iPreFlight3 vs Active Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iPreFlight3
This app helps pilots quickly calculate available payload and fuel for flights. It integrates runway analysis, weight and balance, and flight planning with weather data. Users can prepare flight books and releases, and share them with crew.
- Max Payload Estimator (MPE™)
- Runway Analysis (RWA)
- Weight and Balance (WB)
- Flight Planning with Fuel Calculation
- Flight Book preparation
- Flight Release generation and sharing
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Aircraft Performance Group (APG) has released an application for use on the iPad, which integrates their Runway Analysis (RWA) and Weight and Balance (WB) system with a flight planning module. The combination of these functions allows the user to easily and quickly calculate the available payload for a planned flight – this service is known as MPE™ (Max Payload Estimator). iPreFlight™, has been developed to run on the iPad using the latest iPad technology. iPreFlight™ is a first-of-a-kind product that requires minimum user input to quickly calculate the available payload for a given city pairing, considering takeoff/landing performance limitations, manufacturers WB requirements and flight planning constraints. The flight planning element utilizes manufacturer’s operational data, in conjunction with current forecast weather conditions to calculate the fuel required for the flight. The fuel calculation includes fuel burn (optimized for minimum fuel or time), reserve, alternate and holding fuel. In addition to including the RWA, WB and flight plan, iPreFlight™ allows the user to prepare a Flight Book, containing all textual and graphical weather products for the planned flight. The book may be prepared days in advance of the flight, stored on the iPad and can be automatically updated as products are revised. Approaching departure time the user can easily prepare a Flight Release, consolidating the RWA, WB, flight plan and weather products. The Flight Release may then be emailed, stored on the iPad and/or shared with another iPad, such as the other fight deck crewmembers’, by simply selecting the appropriate distribution method(s). iPreFlight consolidates several preflight functions into one program, not only ensuring accurate takeoff and landing performance limits and correct aircraft loading, but allows pilots to quickly calculate the available payload and fuel requirements for a flight. In addition, iPreflight™ allows pilots to make last minute adjustments with just a few keystrokes. The Flight Release may then be saved on the iPad for review in-flight and shared with the other crewmember, Application Requirements: To use this application you must be an existing APG customer having a Runway Analysis (Point Calculation) and Weight and Balance services account.
Active Reader
This app serves as an enterprise content delivery system, providing secure access to company documents and information. Users require specific credentials to log in and utilize its features.
- Enterprise content delivery
- Secure access
- Credentials required
- System administrator access
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Active Reader™, your enterprise content delivery system. Credentials required. Contact your system administrator for access.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: iPreFlight3 at 3.1 against Active Reader's 2.4. Active Reader's advantage is review sentiment (17% vs 5%) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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.
iPreFlight3 holds the better App Store score, 3.1 against 2.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 55 and 41 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 5% of iPreFlight3's written reviews are positive against 17% of Active Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
iPreFlight3 ships an update every 6 weeks, Active Reader every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 19, 2026 and June 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iPreFlight3 | Active Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.1 (55 ratings) — better | 2.4 (41 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 5.0% of reviews | 17.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 55 — better | 41 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 116 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Aircraft Performance Group, LLC | ViaTech Publishing Solutions, Inc. |
Customer experience
iPreFlight3
Active Reader
In-app purchases
iPreFlight3
No in-app purchases
Active Reader
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is iPreFlight3 free?
Is Active Reader free?
Which has better reviews, iPreFlight3 or Active Reader?
Do iPreFlight3 or Active Reader have ads?
Which is updated more often, iPreFlight3 or Active Reader?
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