Comparison

Airmate vs IFR Trainer

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

Head to head
About

Airmate

This app provides pilots with comprehensive flight planning tools, including weather forecasts, airport data, and navigation charts. It enhances situational awareness with a moving map, traffic displays, and terrain elevation views. Pilots can also file flight plans and record their flights.

Highlights
  • Flight planning and weather forecasts
  • Airport data and aviation maps
  • Moving map with aircraft location
  • Traffic and terrain elevation display
  • Flight plan filing and management
  • Flight recording and replay
  • ADS-B traffic and weather reception
Features
Read full description

Airmate is a free and easy to use flight planning and weather app for pilots, improving situational awareness and providing instant access to airport data and aviation maps, up to date weather and NOTAMs, traffic around. IFR and VFR airport plates are freely available in US (FAA charts), Europe, and more than 200 other countries. Many of them are georeferenced and could be overlaid on the aviation chart. A powerful Plate Manager allows to download in advance all airport plates in a country, they could be easily printed and viewed. During the flight, the moving map will display the aircraft location along the route, show airports and aeronautical data details and traffic around, warn you if your planned route is crossing restricted areas. A profile view is available to display terrain elevation, crossed areas and forecasted weather across the route. Airmate can also display a backup aircraft attitude indicator and flight parameters in an EFIS-like view. In the whole world, Synthetic Vision displaying in the EFIS-like view the ups and downs of rolling terrain ahead is available. In selected countries, Airmate can display scenery if this option is purchased. Airmate includes a worldwide aeronautical database updated free of charge with airports, navigation beacons, waypoints, airways, obstacles, regulated and restricted areas. Topographic maps and elevation data for most countries may be downloaded free of charge, as well as additional aviation map overlays such US Sectionals. A procedure database provide details of departure (SID), arrival (STAR) and instrument approaches in the USA, and you could add those procedures to your planned flight route (the procedure database includes all US airports, we are workding to add airports in other countries). Once loaded, the procedure path is displayed on the aeronautical map, including curved paths and racetracks. When coupled with a supported external ADS-B received, Airmate will display nearby traffic on the moving map, and receive FIS-B weather and NOTAM during the flight. To improve safety, Airmate can display neighbouring traffic received over mobile network. Such traffic include commercial airlines and transponder-equiped aircrafts, FLARM gliders, aircrafts whose pilots are using Airmate and other users using other safety broadcasting equipment. Airmate is able to transmit the flight plan data to supported avionics such Dynon SkyView. Thanks to the Auto Route feature, you could search and select the best route for your flight, and then file your VFR or IFR flight plan. Once filed, your flight plan could easily be managed, delayed or cancelled. Airmate will also record your flights and allow to replay them later or export the flight path in gpx format, you could take pictures from the app during flights. Pilot log entries are automatically computed from flown flights. A Satellite map display mode in flight planning or replay mode allows to familiarize with significant landmarks. Airmate will save planned and flown flights, user waypoints and user aircrafts in the cloud and sync them between your devices and Airmate web flight planning. Airmate brings numerous social features to the community. Pilots may leave ratings, tips and comments to share their experience with fellow pilots, and report fuel prices and landing fees. They could find friends, instructors, flight schools, aviation events and aircraft to rent near their home airport or any visited airport. Airmate may be connected to most flight simulators to keep flying skills sharp, and will manage also AHRS and simulated traffic data transmitted by the flight simulator. Planned flights and personal waypoints may be imported and exported. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

IFR Trainer

Enhance your instrument flight training with this tool that simulates navigation instruments. Practice course and radial tracking on your iPad or iPhone, saving time and resources during real flight sessions.

Highlights
  • Electronic Horizontal Situation Indicator (EHSI)
  • DME reading and bearing pointers
  • VOR radial and NDB bearing tracking
  • Landscape dual-gauge mode
  • HSI and ADF Indicator display
  • Manually adjustable compass card
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPad or iPhone into a powerful IFR training tool! The IFR Trainer is a simple yet effective tool designed to enhance your instrument flight training. Practice course and radial tracking on your device, saving valuable time during your actual flight training. The IFR Trainer features an Electronic Horizontal Situation Indicator (EHSI) with a DME reading and two bearing pointers. Use the EHSI to intercept VOR radials or track NDB bearings. Alternatively, switch to a landscape dual-gauge mode, displaying both an HSI and a single-needle ADF Indicator with a manually adjustable compass card. For optimal performance, we recommend using the dark appearance mode, which complies with EASA AMC 25-11. The light appearance mode is ideal for classroom presentations.

Screenshots

Airmate4 screens
IFR Trainer3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Airmate at Free against IFR Trainer's $1.99. Airmate also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 33%) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 23 months). IFR Trainer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 21). On ads and device support 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

Airmate is free to download; IFR Trainer costs $1.99 up front. Airmate sells 21 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per year. IFR Trainer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Airmate ships an update every 6 weeks, IFR Trainer every 23 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Airmate versus IFR Trainer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAirmateIFR Trainer
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.5 (545 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings545 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 23 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size220 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMyriel Aviation SAReparo

Customer experience

Airmate

All ratings545 ratings
Positive89.2%
Neutral4.4%
Negative6.4%
Written reviews412 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral9.5%
Negative15.5%

IFR Trainer

Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

21 purchases

Airmate

Subscriptions2
  • Airmate Premium$24.991 Year
  • Photorealistic terrain display$47.991 Year
One-time19
  • Flight plan filing token$1.99
  • Token for 1 year chart access$3.99
  • Support Airmate development!$4.99
Show 16 more
  • Argentina Center VFR 2022$4.99
  • Chile North VFR chart 2022$4.99
  • Chile Santiago VFR chart 2022$4.99
  • Argentina/Chile South VFR 2022$4.99
  • Support Airmate development!$8.99
  • Chart download token$8.99
  • Italy North Avioportolano 2022$11.99
  • Support Airmate development!$17.99
  • Airmate Pro version$22.99
  • Tunisia VFR Air Million 2024$24.99
  • Skyguide Swiss VFR Airport Plates (with one year updates)$36.99
  • Airmate Dispatcher$44.99
  • Avioportolano VFR Airfield Plates for Italy (one year subscription)$46.99
  • Airport Plates premium browser$54.99
  • UAE 2023 Rogers Data$79.99
  • UAE 2025 Rogers Data$89.99
None

IFR Trainer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Airmate free?
Airmate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is IFR Trainer free?
IFR Trainer costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Airmate or IFR Trainer have ads?
Neither Airmate nor IFR Trainer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Airmate or IFR Trainer?
Airmate ships an update every 6 weeks, and IFR Trainer every 23 months. Most recently, Airmate was updated on September 24, 2026 and IFR Trainer on September 15, 2026.

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