Free pilot logbook app for iPhone (what free actually gets you)

Short answer: KármánLogs is free on iPhone for your first 100 flight hours, with the full logging experience included. The national average for earning a private pilot certificate is roughly 60 to 75 hours, so most student pilots finish their entire training, checkride included, without paying anything.

But "free" means very different things across logbook apps, so it is worth knowing what you are actually signing up for.

What "free" usually means in logbook apps

Most free logbook offers fall into one of three models:

1. Time-limited trials. Full app, but the clock runs out in a few weeks, usually right in the middle of your training, and your logbook is suddenly behind a paywall.
2. Feature-limited free tiers. Free forever, but the features that make a digital logbook worth using (automatic calculations, reports, sync) are locked. You get a spreadsheet with extra steps.
3. Free, paid for with your data. No charge, but your flying history, routes, and personal details live on the company's servers and feed their business.

None of these are wrong, but you should know which one you are choosing, because your logbook is a career document you will carry for decades.

What you get free in KármánLogs

The Student tier is the full logging experience for your first 100 hours, not a teaser:

• Log your first 100 hours free, every flight, every field
• Automatic night and time logic: night time computed from your route and times, no math
• Automatic takeoffs and landings, counted from each flight's times and locations
• Aircraft management and crew tracking (PIC/SIC)
• PDF logbook export and the FAA 8710 summary report: real paperwork from day one
• Document photo scan: store your endorsements and certificates with your flights
• iCloud sync, backup, and restore: your logbook lives in your own iCloud from the first flight

The 100-hour line is deliberate. A private certificate typically takes 60 to 75 hours, so the free tier is sized to cover a student pilot's entire journey from first lesson through checkride, with margin.

Free and private are different things

Because KármánLogs stores your logbook in your own iCloud, encrypted and synced by Apple, there is no company server holding your flying history and no account to create (Sign in with Apple, no passwords). Free does not mean you are the product. See where your data is stored.

When you would pay

Past 100 hours, pricing is one clear annual price as you advance, no surprise unlocks:

Tier	Price	Adds
Student	Free, first 100 hours	Student pilots through the private checkride
Private	$49.99/year	500-hour logbook, Part 91 currency tracking, CSV export
Commercial	$69.99/year	1,500-hour logbook, Part 121/135 currency, FAR 117 duty time, Logbook Audit Check
ATP	$99.99/year	Unlimited hours, Photo AI Vision import, SATCOM Direct integration

By the time you cross 100 hours you are past the private certificate and building toward a rating, and your logbook is already complete, organized, and verifiable, which is exactly when it starts doing its real work. See how to prepare your logbook for an airline interview for where that ends up.

Getting started

Setting up takes a couple of minutes (set up KármánLogs), logging a flight takes seconds (log a flight in seconds), and if you have paper history to bring over, switching from a paper logbook covers both migration paths.

Still need help? Email support@karmanlogs.com.