Comparison

Tachbase vs NexHawk EFB

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

NexHawk EFB

This comprehensive electronic flight bag provides pilots with a live moving map, aviation charts, traffic, and terrain awareness. It features a voice-driven AI copilot for hands-free operation and can connect to flight simulators for an immersive experience.

Highlights
  • Voice-driven AI Copilot
  • Live moving map with aviation charts
  • Traffic and terrain awareness
  • Glass cockpit display (PFD/HSI)
  • Flight simulator integration
  • Pilot logbook and checklists
Features
Read full description

Your whole cockpit, at a glance. NexHawk is an all-in-one electronic flight bag (EFB) for general-aviation pilots and flight-sim enthusiasts. A live moving map, aviation charts, traffic, terrain awareness, and a voice-driven AI copilot — together in one clean, glanceable cockpit. WHAT MAKES NEXHAWK DIFFERENT • Voice-driven AI Copilot — ask for weather, airports, or routes hands-free, eyes outside • A true glass cockpit (PFD/HSI) with an embedded moving-map MFD • Drive the map straight from your flight simulator over your local network MOVING MAP • Your aircraft on VFR sectional, IFR low/high, and street/satellite base maps • Smart decluttering, day/night, and configurable zoom & follow behavior • Distance rings, terrain shading, and airspace awareness FLIGHT PLANNING • Build and fly routes with bearing, distance, ETE, and active-leg guidance • Direct-To, nearest airports, and an airport directory with frequencies & runways • Vertical flight profile showing terrain, airspace, and obstacles along your route AWARENESS & ALERTS • Terrain, airspace, and traffic advisories tuned to your phase of flight • SkyScan traffic display with configurable thresholds GLASS COCKPIT & SIM • PFD/HSI glass panel with an embedded moving-map MFD • Connect to a flight-simulator bridge on your local network to drive the map from your sim EVERYTHING ELSE • Pilot Logbook, Black Box flight recorder, Aircraft Checklists & Maintenance • Career Navigator, Learning Center, and guided tutorials • Wingman pilot-to-pilot messaging Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Tachbase4 screens
NexHawk EFB4 screens

Verdict

The call

Tachbase and NexHawk EFB are too close to call on the numbers: across 9 compared parameters — price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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 NexHawk EFB sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year. 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 Tachbase against 5.0 for NexHawk EFB. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tachbase ships an update every 6 days, NexHawk EFB every 8 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Tachbase versus NexHawk EFB: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTachbaseNexHawk EFB
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Number of ratings22
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 8 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB125 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer808 Heavy Industries LLCSKYLINE ARC LLC

Customer experience

Tachbase

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

NexHawk EFB

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

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Tachbase

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

NexHawk EFB

Subscriptions7
  • Multi-Device (1 Year)$19.991 Year
  • Afterburner (3 Months)14 Days trial$20.993 Months
  • NexHawk IFR (3 Months)$37.993 Months
Show 4 more
  • Maverick Elite (3 Months)14 Days trial$55.993 Months
  • Afterburner (1 Year)14 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • NexHawk IFR (1 Year)$129.991 Year
  • Maverick Elite (1 Year)14 Days trial$189.991 Year
One-time3
  • Premium Profile Images$2.99
  • Support The Dev$4.99
  • Flight Simulator Bridge$9.99

Questions

Is Tachbase free?
Tachbase is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NexHawk EFB free?
NexHawk EFB is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Tachbase or NexHawk EFB?
Tachbase and NexHawk EFB are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Tachbase or NexHawk EFB have ads?
Neither Tachbase nor NexHawk EFB shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tachbase or NexHawk EFB?
Tachbase ships an update every 6 days, and NexHawk EFB every 8 days. Most recently, Tachbase was updated on October 31, 2026 and NexHawk EFB on October 31, 2026.

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