ForeFlight vs. Garmin Pilot

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Jamie Kirk

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JamieK
My aircraft has Aspen 2000, Garmin GTN750 and Aera660.

I don’t need ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot but my wife likes playing with the demos.

I like Garmin Pilot as it’s basically my GTN750 or Aera660. The Aera660 is removable but she likes the full screen.

Anything ForeFlight does that Garmin Pilot doesn’t?
 
My buddy has Garmin flight and I have foreflight. It is a subject of light arguements. I use it mostly for planning purposes and when I need to look at map in cockpit.
Maybe someone will come along with a coat comparison.
I have found in the PoA world the arguments are strong for both sides, often having little to do with the actual software itself :popcorn::popcorn:
 
Driver A: “I would walk before I would drive a Chevy!”

Driver B: “I would walk before I would drive a Ford!”

GP and FF are comparable. I think much of the preference comes from which you are familiar with. I have been a FF user since 2011. When I got my GTX345 I was offered a 3 month subscription for GP. I tried it and it works fine, but I am just not used to it. I am in the middle of learning the 430W, the GTX345 and the JPI all at the same time. I don’t need to also be fumbling with an EFB I am not familiar with. If you haven’t already gotten familiar with one or the other, I expect that either will serve you well.
 
I'm annoyed that Foreflight keeps adding things like the NAT tracks and D-ATIS, but it's only available on the performance subscription. I'm already paying $200 a year, and have no need for performance planning, but that other stuff would be really nice to have.
 
There is no comparison, I went through this when I dabbled in Android, foreflight is a good bit beyond the next guy, especially if you fly IFR

But yeah, their pay to add on business model is getting kinda old
 
Had both for years. let Foreflight go last year. Haven't missed it.

Foreflight with a cell connection offers a satellite map view. Garmin doesn't. But when out of cell range Garmin's topo view is better than anything Foreflight has. Both have chart views if you want that. Garmin doesn't charge extra for synthetic vision, Foreflight does, but neither is worth a crap without an ADHRS box like a GDL50 or Stratus 2. I find Garmin Pilot a little easier to navigate but having other Garmin equipment it's just what I'm used to.

No knock on Foreflight but Garmin Pilot's customer support is pretty amazing. A couple of weeks ago I needed them to help me figure out my app and it turned out it was a lapse in my subscription. They worked the problem and stayed on the line until my devices were running properly. It was a little embarrassing but the phone rep was great. Very helpful, very friendly.
 
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Thanks for all the info.

I think I am going with Garmin Pilot, integrates well into my GTN750 when connected as it pulls the data from that.

Garmin Pilot is cheaper.

Garmin Pilot allowed me to same the program as a whole with nothing locked. However ForeFlight wanted me to pay to demo all features. W&B, something I’d use, is locked without a subscription. Garmin Pilot let me setup a checklist, W&B and performance planning during the demo.
 
Both are comparable, whichever you choose learn it well. Very well.

On the ground.

You don’t want to be figuring out an iPad app while flying.
 
I left Foreflight 2 years ago and it was the best decision I ever made. Garmin Pilot tells me if I need an alternate and whether or not my alternate is legal. It keeps the paper trail legal. One time, changing my departure time by 15 minutes was the difference between legally needing an alternate and not.

Yes I know how to do this myself, but its an added check to make sure the paper trail is all good.

Garmin's customer support is beyond phenomenal for me. I gave ForeFlight so many recommendations and they never even responded. Garmin however has taken every single one of my recommendations and implemented them.

Also Garmin is cheaper
 
JC150 said:
I left Foreflight 2 years ago and it was the best decision I ever made. Garmin Pilot tells me if I need an alternate and whether or not my alternate is legal. It keeps the paper trail legal. One time, changing my departure time by 15 minutes was the difference between legally needing an alternate and not.

Yes I know how to do this myself, but its an added check to make sure the paper trail is all good.

Garmin's customer support is beyond phenomenal for me. I gave ForeFlight so many recommendations and they never even responded. Garmin however has taken every single one of my recommendations and implemented them.

Also Garmin is cheaper
Click to expand...

Why not just always file an alternate?
 
I don’t understand the money argument. We are flying airplanes. $200 is pennies in the grand scheme of things.
I use both. I prefer the extra features of FF, but on the other hand I like the map of GP better.
GP has 2 data driven maps. 1 for VFR and IFR.
Weather is better on FF.

But the big thing that you might laugh about and that seems trivial, actually drives me nuts and makes me lean towards GP.
In FF when you are on the map, and you want to pan around with your finger, if put your finger on the map and don’t instantly start moving the map, it will open the box for info on where your finger is.
In GP, it gives you an extra second.
For me this is huge, because I am constantly getting unintentional info pop ups. It just drives me nuts. I have asked FF about this and they basically just told me politely not to hold my breath.
 
George Chityat said:
But the big thing that you might laugh about and that seems trivial, actually drives me nuts and makes me lean towards GP.
In FF when you are on the map, and you want to pan around with your finger, if put your finger on the map and don’t instantly start moving the map, it will open the box for info on where your finger is.
In GP, it gives you an extra second.
For me this is huge, because I am constantly getting unintentional info pop ups. It just drives me nuts. I have asked FF about this and they basically just told me politely not to hold my breath.
Click to expand...
I’m laughing, but laughing with you not at you. It’s pretty trivial but UIs dig deep into personal preferences. I had to go test your finger problem and have to admit it seems like a feature to me.

But I’ve been put off by less than that in other apps.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
I let FF go and also have not missed it. There are free maps and georeferenced charts so I use that and spend the savings on AvGas. I don’t pay for things I can get for free.
 
George Chityat said:
I don’t understand the money argument. We are flying airplanes. $200 is pennies in the grand scheme of things.
I use both. I prefer the extra features of FF, but on the other hand I like the map of GP better.
GP has 2 data driven maps. 1 for VFR and IFR.
Weather is better on FF.

But the big thing that you might laugh about and that seems trivial, actually drives me nuts and makes me lean towards GP.
In FF when you are on the map, and you want to pan around with your finger, if put your finger on the map and don’t instantly start moving the map, it will open the box for info on where your finger is.
In GP, it gives you an extra second.
For me this is huge, because I am constantly getting unintentional info pop ups. It just drives me nuts. I have asked FF about this and they basically just told me politely not to hold my breath.
Click to expand...

When you take the view that $200 is nothing, that’s how you end up spending more to have a 152 than other do to keep a 206.
 
I used to use ForeFlight but switched to Garmin Pilot when I got my NXI for ease of database uploads and sending clearance from iPad to MFD via the 510.

The one feature that I love in the Garmin Pilot was the flight profile which displays cloud layers graphically for quick flight planning. Of course full weather brief still done but it does help me select quick altitudes for comfortable flights in a pinch.

However, I hear foreflight now has PCD service which may be a nice tools for us IFR folks at non controlled fields.
 
mulligan said:
I used to use ForeFlight but switched to Garmin Pilot when I got my NXI for ease of database uploads and sending clearance from iPad to MFD via the 510.

The one feature that I love in the Garmin Pilot was the flight profile which displays cloud layers graphically for quick flight planning. Of course full weather brief still done but it does help me select quick altitudes for comfortable flights in a pinch.

However, I hear foreflight now has PCD service which may be a nice tools for us IFR folks at non controlled fields.
Click to expand...

PDC only works at airports that have PDC. There is a list on FF's website. It doesn't work at uncontrolled fields
 
I think it's all a personal preference. I use Garmin Pilot just because it's a little cheaper and it's what I'm comfortable with. Whichever you choose, LEARN HOW TO USE IT ON THE GROUND!!! I used to spend a lot of time planning trips just for practice.
 
James331 said:
When you take the view that $200 is nothing, that’s how you end up spending more to have a 152 than other do to keep a 206.
Click to expand...
I didn’t mean to imply that it is nothing, but it is such a small drop in the bucket when looking at the anual expense of flying, training, or aircraft ownership. And since it is a comparison between GP and FF, then just look at the difference in price between the two, not the total price of one. This would even be a smaller drop in the bucket.
 
George Chityat said:
I didn’t mean to imply that it is nothing, but it is such a small drop in the bucket when looking at the anual expense of flying, training, or aircraft ownership. And since it is a comparison between GP and FF, then just look at the difference in price between the two, not the total price of one. This would even be a smaller drop in the bucket.
Click to expand...

True, but that small drop mindset can get expensive.

I pinch every penny, I require every dollar to be accounted for and justified, but I also understand the bitterness of poor quality lasts longer than the sweetness of low price on somethings.
 
How many devices does Garmin Pilot allow? FF allows one iphone, one iPad, and an iPod.

I asked if I could use my disabled iphone 6sPlus as an iPod and they said no. It’d be nice to use the iPad in the plane and the disabled 6sPlus on the yoke, and use my iPhone 8 for ground planning, but nope.
 
George Chityat said:
But the big thing that you might laugh about and that seems trivial, actually drives me nuts and makes me lean towards GP.
In FF when you are on the map, and you want to pan around with your finger, if put your finger on the map and don’t instantly start moving the map, it will open the box for info on where your finger is.
In GP, it gives you an extra second.
Click to expand...

What hardware/iOS/ForeFlight versions are you running? I just tried this in ForeFlight and it took an extra second. :dunno:

mulligan said:
I used to use ForeFlight but switched to Garmin Pilot when I got my NXI for ease of database uploads and sending clearance from iPad to MFD via the 510.
Click to expand...

I have Garmin Pilot solely for the database updates - I use ForeFlight through the 510 for flight plan transfer. They do both work. :)

BTW, what plane do you have an how did the NXi upgrade work? How much does that cost? I've been wondering whether that could be done for the club's DA40.
 
I have an iPad mini4, iPad Pro 12.9 (I only use this to play around with. too big for cockpit), and iPhone X. All the same issue.
Maybe I didn't describe it perfectly. If you want to pan around, you put your finger on the map and move your finger, and the map moves. But if you put your finger on the map and wait a split second too long before moving, it opens the info box. The problem is that the split second on FF is too short for me. I constantly get the unwanted popups. GP gives literally an extra half a second to a second longer, but for me, it is a world of difference, and I never get the unwanted popups in GP.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
What hardware/iOS/ForeFlight versions are you running? I just tried this in ForeFlight and it took an extra second. :dunno:



I have Garmin Pilot solely for the database updates - I use ForeFlight through the 510 for flight plan transfer. They do both work. :)

BTW, what plane do you have an how did the NXi upgrade work? How much does that cost? I've been wondering whether that could be done for the club's DA40.
Click to expand...
DA-40 NXi upgrade has not been posted last I checked about two months ago. At the time, the factory said getting the DA40 XLT back into production was a higher priority and this has not happened yet.


Sent from my SM-J737T using Tapatalk
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
How many devices does Garmin Pilot allow? FF allows one iphone, one iPad, and an iPod.

I asked if I could use my disabled iphone 6sPlus as an iPod and they said no. It’d be nice to use the iPad in the plane and the disabled 6sPlus on the yoke, and use my iPhone 8 for ground planning, but nope.
Click to expand...
One GP subscription can run on two devices. I have an iPad Pro and a Mini and had to delete the mini to use the Pro, but my primary device is my iPhone.
 
I’ve got Garmin Pilot and an Aera 660. I can connect the two via Bluetooth and transfer flight plans between the two. Change something on one, and you get a pop up on the other asking if you want to change it there, too. Pretty slick!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Stewartb said:
One GP subscription can run on two devices. I have an iPad Pro and a Mini and had to delete the mini to use the Pro, but my primary device is my iPhone.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure it’s 3 now,although the 3rd device is considered a backup, not sure what that means.
 
I have GP on two iPads and a phone
 
I used Foreflight early. I switched to WingX about 4-5 years ago because they had split screen. After a year or two (don’t remember) I bought their 3 year subscription because it was a deal. I liked the app and have been happy with it but when it expired I switched back to ForeFlight because the flying club I belong to has gone ForeFlight hook, line and sinker. All electronic check lists for club planes are ForeFlight. The Garmin ADS-B traffic (which would work with Garmin Pilot) works with ForeFlight. All the instructors are experienced with ForeFlight, etc. so I succumbed to peer pressure, sort of.
 
I can't speak to FF, but with GP "standard" you do get 3 devices per subscription. I have it on my Samsung phone, Ipad mini and Ipad pro. Mainly use it on the mini yoke mounted, use the Ipad pro mostly for planning and looking at the weather while on the ground. I also have a FlyQ subscription, with that you get geo referenced approach plates and airport taxi maps which you don't get on GP standard. If FlyQ had a log book feature like GP has I'd let my GP subscription go.

I like using Garmin Pilot better than FlyQ, maybe I'm just more used to the interface of GP, but I do like the geo referenced plates and it's half the cost of GP.
 
Stewartb said:
Had both for years. let Foreflight go last year. Haven't missed it.

Foreflight with a cell connection offers a satellite map view. Garmin doesn't. But when out of cell range Garmin's topo view is better than anything Foreflight has. Both have chart views if you want that. Garmin doesn't charge extra for synthetic vision, Foreflight does, but neither is worth a crap without an ADHRS box like a GDL50 or Stratus 2. I find Garmin Pilot a little easier to navigate but having other Garmin equipment it's just what I'm used to.

No knock on Foreflight but Garmin Pilot's customer support is pretty amazing. A couple of weeks ago I needed them to help me figure out my app and it turned out it was a lapse in my subscription. They worked the problem and stayed on the line until my devices were running properly. It was a little embarrassing but the phone rep was great. Very helpful, very friendly.
Click to expand...

.....or a GTX345. I have one and it gives me out, in and AHRS for my synth vision.
 
James331 said:
Why not just always file an alternate?
Click to expand...

Why carry additional fuel you dont need? When you have 6 people loaded up on a 5 hour flight, I carry what I need.

Garmin Pilot also prevents me from filing an illegal alternate. It keeps the paper trail legal and me out of trouble is all I'm trying to say. There's whats legal and whats safe. I always fly for safe (carry more fuel than bare minimum) but its important to make sure the paper trail is legal
 
JC150 said:
Why carry additional fuel you dont need? When you have 6 people loaded up on a 5 hour flight, I carry what I need.

Garmin Pilot also prevents me from filing an illegal alternate. It keeps the paper trail legal and me out of trouble is all I'm trying to say. There's whats legal and whats safe. I always fly for safe (carry more fuel than bare minimum) but its important to make sure the paper trail is legal
Click to expand...

I guess, but for most places in the US a alternate isnt that far away
 
James331 said:
There is no comparison, I went through this when I dabbled in Android, foreflight is a good bit beyond the next guy, especially if you fly IFR

But yeah, their pay to add on business model is getting kinda old
Click to expand...
The Android version of Garmin Pilot lags in features behind the iOS version, so if you were comparing Android GP to iOS FF, it was a bit of apples-to-rutabaga.

OTOH, if you're comparing GP to FF on Android, then Garmin wins by default, since ForeFlight never even bothered to show up for the game. The only two Android EFB apps with decent Canadian coverage are GP and FltPlan Pro.
 
David Megginson said:
The Android version of Garmin Pilot lags in features behind the iOS version, so if you were comparing Android GP to iOS FF, it was a bit of apples-to-rutabaga.

OTOH, if you're comparing GP to FF on Android, then Garmin wins by default, since ForeFlight never even bothered to show up for the game. The only two Android EFB apps with decent Canadian coverage are GP and FltPlan Pro.
Click to expand...

As a longtime IFR user of FF, I could easily justify a single app tablet that just ran FF. The operating system platform it runs on is a non-issue in the plane. However there is plenty of added value when not flying!

I long ago decided that trying to decipher the Linux(?) messages during my EFIS startup is a waste of time though I was concerned when I saw Windows2 messages in a friend’s plane.

Maule ‘cut my teeth on MVS/370’ Driver


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
People who think FF has "extra features" probably haven't used GP in 5 years. The only feature from FF that I wish GP had is direct input TEC Routes (I have to look up the route and fill the whole thing in - or do it by memory). Meanwhile, GP has much smoother flight plan filing, works faster and has nearly an identical interface to the GTN.

Also, for all those saying to learn on the ground, I definitely agree. That said, you also need to trial in the air on a nice VFR flight to learn how to integrate into your workload.

Groundpounder said:
I'm annoyed that Foreflight keeps adding things like the NAT tracks and D-ATIS, but it's only available on the performance subscription. I'm already paying $200 a year, and have no need for performance planning, but that other stuff would be really nice to have.
Click to expand...

GP has integrated FltPlan.com, which gives you D-ATIS and PDC.

David Megginson said:
The Android version of Garmin Pilot lags in features behind the iOS version, so if you were comparing Android GP to iOS FF, it was a bit of apples-to-rutabaga.

OTOH, if you're comparing GP to FF on Android, then Garmin wins by default, since ForeFlight never even bothered to show up for the game. The only two Android EFB apps with decent Canadian coverage are GP and FltPlan Pro.
Click to expand...

I initially got GP because I dislike Apple products and the Apple eco system. I ended up buying an iPad to run GP later due to poor support of the tablet version of GP on Android, which was annoying. That said, the Android version on my phone actually has more accessible weather features that I use, like freezing level information.
 
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