Comparison

Pilot Log vs Captain Logbook

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

Head to head
About

Pilot Log

This app provides a digital logbook for pilots to easily record and manage flight time. It offers cloud backup, digital signatures for dual instruction, and quick tracking of flight currency. Users can also export data to PDF or CSV formats for safekeeping and analysis.

Highlights
  • Cloud backup for flight logs
  • Digital signatures for dual instruction
  • Track Day/Night VFR and IFR currency
  • Save logbook to Dropbox
  • Export logbook to PDF
  • Export logbook to CSV
Features
Read full description

PilotLog is a clean, fast pilot logbook for student pilots, private pilots, and working professionals. Log a flight in under a minute, see your hours and currency at a glance, and keep an organized record of every leg you fly. Log flights without friction Quick entry with smart defaults: date, aircraft, departure and arrival, times, and the conditions you actually care about — cross-country, night, instrument, PIC, dual, simulated. Edit anything, anytime. Your aircraft, your way Manage tail numbers, categories, and class ratings. Custom fields let you log whatever your training or operation requires — landings, approaches, holds, sim sessions, you name it. Dashboard that tells you something Total time, recent activity, currency at a glance. Filter by date range. Stop scrolling spreadsheets to figure out where you stand. Reports (Pro) Detailed breakdowns by aircraft, time category, and any custom field you've defined. Designed for checkride prep, insurance audits, and recurrent training documentation. Endorsements (Pro) Create CFI endorsements, capture signatures, and share signed PDFs with your student. The whole loop, in your pocket. Photo attachments (Pro) Attach photos to any flight — first solo, the view from FL230, the gotcha you want to remember. Sync with the web Everything stays in sync between the iPhone app and pilotlog.app. Log a flight on the ramp, review it on your laptop at home. Free vs Pro Logging flights, managing aircraft, and the dashboard are always free. PilotLog Pro unlocks Reports, photo uploads, and creating new endorsements. Whether you're building hours toward your next rating or running a Part 61 sign-off, PilotLog gives you a logbook that finally feels native to your phone.

About

Captain Logbook

Log your flights with detailed information including flight numbers, times, and approaches. The app offers intelligent suggestions, cloud syncing across devices, and export options in various formats. A free version is available for up to 100 flights.

Highlights
  • Log flights with detailed data
  • Intelligent suggestions and custom fields
  • Cloud sync across iPhone and iPad
  • Export to PDF (EASA, Jeppesen) and CSV
  • Dark Mode and Sign In with Apple integration
  • Local data backup
Features
Read full description

Captain’s Logbook focuses on the important stuff matters for an airline pilot. *Log Anything* Create flights with flight numbers, airports, OOOI times, approaches flown, number of passengers, takeoffs and landings, crew pairings. Custom fields are available for pilot sand flights. *Intelligent* The app knows you always fly the Canarsie VOR 13R approach at JFK airport while conducting the Expressway Visual Approach Runway 31 into LGA. Suggestion lists are available for some fields to save your time. *Synced* The app supports both the iPhone and the iPad. Your flight logs on all of your devices are synced with our Captain Cloud for free (registration required.) Of course, you can always back up your data to CSV file and PDF format locally. *Cool* The app integrates the latest cool technologies including Dark Mode and Sign In with Apple. *Export* Export all of your flights to PDF file, including EASA and Jeppesen(FAA) format. You can also export the logbook to CSV(spreadsheet) file. *Try it yourself* A full functional app is available for FREE, for up to 100 flights logged. Afterwards, a "Pro Captain" subscription in the App Store is required for creating more flights. Subscriptions - Pro Captain (Unlimited Access) plan: The prices may vary in different regions or countries, check Settings > Subscriptions in the app for details. Your account will be charged for renewal automatically, unless auto-renew is turned off 24 hours prior to the end of the current subscription period. Automatic renewals will cost the same price you were originally charged for the subscription. You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings on the App Store after purchase. Privacy Policy: https://captainlogbook.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://captainlogbook.app/terms-of-use

Screenshots

Pilot Log4 screens
Captain Logbook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Captain Logbook at 5.0 against Pilot Log's 4.0. Captain Logbook also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 71%). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Pilot Log sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Captain Logbook sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Captain Logbook holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Captain Logbook has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Pilot Log's written reviews are positive against 100% of Captain Logbook's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pilot Log ships an update every 6 weeks, Captain Logbook every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Pilot Log versus Captain Logbook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPilot LogCaptain Logbook
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.216.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMobile Dev Group LLCChung-Lun Chiang

Customer experience

Pilot Log

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%

Captain Logbook

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Pilot Log

One-time2
  • PilotLog One Month Subscription$1.99
  • PilotLog One Year Subscription$11.99
2 purchases

Captain Logbook

Subscriptions2
  • Unlimited Access (monthly)$0.991 Month
  • Unlimited Access (Annually)$7.991 Year

Questions

Is Pilot Log free?
Pilot Log is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Captain Logbook free?
Captain Logbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pilot Log or Captain Logbook?
Captain Logbook is rated higher. Pilot Log averages 4.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Captain Logbook averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.
Do Pilot Log or Captain Logbook have ads?
Pilot Log shows ads; Captain Logbook does not.
Which is updated more often, Pilot Log or Captain Logbook?
Pilot Log ships an update every 6 weeks, and Captain Logbook every 2 months. Most recently, Pilot Log was updated on September 28, 2026 and Captain Logbook on September 23, 2026.

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