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How Much Does an EFB Cost in 2026?
August 5, 2026 · 13 min read · by Vincent Wu, Founder, Ascent EFB · Updated August 26, 2026
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Free for 30 days, then $59.99 your first year
One plan with everything in it: 3D terrain, geo-referenced FAA charts, the full weather stack and live traffic, all cached offline. $89.99 a year after the first. One trial per account, no card needed to look around.
Start a 30-day trialTL;DR: In 2026 an EFB app costs anywhere from free (Avare, FltPlan Go) to $390 a year (ForeFlight Premium). The middle of the market sits between $75 and $140 a year, but headline prices are not the whole story: on several apps, IFR capability or a synthetic vision view costs extra. The only fair comparison is the all-in price for the features you will actually fly with. On that basis the cheapest paid app in this roundup is Ascent EFB at $59.99 the first year and $89.99 a year after, with nothing sold on top. Every account also gets a one time 30 day Pro trial, so you can fly it before you pay for it.
How much does an EFB app cost in 2026?
An EFB app costs between free and $390 a year in 2026. Free apps like FltPlan Go and Avare cover planning. Paid apps mostly sit between $75 and $140, and add-ons for IFR capability push the real number higher. Ascent EFB is $59.99 the first year, $89.99 after.
By Vincent Wu, founder of Ascent EFB. Updated August 26, 2026.
How we compared, and our bias
We are biased. We build Ascent EFB, so read the Ascent block below as vendor copy and everything else as reporting.
The method: all prices come from vendor pricing pages, vendor stores or official App Store listings, checked August 5, 2026, with ForeFlight re-checked August 26, 2026 and Garmin August 8, 2026. Every statement about another app is attributed to the page it came from, with the date it was read, and anything we could not source that way was cut rather than softened. We have not bought every rival tier, so we compare published prices and published feature placement, not how those apps handle in the cockpit.
Published EFB pricing at a glance
| App | Best for | Key strengths | Price (USD/yr) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avare | Android pilots on a zero budget | Free FAA charts, open source, Android only | Free |
| FltPlan Go | Free planning and filing | Garmin-owned, no cost at any tier | Free |
| Ascent EFB | Pilots who want one plan with everything in it | 3D terrain, geo-referenced FAA charts, full weather, live traffic, fully offline | $59.99 first year, then $89.99 |
| WingX | The lowest paid entry price | Base subscription, Advanced IFR sold separately | $74.99, $149.98 with Advanced IFR |
| iFly EFB | Mixed iOS, Android and Windows hardware | Cross-platform, IFR data sold separately | $94.99 VFR, $149.99 with IFR data |
| FlyQ EFB | VFR pilots who want AR and synthetic vision | AR view, synthetic vision per Seattle Avionics' listing | $99.99 VFR, $199.99 with IFR |
| Garmin Pilot | Garmin panels, and pilots who need Android | Panel integration, Standard and Premium tiers | $109.99 Standard, $209.98 Premium |
| SkyDemon | VFR flying in Europe | All-inclusive plan, the European standard | $139 first year, $115 renewal |
| ForeFlight | The deepest feature set, US and beyond | Three tiers, geo-referenced approach charts from Essential up | $130 / $260 / $390 |
Every layer shown here is in the single Ascent EFB plan.
The add-on math most comparisons skip
The entry price tells you what it costs to start, not what it costs to fly the way you intend to. Three patterns to watch:
Tiered plans. ForeFlight publishes three tiers, and its own pricing page lists Synthetic Vision, Geo-Referenced Approach Charts and Hazard Advisor as Essential features, which is the $260 tier rather than the $130 Starter plan, with 3D View listed only under the $390 Premium plan (foreflight.com/pricing, checked August 26, 2026). Garmin publishes US Standard and US Premium tiers at $109.99 and $209.98 on its own product listing (checked August 8, 2026), so read the feature list for the tier you are actually buying.
Paid add-ons. iFly's own plan page prices IFR data at $55 on top of its $94.99 VFR plan (checked August 5, 2026). WingX lists a one-year subscription at $74.99 and Advanced IFR as a separate $74.99 one-year subscription on its App Store listing (checked August 5, 2026).
All-inclusive plans. SkyDemon and Ascent EFB publish one number that includes everything. Ascent EFB is $59.99 the first year and $89.99 a year after that, full stop: full weather, geo-referenced FAA charts including IFR Enroute Low, High and Area, 3D terrain, live traffic, airport information, geo-referenced taxi diagrams and full offline caching are all in the single plan.
What to price out before you buy
| Consideration | Why it matters | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Chart currency and AIRAC | An out-of-date chart is worse than no chart | Charts that follow the 28-day AIRAC cycle at no extra cost, and a visible expiry state in the app |
| Offline capability | A connection is the first thing you lose | Charts, weather and terrain downloadable by region and fully usable in airplane mode |
| Traffic | The cheapest safety upgrade you can carry | Whether traffic is in the plan or needs a receiver you do not own yet |
| Weather sources | It is what decides the go or no-go | METAR, TAF, radar, winds aloft, AIRMET and SIGMET in the plan you are pricing |
| Terrain | The feature most often sold up a tier | Which tier carries the terrain view, and whether you read it at a glance or convert it from numbers |
| iPad hardware | A one-time cost people forget to budget | Wi-Fi plus Cellular for the GPS chip, and enough storage for offline regions |
| Price | The sticker and the real number differ | The all-in cost for your mission, plus what year two costs when a discounted first year ends |
Every app, the same four questions
Ascent EFB
Key features: 3D terrain, geo-referenced FAA charts from VFR Sectionals and Terminal Area Charts through IFR Enroute Low, High and Area, the full weather stack (METAR, TAF, radar, winds aloft, AIRMET, SIGMET), live traffic, airport information, geo-referenced taxi diagrams, and full offline caching of charts, downloaded weather and the 3D map. Own-ship is a heading-up 2D puck; the terrain around it is what carries the dimensionality.
Who it suits: iPhone and iPad pilots who would rather buy one plan than work out which tier holds the feature they need, and anyone whose flying regularly takes them somewhere with no signal.
Pricing: One plan. $59.99 the first year, $89.99 a year after that. No tiers, no IFR add-on, no per-feature upsell. Year two is the number to plan around, and it still lands under the middle of this market.
Sourced note: This is our own product, so treat this block as vendor copy rather than review; priced from our own App Store listing as of August 26, 2026. The limits, stated plainly: Ascent EFB launched in August 2026 and does not carry the incumbents' accumulated depth, it is iOS and iPadOS only with no Android app, own-ship is a 2D puck rather than a 3D model, and geo-referenced approach plates are not in it today.
ForeFlight
Key features: The deepest published feature set here, sold in three tiers.
Who it suits: IFR pilots who want geo-referenced approach charts, and anyone whose club or flight department already runs on it.
Pricing: $130 Starter, $260 Essential, $390 Premium per year.
Sourced note: Prices and the placement of Synthetic Vision, Geo-Referenced Approach Charts and Hazard Advisor under Essential, and 3D View under Premium, are from ForeFlight's own pricing page (checked August 26, 2026). Its support site documents a 30-day trial of the Premium feature set with each new App Store download (checked August 26, 2026).
Garmin Pilot
Key features: Integration with Garmin panel avionics, plus an Android app alongside iOS.
Who it suits: Pilots flying behind Garmin glass, and pilots who are not on an iPad.
Pricing: $109.99 US Standard, $209.98 US Premium per year.
Sourced note: Tier names and prices from Garmin's own product listing, checked August 8, 2026.
SkyDemon
Key features: All-inclusive VFR planning and navigation, the standard for much of Europe.
Who it suits: VFR pilots flying in Europe.
Pricing: $139 the first year, $115 on renewal.
Sourced note: Both prices from SkyDemon's own published pricing, checked August 5, 2026.
FlyQ EFB
Key features: AR view and synthetic vision, VFR and IFR sold as separate tiers.
Who it suits: VFR pilots who want the camera overlay and will step up a tier for IFR.
Pricing: $99.99 VFR, $199.99 with IFR.
Sourced note: Prices and features from Seattle Avionics' own published listing, checked August 5, 2026.
iFly EFB
Key features: iOS, Android and Windows, with IFR data sold separately.
Who it suits: Pilots running a mix of hardware who want one app across all of it.
Pricing: $94.99 VFR, $149.99 once IFR data is added.
Sourced note: Plan structure and the $55 IFR data price from iFly's own plan page, checked August 5, 2026.
WingX
Key features: The lowest paid entry price here, with Advanced IFR as a separate subscription.
Who it suits: VFR pilots on a tight budget who do not need IFR capability yet.
Pricing: $74.99 a year, $149.98 with Advanced IFR.
Sourced note: Both subscription prices from WingX's own App Store listing, checked August 5, 2026.
FltPlan Go
Key features: Free planning and filing, Garmin-owned.
Who it suits: Anyone who wants capable planning at zero cost, or a free backup on a second device.
Pricing: Free.
Sourced note: Free pricing and Garmin ownership from the app's own App Store listing, checked August 5, 2026.
Avare
Key features: Free FAA charts, open source.
Who it suits: Android pilots on a zero budget.
Pricing: Free.
Sourced note: Android-only availability and free pricing from the app's own Google Play listing, checked August 5, 2026.
What should a VFR pilot expect to pay?
If you fly VFR and want a paid, full-featured app: $75 to $140 a year covers the realistic range. Free options are genuinely usable for planning. ForeFlight's support site documents a 30-day trial with each new App Store download (support.foreflight.com, checked August 26, 2026), and other vendors publish their own trial terms, so check the page for whichever app you are pricing. Ascent EFB sits under the range at $59.99 for the first year and $89.99 after.
What does IFR capability really cost?
Adding IFR to the picture changes the ranking. WingX lands at $149.98, iFly at $149.99, FlyQ at $199.99, Garmin Pilot Premium at $209.98, and ForeFlight depends on the tier your mission needs, with the geo-referenced approach charts most IFR pilots want listed under the $260 Essential plan (all read from the vendors' own pages, ForeFlight checked August 26, 2026 and the rest August 5, 2026).
Ascent EFB does not move, because it does not sell capability in tiers. IFR Enroute Low, High and Area charts are in the same one plan as everything else, $59.99 the first year and $89.99 a year after. The honest limit: Ascent does not have geo-referenced approach plates today, so if plates on the moving map are the thing you are buying, price out FlyQ, Garmin Premium or ForeFlight Essential instead.
Price is not the number that decides it
3D terrain, included, and it works with the tablet offline.
Line these apps up feature row by feature row and they look nearly identical. Moving map, charts, weather, traffic, terrain, offline. That is what a mature category looks like, and it is why a pricing table can only tell you half of what you want to know. What it cannot tell you is what the app feels like in your hands at 3,000 feet with one hand on the yoke. Flighty and a generic web flight tracker technically show you the same flight, and nobody who has used both thinks they are the same product. EFBs are in exactly that spot.
Two things are worth paying attention to beyond the sticker, and both are about how fast you get the answer.
How the terrain reads. A flat map with contour shading and a 3D view of the terrain around your route are different tools on a night arrival or a mountain crossing. One gives you numbers to convert into a picture of the ridge; the other gives you the picture. Ascent EFB includes 3D terrain at its single price because that view is what the app was built around. On ForeFlight, Synthetic Vision sits in the $260 Essential tier and 3D View in the $390 Premium tier, per their own pricing page checked August 26, 2026. Those are not identical features, but they do the same job, and the price gap is real.
What survives losing signal. An EFB that needs a connection is a website. Ascent caches charts and the 3D terrain map for full offline use, so airplane mode on the ramp does not change what the app can do. Check the offline story on any app before you buy, whatever it costs.
Where ForeFlight still wins
The concession has to be specific to be worth anything.
Geo-referenced approach charts. Listed under Essential and Premium on ForeFlight's own pricing page (checked August 26, 2026). Ascent EFB does not have them at all. If you fly instrument approaches and want the plate geo-referenced under your own-ship, that is a real reason to spend $260 instead of $59.99, and we would rather you knew now.
A full-featured way to try it first. ForeFlight's support site says each new App Store download includes a 30-day trial of the Premium feature set (checked August 26, 2026). Evaluating a $390 tier at no cost is a genuine advantage.
Depth for operations we do not serve. ForeFlight publishes three tiers aimed at everything from student flying up to flight departments. We publish one plan for GA pilots on iOS. If your mission needs the top of that range, we are not the cheaper version of it, we are a different product.
And where SkyDemon still wins: if you fly VFR in Europe, SkyDemon's all-inclusive plan at $139 the first year and $115 on renewal (checked August 5, 2026) is the local standard for good reasons, and our chart coverage is FAA.
Put plainly: if plates on the moving map, a flight department, or European VFR are what you are buying, buy the app that does that. Buy Ascent EFB if you want every feature in one plan and terrain you can read at a glance.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest full-featured EFB in 2026?
Of the paid apps here, Ascent EFB, at $59.99 the first year and $89.99 a year after with everything in one plan. WingX starts lower at $74.99 but reaches $149.98 once you add Advanced IFR, per its own App Store listing checked August 5, 2026. Free apps like FltPlan Go and Avare cost nothing at all and are worth trying first if budget is the whole question.
Are free EFB apps good enough?
For planning and backup use, genuinely yes. FltPlan Go handles planning and filing, and Avare gives Android pilots free FAA charts. Most pilots flying regularly end up on a paid app for weather depth, geo-referenced plates, and support.
Is an EFB subscription worth it for a student pilot?
Flying with the same EFB you will use after your checkride builds habits early. If you are on an iPad and want the lowest all-in number, Ascent EFB's $59.99 first year is the cheapest paid entry in this list. See how to choose an EFB for a student-focused checklist.
Why do EFB prices vary so much?
Mostly packaging. Some vendors sell a base app and price capability as tiers or add-ons; others sell one all-inclusive plan. Neither is wrong, but it means the sticker price and the comparable price are different numbers. Compare the all-in cost for your mission, not the entry price.
Written by Vincent Wu, founder of Ascent EFB, updated August 26, 2026. Ascent EFB is our product, and it is iPhone and iPad only. Every competitor price above comes from that vendor's own published page, store or App Store listing, checked August 5, 2026, with ForeFlight re-checked August 26, 2026 and Garmin August 8, 2026; verify before you buy, since prices change. Related: The Best EFB Apps in 2026, Compared and ForeFlight Alternatives in 2026.
Try Ascent EFB
Free for 30 days, then $59.99 your first year
One plan with everything in it: 3D terrain, geo-referenced FAA charts, the full weather stack and live traffic, all cached offline. $89.99 a year after the first. One trial per account, no card needed to look around.
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