Pilot logbook apps: one-time payment vs subscription

A logbook is not a one-season purchase. You will add to it for your whole flying life — often thirty years or more. That changes how you should look at the price tag. Here is how subscription and one-time-payment logbooks compare over a career, and what really matters beyond the money.

The two pricing models

• Subscription: you pay every month or every year for as long as you use the app. Common among the big logbook apps, especially those with roster import and cloud sync.
• One-time payment (lifetime licence): you pay once and keep the full product. The Pilot Log costs €29.99 once, VAT included.

Some apps mix both: a one-off purchase for the app plus a yearly fee for sync or updates. Read the small print.

What it costs over a career

A simple way to compare: multiply the yearly price by the number of years you expect to keep logging.

These are illustrative figures, not the price of any particular app — check current prices yourself. Subscription prices also tend to rise over time, while a one-time payment is fixed the day you pay.

What happens if you stop paying?

This is the most important question, and it is often unanswered on pricing pages. With a subscription, ask:

1. Can I still see my logbook when the subscription ends, or is the app locked?
2. Can I still export everything — not just a PDF, but all the data in an open format (CSV, JSON)?
3. Can I still add flights, or only read them?
4. Is my data deleted after a period without payment?

Your logbook is the legal record of your experience. You should never be in a position where you must keep paying just to read it.

With The Pilot Log there is nothing to stop paying: once you have bought lifetime access, every feature stays available for good. Even during or after the free trial, the logbook stays readable and exportable (PDF, CSV, JSON) — nothing is ever deleted because of payment.

When a subscription is worth it

A subscription can be the right choice when it pays for something you use every week:

• Automatic import of flights from an airline roster or crew system, which saves a lot of typing on a busy schedule.
• Fleet or company features, when an operator pays for its crews.
• Integrations with other tools you rely on.

If you need those, compare a few apps on features first, then on cost — see our honest comparison of digital EASA logbooks.

When a one-time payment makes more sense

• You want a clean EASA logbook, with the paper page layout, signatures and a PDF for your authority or an interview.
• You fly a few hours a month — PPL, instructor, part-time — and a yearly fee feels out of proportion.
• You are a student pilot or cadet and want a logbook that will still be yours, at no extra cost, when you reach an airline.
• You simply do not want another subscription.

Questions to ask before you choose any logbook

1. Does the PDF look like the EASA page your examiner knows?
2. Can I export all my data in an open format, at any time?
3. What exactly happens to my logbook if I stop paying, or if the company closes?
4. Is my data encrypted and backed up off-site?
5. Is the price shown with VAT included, and can I change my mind? (The Pilot Log: VAT included and 14 days to withdraw for a full refund.)

See the price of The Pilot Log — a single payment, every feature, unlimited flights.