Comparisons
The Best EFB for Student Pilots in 2026
What a student pilot actually needs from an EFB, what to ignore until later, and what the real options cost in 2026 from free to $390 a year.
August 8, 2026
The modern electronic flight bag
Mission ready,every flight.
Planning, charts, weather and 3D terrain in one workspace, with Mayday Mode coming soon for the moments that matter most.
- Built by pilots, for pilots
- The same data pipeline pro dispatch teams run on
- $89.99 a year, all-in. About one fuel stop
Route, weather, charts and 3D terrain, fused into one workspace that follows you from preflight to logbook.
One flight with Ascent
01 · Plan
Walk to the aircraft already briefed.
Route, fuel, weight & balance, NOTAMs and the full weather picture, assembled the moment you open Ascent and flagged for anything that changed since you planned.
- Drag-to-route planning
- Auto weather & NOTAM brief
- Weight & balance
02 · Fly
Everything live, nothing in the way.
One map carries your position, traffic, terrain and weather, and it all keeps working with no signal at all.
- Live moving map
- Traffic & terrain
- Fully offline capable
03 · Debrief
Taxi in, debrief already done.
Roll in on the right taxiways while Ascent times and logs the flight for you, with a track replay ready before you reach the FBO.
- Automatic flight detection
- Track replay
- One-tap export
Only on Ascent
The things your last EFB can't do.
Ascent Copilot
SoonAsk. It answers.
NOTAMs, TFRs, weather, fuel, your nearest diversion, by voice or text, briefed back in seconds.
Mayday Mode
SoonOne tap. Everything ready.
A terrain-shaped glide ring, your reachable runways ranked, 7700 and guard 121.5 stood up, ready for you to confirm. You fly the airplane.
3D terrain
See the night like day.
Real-elevation terrain with your own-ship in space and hazards called out. On a black night, that's everything.
Offline everywhere
Zero bars. Full picture.
Download AIRAC regions before you fly. Charts, plates, terrain and your plan stay sharp with no signal at all.
$89.99
a year, all-in
About one fuel stop. Every capability, one plan.
7700
stood up in one tap
Mayday Mode (soon) sets the squawk ready for you to confirm.
121.5
guard, pre-tuned
Ready alongside it. You stay in command of the radios.
See it in the cockpit
The whole sky, beautifully legible.
Real screens from Ascent. Every layer tuned for a fast read in a moving cockpit.
3D terrain
Real-elevation terrain and runways, so a black night reads like a clear day.
Winds & temps aloft
Animated winds, temperature and turbulence painted along your whole route.
Storms in full color
Live convective radar layered over terrain, traffic and your flight plan.
Weather, decoded
METARs and TAFs in plain language, with flight category at a glance.
Airport & taxi intel
Geo-referenced taxi diagrams, frequencies and runway data on the ramp.
A layer for everything
PIREPs, AIRMETs, radar, winds, terrain. Toggle exactly what you need.
The platform behind it
Powered by AirOS.
The same live data pipeline professional dispatch teams run on, fused into one cockpit workspace.
Ascent vs the legacy apps
Everything they do. Plus what they don't.
All the table-stakes a professional EFB needs, plus the safety and AI tools the incumbents never shipped.
Geo-referenced charts & plates
Ascent
ForeFlight
Garmin Pilot
Live weather, NOTAMs & TFRs
Ascent
ForeFlight
Garmin Pilot
Flight planning & filing
Ascent
ForeFlight
Garmin Pilot
Every capability at one price, no tiers
Ascent
ForeFlight
Garmin Pilot
| Capability | Ascent | ForeFlight | Garmin Pilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geo-referenced charts & plates | |||
| Live weather, NOTAMs & TFRs | |||
| Flight planning & filing | |||
| Every capability at one price, no tiers |
The whole flight bag, without the tier ladder.All in one subscription, $89.99 a year. ForeFlight starts at $130, Garmin at $110, both with capabilities held above the entry tier.
Get AscentCompetitor pricing and features per publicly available information as of 2026. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ForeFlight or Garmin.
Pricing
One subscription. The whole flight bag.
Ascent Pro
$59.99first year
then $89.99/year · one plan, no tiers
Get your first year for $59.99- Moving map, airspace, airways & traffic
- Charts, plates & taxi diagrams
- Live weather, NOTAMs & TFRs
- 3D terrain
- Ascent Copilot (soon)
- Mayday Mode (soon)
- AI logbook from paper photos (soon)
- Unlimited offline regions
Students, ask your flight school about a single-use Ascent Pro access code.
Questions, answered
Before you fly with us.
- What is Ascent?
- Ascent is a modern electronic flight bag (EFB) app for iPhone and iPad, built by GeoSpatios. Flight planning, aviation weather, geo-referenced charts, traffic, terrain and a digital logbook, together in one fast app.
- How much does Ascent cost?
- One plan with every capability included, no tiers and no add-on packs. It is $59.99 for the first year as a launch promotion, then $89.99 a year.
- What devices does Ascent run on?
- iPhone and iPad, iOS 17.6 or later. Download Ascent EFB from the App Store and sign in with the same account across your devices.
- Does Ascent work offline?
- Yes. Download AIRAC regions before you fly and charts, plates, terrain and your flight plan stay available with no signal at all.
- What weather does Ascent include?
- Live radar and precipitation, winds and temperatures aloft, METARs and TAFs decoded in plain language, PIREPs, AIRMETs and SIGMETs, and Center Weather Advisories, layered directly over your route.
- Can Ascent replace my current EFB?
- Ascent covers the full flight: planning, briefing, charts, moving map and logbook. Many pilots fly it as their primary EFB. Like any EFB, it's a supplemental aid to situational awareness: cross-check official sources, and final authority always rests with the pilot in command.
From the blog
What we have learned about EFBs.
Preflight to logbook
Ascent is ready
when you are.
The whole flight bag: charts, weather and 3D terrain, all offline, for $89.99 a year.