The best pilot logbook app in 2026: what actually matters
What separates a good pilot logbook app from a great one — roster import, night/IFR accuracy, exports, and the checks that keep your totals honest.
Ask any line pilot what their least favourite part of the month is and "updating the logbook" will land near the top. A great pilot logbook app should not just replace the paper book — it should make the paperwork disappear into the background. Here's what actually matters when you pick one in 2026, and how to evaluate the options honestly.
1. It has to import your roster, not just accept typing
A modern airline roster changes weekly. If your logbook app makes you re-type every leg, you'll fall behind by the third rotation. Look for native iCal import, a way to pull flights from your existing paper or spreadsheet history, and duplicate detection so a re-published roster doesn't double your hours.
2. Night and IFR time need to be right by default
Night time isn't "sunset to sunrise at the destination" — regulators define it as the period between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight, computed along the actual track. A good app calculates night time from the great-circle route and civil twilight tables, and lets you override the value on a specific flight when reality differed.
3. Pending review is a feature, not a bug
Any flight that arrives from a roster feed should be staged as pending until you confirm it. Registration, block times, crew, and IFR portions all belong to you — an app that silently finalises imported flights is a compliance risk. Aerolog stages every imported flight and shows a banner on the home screen until you clear it.
4. Exports are portable and inspection-ready
Your logbook has to leave the app the same way it came in. At minimum: CSV for spreadsheets, a printable PDF formatted for authority inspection, and a full JSON backup you can re-import on another device. If a logbook app locks your data in, it isn't your logbook.
5. It works offline
You'll close out flights on the ramp, in the crew bus, and at FL350 with no signal. A pilot logbook app that only works with a live network is a webpage in disguise.
6. It respects your regulator, not just the FAA
The best pilot logbook app doesn't assume everyone flies under one authority. EASA, FAA, CASA, and CAAC define totals slightly differently — night time, cross-country, and instrument time each have subtle rules. A serious app lets you export in a format your authority will accept.
How Aerolog stacks up
Aerolog was built by a line pilot to fix exactly these problems: iCal roster import, automatic night/IFR from the actual track, mandatory pending review, CSV/PDF/JSON export, offline-first storage, and multi-authority totals. Free to try on iOS.