ForeFlight is going up.

[Jocbay]

As ForeFlight is increasing their price 20% and my plan is set to renew in a month I am now looking elsewhere.  Just want to see what others are using especially if it's free or at a substantially lower cost. I am not instrument rated and plan to stay VF for the near future, if that makes a difference in a flight planning package.
Thanks jb

[RobertGary1]

Foreflight is free if you joint Civil Air Patrol. I get military performance pro.

[ArtVandelay]

FltPlan go is free, but don’t expect equivalent functionality.

[Hank]

Avate is also free, for the Android crowd. Includes georeferenced approach plates and automatic change to georeferenced airport diagrams upon landing 

[PeteMc]

@Jocbay   I wish you had posted your intentions earlier....  You could have renewed Tuesday at the old price for another year.  The month or so you still had on your subscription would have applied to the renewal.

Because I have primarily a Garmin panel I really can only use Garmin Pilot or FF.  Even though they're saying they haven't raised prices in 5+ years, I still think that's quite the price gouge. 

 

 

Edited March 24, 2022 by PeteMc

[RobertGary1]

20 minutes ago, PeteMc said:

@Jocbay   I wish you had posted your intentions earlier....  You could have renewed Tuesday at the old price for another year.  The month or so you still had on your subscription would have applied to the renewal.

Because I have primarily a Garmin panel I really can only use Garmin Pilot or FF.  Even though they're saying they haven't raised prices in 5+ years, I still think that's quite the price gouge. 

 

 

I think that too but then I think back what I paid for a suitcase full of charts before.

[81X]

For what it does, FF is still one of the biggest bangs for the buck in aviation. 
 

I paid more for paper charts in the past and they Didn’t overlay traffic, weather or show me 100LL prices.  

[PeteMc]

2 hours ago, 81X said:

For what it does, FF is still one of the biggest bangs for the buck in aviation. 

Yes, but....  the FAA data is very inexpensive.  And when you consider how many people are paying for the Business/Airline versions, I think there's getting QUITE the large markup.  I'm all for someone making a buck, but never had  soft spot for gougers.

 

[MikeOH]

All I can say is that I'm surprised it took Boeing this long to jack prices.  Maybe they were too busy with the 737 MAX debacle...now they've figured out a way to pay for the damage!

[Jeph357]

I use FlyQ. They had promotions around Christmas time a couple years ago for lifetime subscriptions  for like $199 for vfr and $299 for vfr & ifr, but currently I believe it is around $80 a year for vfr.

[Mooneymite]

17 hours ago, Jocbay said:

...Just want to see what others are using especially if it's free or at a substantially lower cost....
Thanks jb

I've used FltPlan Go for years.  It provides everything I need from pre-fllight planning, performance, weight and balance, airport info, free charts and plates, ADS-B interface through post flight tracking.  Seamlessly go from desktop to tablet. 

If you haven't tried it in awhile, try it again.  There have been many improvements/enhancements.  Like any program, it takes getting used to, but I find it logical and easy to use.

If you have a problem with any aspect of the app, the support is incredible...all for 0 dollars.  At that price a 20% increase is easy to accept.  

 

 

Edited March 25, 2022 by Mooneymite

[carusoam]

Foreflight is used by the most GA people….

Garmin has the glide rings…

WingX is free for CFIs…

 

If you have the all Garmin panel… you are used… to paying extra for all the software updates…

If you ever run into memory issues… and have difficulty navigating new software packages… select your favorite software now… before the memory issues pop up…

The suppliers have all stabilized… going with a multi year plan… probably makes the most sense… very low risk of then going belly up without warning now…

 

+1 for all the other software packages on all the other non I-platforms… 

Saving dough on the hardware is good… unless you have memory challenges… then spend the extra dough on the I-devices….  

PP thoughts only…

Best regards,

-a-

[midlifeflyer]

I just use the one that has done a good job for me for 11 years. The FF price increase isn't a "have some cheese with your whine" moment for me.

Edited March 25, 2022 by midlifeflyer

[Jocbay]

Thanks to all that replied, the options are much appreciated.  I certainly don't mind paying for this service, but I feel like this increase is just Boeing flexing their market share muscle.  I just hate feeling like I'm being taken advantage of.

[midlifeflyer]

53 minutes ago, Jocbay said:

Thanks to all that replied, the options are much appreciated.  I certainly don't mind paying for this service, but I feel like this increase is just Boeing flexing their market share muscle.  I just hate feeling like I'm being taken advantage of.

For VFR, it really doesn't matter.  Since you already have an iPad and they all give free trials, try several. Having already used ForeFlight remember that whatever you choose with require at least a brief learning curve and that the more different the flow, the more clunky it will feel. 

I have flown with just about every iOS and Android EFB available for the US market.

Sticking with iOS, FlyQ is an excellent choice even though the flow is significantly different than ForeFlight. The primary reason is airport diagrams. The FAA doesn't provide full-size airport diagrams for all airports. One of the best VFR features in ForeFlight is it provides georeferenced airport diagrams for almost all public use airports. FlyQ does also. If you have been flying long enough you may remember the fantastic small brown airport diagram books from FlightGuide Publications. When they went out of business, Seattle Avionics bought the diagrams and integrated them into FlyQ.

One app not mentioned so far is iFlyGPS. You owe it to yourself to try it out. It is the only app I have come across so far which I even considered switching to from ForeFlight. I think the flow is excellent. I think it is so good that until this past year I paid for it in addition to ForeFlight to use as an Android backup.

[lotsofgadgets]

ForefFlight is an amazing tool. for those who are not happy with the pricing, there are choices.  I have been flying with multiple EFB's for years, both for testing and for backup purposes.  Below is a brief summary of major players in the EFB space.  Now might be a great time to download one of the alternative EFB and test them for your self.

 

ForeFlight - $120 - $360/year - category leading features and functionality.  iOS only

Garmin Pilot $99.99 Standard / $179.98 Premium - Great app if you are Garmin equipped. (database concierge, FlightStream)  iOS and Android supported

Stratus Insight/Aerovie - $99/year includes IFR.  Great support for Avidyne navigators, Stratus ADSB receivers.  iOS and WatchOS support

Fly-Q - $84.99 VFR/$169.99 IFR - Watch for BlackFriday deals for Lifetime subscription offers. iOS support

Wing-X - $74.99 VFR and IFR included.  Works on iOS and Android.  Native Appstore support for Amazon Fire tablets (Fire 8 HD tablet is currently $44.99).  When paired with a stratux or Stratus ADSB receiver this is the cheapest EFB package available.  Free for CFI's and Military

 Avare - Free.  Android Only.  

iFlyGPS - $79.99 - Android, iOS, and Windows

[Vance Harral]

Here and in other locations where alternatives to ForeFlight are being discussed, Wing-X keeps showing up in the list of alternatives people recommend trying.  For those of you mentioning it, is Wing-X actually viable any more?

I ask because I kept a "free CFI" subscription on my devices for a while, but at some point Hilton Software seemed to essentially go dark: no version updates, no e-mail response to support requests, etc.  My understanding is "they" (I think it's mostly just Hilton) were focused on a military contract.

If you look on the app store right now, you'll see the last Wing-X update for iOS was a full year ago.  The Wing-X web page does have a notice about testing on iOS 15.2, but that was three minor revisions and three months ago.  Feels to me like they are "trying" to stay in the market and keep their revenue stream alive, but just don't really have the resources to do so.

I'd be happy to be wrong about this, as more competition is better.  Anyone have a counter story?

[midlifeflyer]

23 minutes ago, Vance Harral said:

Here and in other locations where alternatives to ForeFlight are being discussed, Wing-X keeps showing up in the list of alternatives people recommend trying.  For those of you mentioning it, is Wing-X actually viable any more?

I ask because I kept a "free CFI" subscription on my devices for a while, but at some point Hilton Software seemed to essentially go dark: no version updates, no e-mail response to support requests, etc.  My understanding is "they" (I think it's mostly just Hilton) were focused on a military contract.

If you look on the app store right now, you'll see the last Wing-X update for iOS was a full year ago.  The Wing-X web page does have a notice about testing on iOS 15.2, but that was three minor revisions and three months ago.  Feels to me like they are "trying" to stay in the market and keep their revenue stream alive, but just don't really have the resources to do so.

I'd be happy to be wrong about this, as more competition is better.  Anyone have a counter story?

WingX is pretty much abandoned at this point.  The iOS version hasn't had a feature update in at least 3 years, although it has had some bug fixes and minor updates - like adjusting to the new 56-day sectional chart cycle. The Android version has never been more than crippleware. Kind of a shame - it was very popular in its day and, at the beginning, ran head-to-head with its only competition  (ForeFlight) for years.  I can't recommend it except as a very basic moving map. I even stopped taking the freebie subscription.

Yes about the military contract. Hilton has been busy with other projects, most notably what amounts to the Department of Defense version of WingX, "Aero App"

Edited March 25, 2022 by midlifeflyer

[KLRDMD]

11 hours ago, carusoam said:

Foreflight is used by the most GA people….

Garmin has the glide rings…

WingX is free for CFIs…

FlyQ is $19/year for CFIs (and student pilots). I just renewed my subscription this morning.

Last year I bought ForeFlight for the first time. Even with the CFI discount (which requires belonging to NAFI so the true discount is very little), ForeFlight simply isn't worth it to me. I also keep WingX on my iPad and as has been mentioned iFlyGPS is also excellent. I have used it in the past. And of course I have significant experience with FltPlan GO. Yes, I've had Garmin Pilot too so I have experience with most of them. I don't do Android.

FlyQ works with my Avidyne equipment and it is very well put together so it is my "go to" app.

Edited March 25, 2022 by KLRDMD

[midlifeflyer]

BTW, there is one more consideration - what other equipment do you have? If, for example, you have a GTX345 transponder for ADS-B in or Flightstream, connectivity is only with Garmin Pilot or Foreflight. If you have been using a Sentry or Stratus (prior to Stratus 3), those only work with Foreflight.

[Fly Boomer]

 

 

[RobertGary1]

19 hours ago, PeteMc said:

Yes, but....  the FAA data is very inexpensive.  And when you consider how many people are paying for the Business/Airline versions, I think there's getting QUITE the large markup.  I'm all for someone making a buck, but never had  soft spot for gougers.

 

I would charge as much as people will pay. If you don’t like the price there are a lot of options. 

[RobertGary1]

1 hour ago, KLRDMD said:

FlyQ is $19/year for CFIs (and student pilots). I just renewed my subscription this morning.

Last year I bought Firelight for the first time. Even with the CFI discount (which requires belonging to NAFI so the true discount is very little), ForeFlight simply isn't worth it to me. I also keep WingX on my iPad and as has been mentioned iFlyGPS is also excellent. I have used it in the past. And of course I have significant experience with FltPlan GO. Yes, I've had Garmin Pilot too so I have experience with most of them. I don't do Android.

FlyQ works with my Avidyne equipment and it is very well put together so it is my "go to" app.

WingX is free for cfi’s. 

[KLRDMD]

3 hours ago, RobertGary1 said:

WingX is free for cfi’s. 

Yes, that was already stated so I didn't repeat it.

[stevesm20b]

I have used WingX, Garmin Pilot and ForeFlight. When my ForeFlight subscription expires I think I will go back to WingX.