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VFR App: the best all-in-one solution for pilots

Updated on September 11, 2026 · Tim Krauss

In short: The best VFR app depends on your flying. For an all-in-one solution – flight planning, weather, EFB in the cockpit, and pilot community – at a fair price, EuroPilot Connect (€99/year, 30 days free) is a strong candidate. For pure aeronautical chart material with long market maturity, SkyDemon is the classic; for a later IFR transition, ForeFlight.

Anyone looking for a VFR app today primarily finds two camps: expensive premium programs that quickly cost several hundred euros a year, and cheap apps that can really only do one thing, usually the map. What's missing is the app that bundles your complete flight preparation, weather, the Electronic Flight Bag in the cockpit and and the pilot community in a single, uncluttered application.

That's exactly where this guide comes in. You'll get an honest overview of the VFR app landscape, a checklist of what a good app really needs to be able to do, and, yes, we are biased, why we built EuroPilot Connect as a true all-in-one app for European visual flight. In the end, you'll know which app suits your flying.

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In a nutshell: the quick selection

• You want everything in one app (planning, weather, in-flight aeronautical chart, community) and a fair price? → EuroPilot Connect (€99/year, 30 days free).
• You've been flying for years with a fixed setup and just want the best aeronautical chart? → SkyDemon is the established market leader in Europe.
• You're planning a later IFR transition and are in the Apple ecosystem? → ForeFlight is extremely mature.
• You only want to navigate and pay little? → inexpensive nav apps like VFRnav or RunwayMap are sufficient for now.

The details, and why "one app for everything" is more than a marketing promise, are coming now.

What is a VFR app?

A VFR app is the digital version of your visual flight chart plus flight preparation, a so-called Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) on iPhone or iPad. VFR stands for Visual Flight Rules, i.e., flying by visual reference. In contrast to IFR flying, you don't need instrument approaches, but you do need a clear picture of terrain, airspace, weather, and your position at all times.

A good VFR app thus replaces several things that pilots used to have on paper: the ICAO chart, the flight plan, the weather briefing, the NOTAM list, and the logbook. It shows you before the flight whether and how your route is flyable, and in flight, a continuous moving map that follows your GPS position.

Important: A VFR app is not a substitute for mandatory flight preparation and not a certified collision warning. It is a tool that takes work off your hands; you, as the responsible pilot, still make the decisions.

What a good VFR app must be able to do

Before we compare individual apps, here's the checklist. This is exactly where the field separates, and this is exactly what you should measure every VFR app against that you test.

1. Clear ICAO-style moving map. The map is the core. It must run smoothly in flight (track-up), be clearly legible, and come in the familiar ICAO look. EuroPilot Connect renders a completely proprietary European VFR map from its aeronautical databases, with an ICAO mode that closely follows the official 1:500,000 look.
2. Airspace with warnings. Every class (CTR, TMA, RMZ, TMZ, ED-R, danger areas...) must be visible, ideally filtered by your planned altitude so that the map doesn't get cluttered. And in flight, you need a proximity warning, before you fly into controlled or restricted airspace.
3. Real weather briefing, not just a radar image. METAR, TAF, SIGMET, and AIRMET are part of it, as is a look at the route weather with cloud profile and upper winds. EuroPilot Connect summarizes this per airfield and additionally generates a narrative AI weather briefing for the entire route, in German.
4. NOTAMs in map context. NOTAMs as pure text deserts don't help anyone. They must appear where they have a geographical effect, along your route.
5. Flight planning with ICAO flight plan. Build route by tapping, move waypoints, see distance/course/time per leg, and finally export a clean ICAO flight plan as PDF .
6. Offline capability. In the cockpit, network reception is often a matter of luck. Maps, terrain, and aeronautical data must be available offline. With EuroPilot Connect, you download an entire country for this purpose: basemap, terrain, airfields, airspaces, navaids, traffic patterns, and then fly without reception.
7. Traffic, terrain, and safety. Live traffic (ADS-B/FLARM) for situational awareness, a terrain shading layer, glide circles in case of engine failure, and a quick emergency mode complete a modern EFB.
8. Tools & Community. Weight & balance, fuel and performance calculators, a logbook, and, often underestimated, exchange with other pilots and clubs.

Hardly any app covers all eight points. Most are strong in one or two areas and make you open a second (paid) app for the rest.

The VFR app landscape: an honest overview

The market can be roughly divided into two groups. The information below is based on the public positioning of the providers, please always check the scope of functions and current prices directly with the respective provider, as they are constantly changing.

All information about third-party apps reflects their public self-representation, without guarantee; please check with the respective provider yourself before making a decision.

A few honest words about the market leaders: SkyDemon is rightly the favorite of many European VFR pilots; the map display and airspace logic have matured over years. ForeFlight is by far the most polished EFB app and the first choice if you plan to go IFR in the future. Garmin Pilot shows its strength as soon as Garmin avionics are in the panel. We openly say that anyone who is already happily flying in one of these ecosystems has no compelling reason to switch.

The second group, VFRnav, SimpleVFR, RunwayMap, is affordable and popular, but mostly focuses on navigation. For flight planning, weather briefing, or club life, you then need additional tools.

And this is exactly where the gap lies that hardly anyone fills: the app that can do everything in one , without a premium price.

EuroPilot Connect: the all-in-one VFR app in detail

EuroPilot Connect is a native iOS app (Android is in development), built for European, especially DACH, VFR pilots. The idea behind it is simple: one app, one subscription, all phases of your flight day. Instead of combining SkyDemon for the map, a weather app for the briefing, and something else for club life, you get it bundled, tidy enough that even flight students can immediately find their way around.

This is how a typical flight preparation works. Let's take a challenging Alpine flight, Friedrichshafen (EDNY) to Innsbruck (LOWI):

• You tap the route on the map, EDNY, one or two waypoints, LOWI. For each leg, you immediately see distance, magnetic course, and flight time.
• The Route optimizer checks terrain, airspace, and weather. For the Alpine part, it follows GAFOR corridors and valley floors and limits waypoint altitudes to your aircraft's climb performance; it bypasses controlled airspace by default.
• You open the AI weather briefing: departure, route, wind, terrain, arrival, alternates, and warnings as a coherent text in German, plus METAR/TAF and a cloud profile along the route.
• You download Germany, Austria, and Switzerland offline , map, terrain, airfields, airspaces. From now on, reception doesn't matter.
• After takeoff, the Start moving map track-up, with HUD (altitude, speed, climb/descent rate, course), airspace proximity warnings, glide circle, and, if necessary, an emergency mode that immediately shows you the nearest airfields.

All of this is part of the same app. After landing, the flight is automatically in the logbook, and you can share it in the pilot community, the part that classic EFBs completely omit.

The price: €99 per year, usable on up to three devices, with 30-day free trial. This is deliberately set below what established premium apps cost individually, and for that, you get more features, not fewer.

One detail we are proud of: The map is completely self-rendered, not photographed map sheets, but a proprietary drawing from aviation databases. This keeps the data current over the 28-day AIRAC cycle without you having to wait for an app update.

Which VFR app is right for you?

VFR pilots are not a homogeneous group. Depending on where you stand, a different perspective is worthwhile. You can find in-depth selection aids in the Flight Navigation App Guide, in the Pilot App Overview and in the Offline Guide:

• Student Pilots & Beginners: You want an app that doesn't overwhelm you, but helps you learn.
• Price-conscious: You are looking for a good app without spending a fortune on multiple subscriptions.
• All in one app: You don't want to split map, weather, and planning across three programs.
• SkyDemon switchers: You fly SkyDemon and are wondering if a modern switch is worthwhile.
• ForeFlight in Europe: You like ForeFlight, but you miss the European focus.
• iPhone & iPad: You want to know how a native VFR app on iOS performs in the cockpit.
• Direct comparison: You want to see SkyDemon, ForeFlight and co. side by side.

How to plan a VFR flight with the app (quick guide)

1. Departure and destination enter via search (ICAO code or name) and add to the route.
2. Waypoints add by tapping the map; reorder by dragging.
3. Optimize route allow (terrain, airspace, weather) and choose the variant: shortest, safest or weather-optimized.
4. Weather briefing open and check the route against METAR/TAF, cloud profile and wind.
5. NOTAMs review along the route.
6. ICAO flight plan as PDF generate and, if necessary, submit via the national portal.
7. Download country offline, device check, go. A detailed step-by-step planning guide will follow separately.

Common mistakes when choosing a VFR app

• Only looking at the map. A nice map is of little use if weather briefing, NOTAM, and flight plan are in three other apps.
• Forgot offline. Only in a dead zone do you realize if the app can really work offline. Test it beforehand.
• Ignoring data currency. Airspaces and procedures change every 28 days (AIRAC). The app must automatically stay current.
• Not using the free trial phase. Almost every serious app offers a trial period. Fly your typical route completely, from planning to logbook, before you pay.
• Confusing price with value. The cheapest app is expensive if you need three of them.

Tips for getting started

• Use the 30 days active: plan a real flight, download your country offline, fly with the moving map, only then will you know if the app suits you.
• Set up your aircraft type early (performance, weight & balance), then the tools calculate realistically.
• Optionally connect external hardware (ADS-B/FLARM, AHRS via Wi-Fi) for traffic and artificial horizon; it's nice if an app can do that without you having to switch apps.

Where our aeronautical data comes from

The data set primarily comes from KEYVAN Aviation via a commercial ARINC-424 license, supplemented by openAIP and open flightmaps. KEYVAN is one of eight eight companies that hold a certificate for data services (DAT) in the EASA list of approved ATM/ANS organizations ; the list is current as of September 4, 2026, KEYVAN's certificate is EASA.AOA.DAT.033 as Type 1. According to KEYVAN, they evaluate AIP, AIC and NOTAM from 195 countries, cover over 32,000 aerodromes and 42,000 runways, and deliver in ARINC-424 format in AIRAC rhythm.

Two sentences for classification, so that no wrong impression arises. The certificate applies to the data provider and its process data provider and its process, not our app: EuroPilot Connect is not an approved avionics system and does not replace certified onboard equipment. And Type 1 means that the database meets data quality requirements without compatibility with a specific approved onboard application being determined.

Who built this. EuroPilot Connect originated from the Sport- und Segelfliegerclub Bad Waldsee-Reute , based at EDMZ, 660 meters of grass, runway 14/32, not on the drawing board of a software company. Many in the team hold a pilot's license, and flights and tests are conducted on Bristell LSA, Comco Ikarus C42 C, and Robin DR400, i.e., across ultralight and Echo class. What's in the app is therefore less a product decision than the answer to the question of what we ourselves missed in the cockpit.

What's specifically included, in numbers instead of adjectives (as of September 4, 2026):

The runway positions are not all equally good, and we state that: 2.421 are derived from official threshold coordinates, 1.609 are measured from aerial images, 347 are computationally constructed. The inventory itself, i.e., which runway exists with which identifier and length, comes consistently from KEYVAN Aviation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Which VFR app is the best? The "best" depends on your flying. If you want everything in one app – planning, weather, EFB, and community – without a premium price, EuroPilot Connect is a strong candidate. For pure aeronautical chart material with long market maturity, SkyDemon is the classic; for a later IFR transition, ForeFlight.

Is there a free VFR app? Some apps (e.g., RunwayMap) offer a free entry, often with limited functionality and in-app purchases for the rest. EuroPilot Connect can be tested completely free for 30 days, then €99/year.

Do I need a VFR app with NOTAM? Yes. NOTAMs are part of mandatory flight preparation. It becomes more practical if the app shows them directly along your route on the aeronautical chart instead of as a pure text list.

Does the app show AIP data like airspaces and frequencies? The information relevant for visual flight, airspaces with altitude limits, frequencies, mandatory reporting points, and traffic patterns, is directly integrated into the EuroPilot Connect aeronautical chart, so you don't have to jump to the AIP for normal cases. However, the official AIP remains the legally binding source for your flight preparation.

Which app is suitable for flight planning? Look for tap-to-route, leg values (distance/course/time), route optimization with terrain and airspace, and the export of an ICAO flight plan as a PDF. EuroPilot Connect covers this entire chain.

Does a VFR app run offline? Good apps do. It's crucial that the aeronautical chart, terrain, and aviation data can be downloaded in advance. EuroPilot Connect downloads entire countries for offline use in the cockpit.

iPhone or iPad for VFR? Both work. For the cockpit, many prefer the larger iPad; the iPhone is the compact backup option. EuroPilot Connect is a native iOS app and runs on both.

Conclusion

Most VFR apps force you to compromise: Either you pay premium prices for a very good EFB, or you piece together a solution from cheap individual apps. EuroPilot Connect was built to close this gap, planning, weather, the cockpit EFB and the pilot community in one tidy, European app, at a price below established providers.

The most honest test is your own flight. Plan it, download your country offline, and see if everything feels more natural in one app.

Try EuroPilot Connect for 30 days free

Further reading, external: Rules on airspace and NOTAM can be found at the German Air Traffic Control (DFS); official flight weather information at the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD).