VFR Wise METAR & TAF Decoder vs PilotCalc Pro
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
VFR Wise METAR & TAF Decoder
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VFR Wise METAR & TAF Decoder helps pilots and student pilots understand weather reports properly, not just look them up. Paste a METAR or TAF and get a structured plain-English explanation of every part. Important: the app interface remains in English by design. That helps keep aviation terminology familiar, especially because much training material and ATC phraseology are commonly used in English. What you can do: - Paste any METAR or TAF and decode it immediately - Detect report type automatically with no extra settings - See wind, visibility, cloud, temperature, pressure, trend, and remarks clearly - Follow each TAF forecast period and change group separately - Keep unknown tokens visible instead of silently dropping them - Store the last decoded reports locally - Work fully offline with no account required Built for practical understanding: - Plain-English output rather than token expansion alone - UK English throughout - Clear uncertainty handling and confidence cues - Helpful for training, revision, and day-to-day weather reading on the ground Disclaimer: This app is a learning and reference aid. It does not replace official aviation weather briefings, formal instruction, or approved sources. Always verify weather information through official channels before flight.
PilotCalc Pro
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PilotCalc Pro is a fast, offline-first flight calculator built by a pilot, for pilots. 27 focused calculators across regulatory reference, core E6B, planning, and conversions โ each designed for the cockpit: large, readable outputs, dual Zulu/local times where it matters, and a keypad that never blocks a decimal point or a minus sign. Everything works offline. No account, no ads, no tracking. REGULATORY โข Max FDP โ maximum flight duty period (GCAA; advisory) โข Crew Rest โ in-flight rest timing with an on-device rest timer โข Converted Met Visibility โ from reported visibility CORE โข Pressure Altitude โ indicated altitude + QNH โ pressure altitude โข Density Altitude โ pressure altitude + OAT โ density altitude โข TAS / IAS / CAS / Mach โ four-way airspeed solver โข Wind Components โ crosswind, headwind & drift PLANNING โข Time ยท Speed ยท Distance โ solve any of the three โข Fuel โ burn, endurance & required fuel โข Fuel Uplift โ refuel cross-check; USG โ kg, uplift sum & discrepancy โข Climb Gradient โ gradient โ rate of climb โ ground speed โข Descent โ top of descent & crossing restrictions โข Glide โ engine-out glide range (still air) โข Cloud Base โ convective cloud base from temperature/dewpoint โข Holding Pattern โ entry, timing & geometry โข Sun Events โ sunrise, sunset & twilight โข Sun En Route โ sunrise/sunset along a route in flight โข Weight & Balance โ weight, CG & envelope โข NEO Crosswind on Ground โ A320/A321neo takeoff crosswind + tailwind envelope โข Oceanic Crossing โ North Atlantic & Pacific (PACOTS) oceanic tracks REFERENCE โข Converter โ length, speed, temperature, pressure, mass, volume โข Metric Altitude โ China/Russia metric levels โ feet โข RVR / Visibility โ RVR & visibility (FAA ft โ m) โข Currency โ offline currency converter โข Cold Temp Correction โ cold-day altitude correction (ICAO table) โข WX Decode โ read a METAR, TAF, D-ATIS or SNOWTAM in plain language โข Dangerous Goods โ decode a NOTOC drill code; look up a UN/ID number FASTER WEATHER INPUT Paste a raw METAR into the weather calculators โ or scan printed weather text with the camera โ to auto-fill the inputs. No manual transcription. PRIVACY No accounts. No ads. No tracking. No third-party analytics. No network. Your data never leaves your device. IMPORTANT โ ADVISORY USE ONLY PilotCalc Pro is a planning and educational aid. Its outputs โ including all regulatory figures such as flight-duty-time limits โ are advisory and are not a substitute for official aeronautical information, approved aircraft documentation, your operator's Operations Manual, or current charts and NOTAMs. Always verify against authoritative sources. The pilot in command is solely responsible for all operational decisions.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: VFR Wise METAR & TAF Decoder at every 6 weeks against PilotCalc Pro's every 3 months. VFR Wise METAR & TAF Decoder also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
VFR Wise METAR & TAF Decoder ships an update every 6 weeks, PilotCalc Pro every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | VFR Wise METAR & TAF Decoder | PilotCalc Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks โ better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 โ better | 18.6 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 18 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ashley Poole | Vinayak Raghubir Sharma |
In-app purchases
VFR Wise METAR & TAF Decoder
No in-app purchases
PilotCalc Pro
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is VFR Wise METAR & TAF Decoder free?
Is PilotCalc Pro free?
Do VFR Wise METAR & TAF Decoder or PilotCalc Pro have ads?
Which is updated more often, VFR Wise METAR & TAF Decoder or PilotCalc Pro?
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