Best Pilot Logbook Apps in 2026: Honest Comparison

You need a logbook that works for your flying, your budget, and your career. But with dozens of apps on the market, all claiming to be the best, finding the right one means cutting through a lot of marketing noise.

This guide compares 9 pilot logbook apps based on what actually matters: pricing, platform support, regulatory compliance, automation features, and real-world usability. No affiliate links. No rigged rankings. Just an honest breakdown to help you pick the right tool.

Full disclosure: I’m the founder of Skyden, one of the apps in this comparison. I’ve included it fairly alongside every competitor, limitations and all.

Quick Verdict

Best overall for most pilots: LogTen Pro — the market leader for a reason, but expensive. Best free option: MyFlightbook — completely free, forever. Best value: Wingman — generous free tier and affordable Pro plan. Best for EASA pilots: Skyden — broadest authority format support (7 authorities). Best for GA pilots with Garmin avionics: Garmin Pilot — deep hardware integration. Best cross-platform (Android + iOS): Wingman or CrewLounge PILOTLOG. Best one-time purchase: SafeLog — no subscription required.

Now let’s break down why.

How We Evaluated

Every app was assessed across six categories:

• Pricing — What does it actually cost per year? What’s included in free tiers?
• Platform support — iOS, Android, web, desktop. Cross-platform matters.
• Regulatory compliance — Which authority formats can it export? EASA, FAA, TCCA, UK CAA, and others.
• Automation — Auto-logging, schedule import, smart autofill. How much manual entry can you avoid?
• Data portability — Can you export your data? CSV, PDF, API? How easy is it to switch away?
• User experience — Is the interface modern and fast, or does it feel like it was built in 2008?

Pricing Comparison

Let’s start with what matters most to many pilots: cost.

A few things jump out. MyFlightbook is genuinely free with no catch. Wingman’s 250-hour free tier is remarkably generous — most student pilots can get through their entire training without paying. SafeLog is the only major option without recurring fees. And ForeFlight’s logbook can’t be purchased standalone — you’re buying the full EFB suite.

Over a 30-year career, these numbers compound. A $130/year subscription costs nearly $4,000 over a career. A free app costs nothing. That’s worth considering, even if the premium app is better.

Feature Comparison

The feature that separates apps most visibly is automation. LogTen Pro’s AI auto-logging detects your flights and fills entries with claimed 99.97% night time accuracy. ForeFlight auto-populates from its own flight plans. Wingman imports rosters from over 100 airlines with 97.3% accuracy. These features save real time — especially for airline pilots logging 80+ flights a month.

On the other end, MyFlightbook and SafeLog are primarily manual entry. They work fine if you fly a few times a week, but they become tedious at airline pace.

Platform support is the other major dividing line. If you’re on Android, your options narrow considerably — LogTen Pro and Skyden are Apple-only, and ForeFlight is limited to iOS and web. Wingman, MyFlightbook, CrewLounge, SafeLog, Garmin Pilot, and capzlog all support Android. If you fly with colleagues who use different platforms, cross-platform apps make sharing data and comparing notes easier.

Regulatory compliance varies more than most pilots realize. Most apps handle FAA and EASA formats well. But if you fly under TCCA, UK CAA, JCAB, GCAA, or CASA, your options are limited. Skyden is currently the only app offering export templates for all seven of those authorities. For pilots who hold licenses in multiple jurisdictions — increasingly common in contract and expat flying — this matters more than any other single feature.

App-by-App Breakdown

LogTen Pro — The Market Leader

Best for: Airline pilots on Apple devices who want maximum automation.

LogTen Pro has 160,000+ active pilots and 10,000+ five-star App Store reviews. Those numbers aren’t accidental. The app is polished, reliable, and deeply integrated with airline operations. Its AI auto-logging detects flights automatically, the airline schedule import works with 100+ airlines (American, Delta, Frontier, SkyWest, Allegiant, and others), and it includes career features like job matching through its ALPA partnership.

Strengths: Most mature ecosystem. AI-powered auto-logging. Deep airline integrations. Career job matching. Excellent print quality for interview presentations.

Limitations: Apple-only — no Android, no web app. The Pro tier at $129.99/year is one of the most expensive options. Only supports EASA and FAA formats. The Basic tier at $79.99/year locks you out of key features like airline schedule import. If you switch to Android, you lose access to your logbook.

ForeFlight — The EFB Giant

Best for: GA pilots already using ForeFlight for navigation and flight planning.

ForeFlight is the dominant EFB in the US market, backed by Boeing. Its logbook auto-populates from flight plans — file a plan, fly it, and your logbook entry is mostly done. It includes 60+ endorsement templates and integrates seamlessly with the rest of the ForeFlight ecosystem.

Strengths: Seamless EFB integration. Auto-population from flight plans. Extensive endorsement library. Boeing-backed stability.

Limitations: The logbook isn’t standalone. You’re paying $129.99–$389.99/year for the full EFB suite just to access the logbook. No Android support. If you already use a different EFB, the logbook alone doesn’t justify the cost. Logbook features are secondary to the EFB — it’s a bundled add-on, not a dedicated product.

Wingman — Best Value

Best for: Airline pilots who need cross-platform support and roster import at a fair price.

Wingman punches above its weight. The 250-hour free tier is the most generous in the market. Roster import works with 100+ airlines at 97.3% accuracy. It’s cross-platform (iOS, Android, web), which is a genuine advantage over Apple-only competitors. At $59/year for Pro, it’s significantly cheaper than LogTen or ForeFlight.

Strengths: Cross-platform. Generous free tier. Aggressive pricing. Strong airline roster import. Good automation.

Limitations: Smaller brand and community compared to LogTen (10,000+ users vs 160,000+). The website feels less polished than the app. Primarily airline-focused — GA pilots won’t benefit from roster import. Their own blog ranks themselves #1 in every comparison, which doesn’t help credibility.

MyFlightbook — Best Free Option

Best for: Budget-conscious pilots, students, and anyone who refuses to pay for a logbook.

MyFlightbook is completely free and has been running for over 15 years. It’s cross-platform (iOS, Android, web), supports multiple authority formats, and has a loyal community. You can log unlimited hours without ever paying a cent. There’s even an open API for developers.

Strengths: Completely free, forever. Cross-platform. 15+ years of stability. Open API. Loyal community. No vendor lock-in risk — your data is always exportable.

Limitations: The UI looks dated compared to modern apps. It’s a one-person project, which raises questions about long-term sustainability. Customer support is limited. The experience feels more like a web tool from 2010 than a modern mobile app. If the developer stops maintaining it, there’s no company behind it to take over.

CrewLounge PILOTLOG — Most Data Fields

Best for: Detail-oriented pilots who want maximum logging granularity.

CrewLounge captures 60 data fields per flight — more than any other app in this comparison. It has 40,000+ airports in its database and generates 150+ different report types. For pilots who need very specific data tracked, the depth is unmatched.

Strengths: 60 data fields per flight. 150+ reports. 40,000+ airports. Cross-platform (iOS, Android, Windows, macOS). Affordable (EUR 39.99–46.99/year).

Limitations: The interface is complex and overwhelming, especially for new users. The pricing structure with Enterprise and Enterprise+ tiers is confusing. There have been community complaints about customer support responsiveness and bugs going unresolved. The brand went through a rebrand from “MCC Pilot Log” that left some users feeling burned — previous “lifetime” licenses weren’t honored.

SafeLog — Best One-Time Purchase

Best for: Pilots who refuse subscription models on principle.

SafeLog from Dauntless Aviation is the only major logbook available as a one-time purchase ($99.99+). It supports the widest range of platforms (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web) and has 70,000+ airports. It integrates with RosterBuster for airline schedule import. For pilots who want to pay once and own their software, SafeLog is essentially the only serious option.

Strengths: One-time purchase — no recurring fees ever. Widest platform support. RosterBuster integration. 70,000+ airports.

Limitations: The website and interface feel dated. The design hasn’t kept pace with modern app standards. While technically feature-rich, the user experience is less polished than newer competitors. Limited authority-specific PDF formats.

Garmin Pilot — Best for Garmin Avionics

Best for: GA pilots with Garmin avionics who want hardware-to-software integration.

Garmin Pilot’s logbook integrates directly with Garmin avionics, auto-detecting flights based on airspeed and altitude data. If you already fly behind a Garmin panel, the logging is nearly automatic.

Strengths: Deep avionics integration. Auto-flight detection. Part of the broader Garmin aviation ecosystem.

Limitations: The logbook is secondary to the EFB — it’s not a standalone product. At $74.99–$149.99/year, you’re paying for the full EFB suite. Limited authority format support. If you don’t have Garmin avionics, the main differentiator disappears.

capzlog.aero — First EASA-Certified Logbook

Best for: European pilots who want formal regulatory certification.

capzlog.aero holds a notable distinction: it’s the first pilot logbook certified against EASA AMC1 FCL.050 by the Swiss FOCA. For pilots who want the peace of mind that comes with official certification, this matters. It’s cross-platform (iOS, Android, Web) and has an “academy” section with regulatory content.

Strengths: EASA AMC1 FCL.050 certified by Swiss FOCA. Cross-platform. Regulatory education content.

Limitations: At CHF 84/year, it’s not the cheapest option. Smaller user base than the big players. Primarily European focus.

Skyden — Broadest Authority Support

Best for: Pilots who fly under multiple regulatory authorities or outside the FAA/EASA bubble.

Skyden exports compliant PDFs in 7 authority formats: EASA, FAA, TCCA, UK CAA, JCAB, GCAA, and CASA. No other app in this comparison supports that many. The app is designed with a modern, clean interface and includes features like digital signatures, certificate management with expiry reminders, interactive flight maps, and analytics. Import supports migration from ForeFlight, LogTen, PILOTLOG, FlyLog, Carnet.aero, FlightLog, Swift Logbook, and generic CSV. Airline-specific imports are available for Ryanair, ASL Airlines, and easyJet.

Strengths: 7 authority export formats (broadest in market). Modern, clean design. Digital signatures. Certificate management with expiry alerts. EUR 79.99/year gets all features — no tiered Pro split. 4.9/5 App Store rating.

Limitations: Apple-only (iOS, iPadOS, macOS). No Android or web app. Smaller user base than LogTen or ForeFlight. No AI-powered auto-logging. No airline roster import. Newer to the market, which means less community and fewer integrations. The 20-hour free tier is modest compared to Wingman’s 250 hours.

Who Should Choose What

Choosing a logbook depends on three things: what you fly, where you fly, and what you’re willing to pay. Here’s a decision framework.

Choose LogTen Pro if you’re an airline pilot on Apple devices, you want best-in-class automation, and the $129.99/year price doesn’t bother you. It’s the industry standard for good reason.

Choose ForeFlight if you already use it as your EFB and you want your logbook integrated with your flight planning. Don’t buy ForeFlight just for the logbook.

Choose Wingman if you need cross-platform support, you’re cost-conscious, and you fly for an airline. The 250-hour free tier and $59/year Pro plan are hard to beat.

Choose MyFlightbook if you want a free logbook and you can tolerate a dated interface. It’s the only option that costs literally nothing.

Choose CrewLounge if you need maximum data granularity and you’re willing to invest time learning a complex interface. The 60 fields per flight and 150+ reports are unmatched.

Choose SafeLog if you fundamentally object to subscription pricing and want to pay once. It’s the last major one-time purchase option standing.

Choose Garmin Pilot if you fly GA with Garmin avionics and want automatic flight detection from your panel.

Choose capzlog if formal EASA certification matters to you and you want a recognized regulatory stamp on your logbook tool.

Choose Skyden if you fly under multiple authorities beyond just EASA and FAA, you value modern design and simplicity, and you’re in the Apple ecosystem. The 7-authority export is genuinely unique.

The Subscription Fatigue Problem

One theme that comes up constantly in pilot forums is subscription fatigue. Pilots already pay for medical certificates, checkrides, training, charts, weather services, and EFB subscriptions. Adding another $60–$130/year for a logbook feels like a lot — especially when paper logbooks cost $15 and last for years.

It’s a fair concern. Over a 30-year career, even a modest $60/year subscription totals $1,800. A premium app at $130/year adds up to $3,900. These aren’t trivial numbers.

But the math cuts both ways. A logbook app that saves you 10 minutes per flight — through auto-logging, smart autofill, or roster import — saves an airline pilot logging 80 flights per month roughly 13 hours a year. Whether that time savings justifies the cost is personal, but it’s not nothing.

SafeLog’s one-time purchase model is the obvious alternative. You pay once and own the software. The trade-off is that one-time purchases generate less revenue, which typically means slower development and fewer updates. Pick the model that matches your priorities.

Switching Between Apps

Most pilots will switch logbook apps at least once in their career. The good news: nearly every app supports CSV import and export, so migration is possible. The bad news: it’s rarely seamless.

Common migration headaches include losing remarks and endorsement fields, time format mismatches (decimal vs hours:minutes), and missing aircraft type mappings. Before you commit to switching:

1. Export your current data as CSV from your existing app
2. Check the new app’s import documentation for supported fields
3. Import into the new app’s free tier first and verify a sample of entries
4. Run both apps in parallel for a month before fully committing

The best time to switch is early in your career, when you have fewer hours to migrate. The worst time is right before an airline interview, when you need a clean, verified logbook. Plan ahead.

For pilots who need compliant exports across multiple authorities, check our EASA logbook requirements guide for what your exports need to contain.

If you’re still debating whether to go digital at all, our guide on digital vs paper logbooks covers the broader decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a completely free pilot logbook app?

Yes. MyFlightbook is 100% free with unlimited hours, supported by donations. Wingman offers 250 free hours per year, which is enough for most student pilots to complete training. Skyden offers 20 free hours and LogTen offers 50 free hours. CrewLounge offers 100 free flights.

Do airlines accept digital logbooks for interviews?

Most major airlines now accept digital logbooks, provided you can produce a clean printed PDF. The quality of your PDF export matters — a well-formatted, authority-compliant printout is just as professional as a paper logbook. Some examiners and smaller operators still prefer paper, so always be prepared to print.

Which logbook app works on Android?

Wingman, MyFlightbook, CrewLounge PILOTLOG, SafeLog, Garmin Pilot, and capzlog.aero all support Android. LogTen Pro, ForeFlight, and Skyden are Apple-only. If Android support is non-negotiable, this narrows your options significantly.

What happens if my logbook app shuts down?

This is a legitimate concern, especially with smaller developers. Protect yourself by regularly exporting your data as CSV and storing it independently. Apps with open APIs (MyFlightbook) or standard CSV export (most apps) give you an exit path. One-person projects and venture-funded startups both carry sustainability risk, just for different reasons.

Is a subscription or one-time purchase better?

Over a long career, subscriptions cost more in total. A $60/year subscription costs $1,800 over 30 years. SafeLog’s one-time purchase of ~$100 looks much better in that math. But subscriptions fund ongoing development, server costs, and support. A one-time purchase app may receive fewer updates over time. There’s no universally right answer — it depends on whether you value lower long-term cost or ongoing feature development.

Final Thoughts

There’s no single best pilot logbook app. There’s only the best one for your specific situation.

If money is no object and you’re on Apple, LogTen Pro is the most complete package. If you need cross-platform and good value, Wingman is hard to beat. If you refuse to pay anything, MyFlightbook has served pilots well for 15+ years. And if you fly internationally across multiple authorities, Skyden’s 7-format export handles compliance that other apps simply don’t cover.

Whatever you choose, the most important thing is that you actually use it consistently. A mediocre app used religiously beats a perfect app used sporadically. Your logbook is the legal record of your flying career — pick the tool that makes maintaining it effortless, and stick with it.

Want to see how Skyden handles multi-authority compliance? Your first 20 hours are free with all features unlocked from day one — enough to evaluate it alongside your current logbook with zero risk.