Software · head to head
ForeFlight vs Garmin Pilot
ForeFlight
Software
Comprehensive flight planning and pilot briefing app
- From
- $130/year
- Rated
- -
Garmin Pilot
Software
All-in-one flight planning and navigation app
- From
- $99/year
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: ForeFlight device restrictions: 2 iPads and 1 iPhone, or 1 iPad and 2 iPhones per licence; Garmin Pilot garmin Pilot's iPad app is offered on a 30-day free trial from initial download, after which the subscription plans described on Garmin's site apply
- They diverge on capability: ForeFlight covers Weather briefings, Garmin Pilot covers Weather overlays.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which ForeFlight and Garmin Pilot actually diverge.
| Attribute | ForeFlight | Garmin Pilot |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $130/year | $99/year |
| Platforms | iPad, iPhone | Ios, Android |
| Founded | 2007 | 1989 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in ForeFlight
- Weather briefings
- Navigation
- Weight & balance
- Jeppesen charts
- ADS-B receivers
- ARINC Direct
- Boeing services
- Secure cloud sync
Only in Garmin Pilot
- Weather overlays
- Panel sync
- Traffic display
- GTN series
- G1000/G3000
- GDL receivers
- Connext
- Secure sync
Both cover
- Flight planning
- Aeronautical charts
- Garmin avionics
- Data encryption
- Flight sharing
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
ForeFlight
- Flight planning and navigation for pilotsnot Garmin Pilot
- Aviation weather and digital logbooknot Garmin Pilot
- Airport information and terrain profilingnot Garmin Pilot
Garmin Pilot
- Flight planningnot ForeFlight
- Weather analysisnot ForeFlight
- In-flight navigationnot ForeFlight
- Aircraft panel syncnot ForeFlight
- Chart viewingnot ForeFlight
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
ForeFlight
- Device restrictions: 2 iPads and 1 iPhone, or 1 iPad and 2 iPhones per licence
- Geographic region limited to one per subscription
- Annual billing only, no monthly option
- Starter plan lacks Synthetic Vision and advanced planning tools
- Essential plan lacks pre-built aircraft profiles and fuel planning
Garmin Pilot
- Garmin Pilot's iPad app is offered on a 30-day free trial from initial download, after which the subscription plans described on Garmin's site apply
Pricing, plan by plan
ForeFlight
$130/yearNo published plan breakdown. See the ForeFlight review.
Garmin Pilot
$99/year- Premium$99/year
- IFR/VFR charts
- Weather radar
- Flight planning
- Premium + Global$199/year
- Everything in Premium
- Worldwide charts
- International planning
Which should you pick?
Choose ForeFlight if
- You need weather briefings.
- You work on iPad, iPhone.
- You also want navigation.
Choose Garmin Pilot if
- You need weather overlays.
- You work on Ios, Android.
- You also want panel sync.
Questions people ask
- Is ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot better?
- Neither clearly leads. ForeFlight starts at $130/year and Garmin Pilot at $99/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot?
- ForeFlight starts at $130/year and Garmin Pilot at $99/year.
- Does ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot run on more platforms?
- ForeFlight runs on iPad, iPhone. Garmin Pilot runs on Ios, Android.
- What is ForeFlight best used for?
- ForeFlight is most often used for flight planning and navigation for pilots, aviation weather and digital logbook, airport information and terrain profiling. Of those, flight planning and navigation for pilots and aviation weather and digital logbook are not what Garmin Pilot is typically brought in for.
- What can ForeFlight do that Garmin Pilot cannot?
- ForeFlight covers Weather briefings, Navigation, Weight & balance, Jeppesen charts. Garmin Pilot covers Weather overlays, Panel sync, Traffic display, GTN series. Both handle Flight planning, Aeronautical charts, Garmin avionics, Data encryption.