Jeb's 3D Flight Bag shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tachbase or Jeb's 3D Flight Bag?
Tachbase ships an update every 6 days, and Jeb's 3D Flight Bag every 4 months. Most recently, Tachbase was updated on October 28, 2026 and Jeb's 3D Flight Bag on October 31, 2026.

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