C172 Performance vs PocketPath
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
C172 Performance
This app calculates essential flight performance data for Cessna 172 and 150 aircraft. It covers takeoff, landing, climb, cruise, descent, instrument procedures, and emergencies, with additional tools for holds and glide calculations. Cloud sync ensures your flight plans are accessible across devices.
- Takeoff and landing calculations
- Climb, cruise, and descent performance
- Instrument procedure planning
- Emergency scenario calculations
- Interactive hold calculator
- Emergency glide distance calculator
- Cloud sync for flight plans
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C172 Performance computes all the useful performance numbers for flight planning for Cessna model 172 and 150 aircraft. It includes calculations for takeoff, landing, climb, cruise, descent, instrument procedures as well as emergencies. It also includes an interactive hold calculator, a risk analysis tool, and an emergency glide distance calculator that handles head and tailwinds. C172 Performance is also available on other mobile devices and as a WebApp (an App that runs in a browser) that runs on a variety of platforms (PC, Mac, tablets, phones). The cloud sync feature allows flight planning profiles entered on any device to be synchronized with your other devices when connected to the Internet. C172 Performance is a free, open-source development effort and has Apps and WebApps for other aircraft. See http://pohperformance.com for complete details.
PocketPath
This pilot's guide provides essential airport communication information for U.S. airports, including flight services, FAA diagrams, and airspace data. It offers offline access to current FAA weather and airport services, with an emergency services link.
- U.S. airport directory by name, city, or ID
- Offline access to FAA data
- Current FAA weather and airport services
- FAA airport diagrams and airspace data
- 911 Emergency Services link
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For all pilots — students, flight instructors, recreational, and Rusty pilots — PocketPath has you covered. PocketPath is an iPhone-based pilot’s guide to airport communications, offering access to all U.S. airports by name, city, or ID. Basic flight and ground services are included, along with FAA airport diagrams and airspace data. All information is automatically updated using current FAA data and is stored locally on the device, so it’s accessible without Wi-Fi or cellular service — ideal for use at any altitude or location. 24-hour current FAA weather is available, and airport services including Fixed Base Operators (FBOs) are listed, with optional voice call support. PocketPath also offers a 911 Emergency Services link using local phone service, available anywhere in the continental U.S. and its territories (requires an active carrier with 4G or 5G service). PocketPath is intended as a "Pilot’s Aid" and is not FAA certified — it should not be used for the primary control of an aircraft.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: PocketPath at none against C172 Performance's shown. PocketPath also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and review sentiment (100% vs 90%). C172 Performance's advantage is ratings volume (52 vs 4) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for C172 Performance against 5.0 for PocketPath. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: C172 Performance has 52 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of C172 Performance's written reviews are positive against 100% of PocketPath's.
C172 Performance ships an update every 2 months, PocketPath every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | C172 Performance | PocketPath |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (52 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 90.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 52 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | POH Performance L.L.C. | Aeropath, Inc. |
Customer experience
C172 Performance
PocketPath
In-app purchases
C172 Performance
No in-app purchases
PocketPath
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is C172 Performance free?
Is PocketPath free?
Which has better reviews, C172 Performance or PocketPath?
Do C172 Performance or PocketPath have ads?
Which is updated more often, C172 Performance or PocketPath?
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