OutDare vs Burnair: free flying or Alpine XC planning?

Choose OutDare for free personal site verdicts, alerts, recording and 3D replay; choose burnair for detailed Swiss and Alpine weather analysis and XC route planning. burnair also has a useful free tier, including today's launch forecast. It would be misleading to compare all of burnair's paid tools with only OutDare's price.

This article is published by OutDare. The comparison below uses the makers' published functions, checked on 4 November 2026. It is not an independent weather-accuracy test, and “best for” means our assessment of the documented tools.

What do OutDare and burnair actually offer?

OutDare centres the personal decision at a site; burnair offers a deeper Alpine planning workspace. Both provide launch information and weather support. burnair splits the service into Free, Basic and Premium, while OutDare does not charge for its features.

Need	OutDare	burnair Map / Go
Site decision	Personal wind, gust and wing criteria	Launch forecasts; today in Free
Forecast horizon	7-day site forecasts, free	5-day launch forecasts from Basic
Wind alerts	Free saved-site alerts	Check the selected plan; not compared as identical
Thermal planning	Site weather support, not a dedicated thermal model	Thermal forecasts in Premium
XC route planning	Not a complete competition planning instrument	Premium route and XC planning tools
Recording	Recorder, 3D replay and live link, free	Go app and live tracking listed in the offering
Cost	Free, no ads or subscription	Free; Basic and Premium paid

The burnair Go overview is the source for the tier boundaries. “Map” is the planning service; “Go” is the accompanying mobile app. Read the actual plan rather than assuming the app name tells you which weather layers are included.

Why is burnair a strong choice in Switzerland and the Alps?

burnair is especially compelling when terrain, valley flow and a planned XC route need to be examined together. Its documented weather views include wind at multiple heights, cloud and rain information, plus Alpine model coverage. Premium adds thermal forecasts and route-weather tools. These are concrete reasons to consider it for Alpine cross-country preparation.

The official forecast documentation describes DWD models alongside MeteoSwiss models for the Alpine region. That geographical detail matters: a tool built around Alpine flow questions may suit a Swiss pilot better than a simpler worldwide site list.

It does not establish that burnair is more accurate at every launch or on every day. Local exposure, a sheltered sensor and an unresolved valley can complicate any forecast. We have not run matched forecasts against a common independent observation set and do not claim a performance winner.

If you already understand soundings and want to choose a route between several ridges, richer layers can be worth paying for. If you only need to decide whether your familiar launch merits another look after work, those layers may be more than you need.

What is genuinely free in each app?

burnair Free includes site information, live wind, a launch forecast for today and live tracking; OutDare includes its seven-day forecasts, personal verdicts, alerts and recorder free. Some burnair Free functions require registration. Do not describe burnair as wholly paid or suggest that OutDare is the only service with a launch forecast.

The free-versus-paid distinction is about the task. Looking at today's launch conditions is different from examining several days of thermal and route weather. burnair Basic and Premium add tools beyond the same-day view, and those tools have a different scope from a personal wind verdict.

OutDare is free without advertising or a subscription. No account is needed to check conditions or set an alert. Its offline site database, flight recorder, 3D replay and live tracking link are described on the about page. Online weather updates and live location sharing still need a connection.

A useful evaluation is to save one familiar site, inspect the same hour in both services and write down which extra information changes your plan. That compares practical value without pretending one app needs to imitate every feature of the other.

How much do burnair Basic and Premium cost?

burnair's published yearly levels are 59 for Basic and 129 for Premium; the official shop uses CHF. The overview also offers shorter Premium periods. Check your selected duration and final currency on the burnair shop page before paying.

We do not relabel Swiss francs as euros, and we do not convert a temporary or regional offer into a universal price. The shop states that the subscriptions do not renew automatically. That can matter as much as the headline price if you only fly in the Alps for part of the year.

The real question is whether five-day launch forecasts, thermal layers and route planning save you effort or improve your understanding. Paying for a specialist can be sensible even when another app is free. Conversely, do not buy a premium layer merely because a free symbol feels less sophisticated.

How should I evaluate a paid planning layer?

Start with a question from your own flying rather than a subscription name. Perhaps you can already identify a suitable launch but struggle to interpret the wind above the next ridge. Perhaps you understand the weather but need a clearer way to relate it to a route. Those are different gaps, and the same paid layer may not be the answer to both.

Open a familiar site and a plausible day in the free tools first. Write down what you still cannot explain. Then examine whether the documented Basic or Premium functions address that uncertainty and whether you know how to read them. More detail is useful when it clarifies a decision, not simply when it makes a map look more technical.

For an occasional Alpine trip, compare the available term with the dates you actually need. Check the currency, expiry and included functions before purchasing. The shorter Premium periods and the absence of automatic renewal described by burnair are relevant here, but do not imply that every offer has the same duration or price.

Keep the role of training separate from the purchase. A thermal profile or route-weather view can make an informed analysis easier; it does not supply the knowledge needed to interpret an unfamiliar atmospheric situation. If the meaning of a layer is unclear, learn it on the ground with an instructor or suitable educational material before relying on it.

How might the apps fit into two different flying days?

For a local recreational flight, the main question may be whether a known launch deserves a fresh look during a short window. A personal site verdict and alert can reduce repeated checking. After the notification, the pilot still reviews gusts, wind aloft and observations. Recording and a live link address what happens during and after the flight rather than proving the original forecast.

For an Alpine XC project, the question expands beyond a single takeoff. The pilot needs to understand changing flow, cloud development and the conditions along a potential route. burnair's documented route and thermal tools are a reason to examine its paid levels. A good-looking launch forecast alone cannot settle that larger project in either service.

These examples describe workflows, not suggested flights or a ranking of pilots. A cautious local flight can demand careful weather interpretation, and a sophisticated map can still end in a decision to stay on the ground. The useful result of the comparison is knowing which tool supplies the missing information and which questions remain your responsibility.

There is therefore no contradiction in using burnair for detailed Alpine preparation and OutDare for personal site alerts or recording. Judge the combination by clarity and relevance. Avoid paying twice for a function you never use, but do not discard a specialist tool merely because another part of the workflow is free.

Does OutDare replace a thermal model or XC instrument?

No: OutDare is a site and flight-support app, not a dedicated thermal weather model or a full competition cockpit. It applies personal wind and gust criteria to forecasts, then adds alerts, recording and sharing. A green site verdict does not forecast a complete XC route or all hazards along it.

For a broader choice, see the comparison of paragliding apps. For weather on a tight budget, the free forecast comparison separates general weather maps, thermal tools and site verdicts. A pilot can sensibly combine a specialist forecast with OutDare rather than replacing either.

Before flying, confirm actual wind, cloud development, restrictions and local advice. Learn Alpine weather with a qualified school and do not use an app to justify conditions beyond your training. When in doubt, do not launch.