# Airmate vs CaptainVFR

The clearest difference is rating: CaptainVFR at 5.0 against Airmate's 4.5. CaptainVFR also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 21) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 weeks). Airmate's advantage is ratings volume (545 vs 1). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Airmate sells 21 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per year. CaptainVFR asks for nothing beyond the download.

CaptainVFR holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Airmate has 545 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Airmate ships an update every 6 weeks, CaptainVFR every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and July 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Airmate | CaptainVFR |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (545 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/airmate/id998181102/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/captainvfr/id6748603359/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **545** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 220 MB | 81 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Myriel Aviation SA](https://appshunter.io/developer/998181101) | [Quality Unit s.r.o.](https://appshunter.io/developer/496195073) |

## What reviewers say

### Airmate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/airmate/id998181102)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (21)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Airmate Premium | $24.99 | per year |
| Photorealistic terrain display | $47.99 | per year |
| Flight plan filing token | $1.99 | one-time |
| Token for 1 year chart access | $3.99 | one-time |
| Support Airmate development! | $4.99 | one-time |
| Argentina Center VFR 2022 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Chile North VFR chart 2022 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Chile Santiago VFR chart 2022 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Argentina/Chile South VFR 2022 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Support Airmate development! | $8.99 | one-time |
| Chart download token | $8.99 | one-time |
| Italy North Avioportolano 2022 | $11.99 | one-time |
| Support Airmate development! | $17.99 | one-time |
| Airmate Pro version | $22.99 | one-time |
| Tunisia VFR Air Million 2024 | $24.99 | one-time |
| Skyguide Swiss VFR Airport Plates (with one year updates) | $36.99 | one-time |
| Airmate Dispatcher | $44.99 | one-time |
| Avioportolano VFR Airfield Plates for Italy (one year subscription) | $46.99 | one-time |
| Airport Plates premium browser | $54.99 | one-time |
| UAE 2023 Rogers Data | $79.99 | one-time |
| UAE 2025 Rogers Data | $89.99 | one-time |


### CaptainVFR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/captainvfr/id6748603359)

This app provides comprehensive flight planning and navigation tools for VFR pilots. It offers interactive aviation maps, flight planning assistance, airport data, and essential pilot tools for safe and efficient visual flight rules operations.

**Highlights:** Interactive aviation maps with offline support, Intuitive flight planning with route calculations, Comprehensive airport database with weather and NOTAMs, Essential pilot tools including E6B computer, Real-time GPS tracking and moving map, Offline capability for core navigation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Airmate free?

Airmate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is CaptainVFR free?

CaptainVFR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Airmate or CaptainVFR?

CaptainVFR is rated higher. Airmate averages 4.5 out of 5 from 545 ratings, while CaptainVFR averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Airmate or CaptainVFR have ads?

Neither Airmate nor CaptainVFR shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Airmate or CaptainVFR?

Airmate ships an update every 6 weeks, and CaptainVFR every 4 days. Most recently, Airmate was updated on September 24, 2026 and CaptainVFR on July 4, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*