OutDare vs Paragliding Map: sites, alerts and cost

Choose Paragliding Map for its larger published launch database and webcams; choose OutDare for a free personal flyability verdict, wind alerts and a flight recorder with 3D replay. Both help you decide where to fly. Neither can clear a launch as safe. This comparison is published by OutDare, so the useful question is which job each app handles, rather than which brand wins everything.

How do OutDare and Paragliding Map compare?

Paragliding Map advertises 15,000+ launches; OutDare documents 13,900+. Those are published inventory figures, not a field audit of every launch. A bigger database increases the chance of finding an unfamiliar site, but access rules and local knowledge still need checking. Features and payment boundaries below were checked against the linked official pages on 4 November 2026.

Job	OutDare	Paragliding Map
Launch database	13,900+ launches	15,000+ launches advertised
Webcams	Not the reason to choose OutDare	A particular strength; paid access
Flyability	Personal wind range, gust tolerance and wing	Site forecasts and flyability information
Site alerts	Free alerts for saved sites	Evening-before alerts listed in subscription
Record and review a flight	Recorder and 3D replay, free	Not the recorder compared here
Price	Free, no ads or subscription	Free features with ads; paid upgrades
Platforms	iOS, Android, Apple Watch and web	iOS, Android and web

The distinction matters on an ordinary working day. Looking up a launch is one job; remembering to look again when conditions improve is another. A pilot who only wants a webcam may reasonably pay for Paragliding Map without changing the recorder already mounted on the harness.

Which app has the better site database?

Paragliding Map has the larger advertised launch inventory and explicitly offers live webcams. Its official app listing also describes landing areas, site photos and forecast integrations. That makes it a useful starting point for researching a trip and seeing whether cloud or visibility matches the forecast.

OutDare's database covers 135 countries and territories and is bundled in the app for offline site browsing. An offline launch marker is useful when reception disappears on the access road. It does not mean the weather forecast or live tracking continues updating without connectivity.

Do not compare a total of launches plus landings against another app's launch count. This table compares launches with launches. Nor does a pin establish that a site is open today: ask the local club about permission, seasonal closures, parking, landing options and rating requirements.

A webcam supplies a view, not a complete wind measurement. Check the image timestamp and where the camera points. A clear view across a valley cannot establish whether your intended slope is in rotor or whether the air above it is stronger than the wind at camera level.

Which app sends wind and flyability alerts?

Both OutDare and Paragliding Map offer alerts, with different payment boundaries and descriptions. OutDare compares a saved site's forecast with your wind range, gust tolerance and wing, then alerts when that site turns flyable. Paragliding Map describes notifications the evening before selected launches are flyable in its subscription feature list.

An alert is a prompt to reopen the forecast. Check the selected site, the time window and your settings rather than assuming the notification covers the whole day. A suitable average wind does not cancel strong gusts, an approaching storm or a temporary airspace restriction.

For example, if a saved launch faces east and the afternoon flow turns west, a promising morning window says little about a late arrival. Review the hourly evolution before setting off. Our tomorrow flyability checklist explains what to verify beyond a coloured symbol.

Which features are actually free?

OutDare's site verdicts, alerts, recorder, 3D replay and live tracking are free, without advertising or a subscription. No account is needed to check conditions or set an alert. Those are product facts documented on the OutDare about page, not a temporary introductory offer described as a permanent price.

Paragliding Map offers free features supported by ads. Its app listing explains that purchases enable features and remove advertising; its subscription page includes webcams, forecasts, favourites and notifications. Check the checkout for your country and platform before buying. A free download or trial is not the same thing as all features being permanently free.

We do not quote a single universal subscription price for Paragliding Map because store pricing and web offers can differ. The relevant comparison is whether the feature you need is included, how renewal works and what you will actually pay at checkout.

What about recording, replay and live tracking?

OutDare combines pre-flight checks with a flight recorder, 3D replay and a shareable live tracking link. That suits a recreational pilot who wants to check a site, record the flight and let family follow from a browser without assembling a separate paid stack.

Paragliding Map's published strengths in this comparison are site research, webcams and forecast access. A map's 3D terrain view is not automatically a recorded-flight replay; those are different features. We have not independently tested feature parity or battery consumption across the two apps, so this is not a laboratory performance ranking.

For a fully configurable competition cockpit, consider a specialist instrument as well. Our paragliding app comparison separates instrument navigation, forecasting, site discovery and tracking so the choice starts with your actual flight.

How can I compare the apps on a familiar site?

Compare the exact takeoff you already know, at the same forecast hour. Start by checking whether the two markers identify the same slope. Similar names can describe a lower training area, a ridge launch and a different takeoff reached from the same road. A weather difference between those locations is not necessarily a disagreement about the same place.

Next check the displayed altitude, time zone and units. A station reading, a forecast average and a forecast gust are three different things. Put equivalent variables next to each other before judging which interface is more useful. If one app displays a current observation while another shows tomorrow's forecast, their numbers should not be expected to match.

Then ask each app a concrete question. Can you find the relevant time window without mistaking the day's best hour for your arrival time? Does the site description explain the access constraint you need to know? Is the webcam recent enough and aimed in a useful direction? For a paid function, is access included in the particular purchase you are considering?

Finally, test the alert and sharing workflow in ordinary conditions on the ground. Check notification permissions, the saved site and the intended recipient of a live link. Do this before relying on a notification to organise a drive. Changing a phone permission is simpler at home than discovering the problem when a short flying window is already closing.

This exercise compares usability for your needs, not forecast accuracy across the sport. One successful afternoon cannot validate a weather product, just as one difficult local day cannot establish that an entire service is poor. Keep a record of what was forecast and what you actually observed if you want to improve your own interpretation.

Should a travelling pilot choose a different app?

For travel, separate finding a site from obtaining a current briefing. Paragliding Map's additional published launches and webcam offering may be useful where your normal database lacks the place you need. OutDare's offline site data and personal verdict can be useful once you have identified a suitable candidate. Neither eliminates the need to learn the local rules.

Before leaving, identify the local club or school and how to obtain permission or a site introduction. Check whether the landing area is available and whether the site has seasonal or daily limitations. Save the information you need for the journey, while remembering that weather and restrictions require a fresh check.

That makes the decision more precise than “which app has more sites?” The useful question is whether the information covers your actual destination, whether you understand its limitations and whether you can access it when needed. Choose the tool that fills the gap in that preparation.

Which should you use before driving to launch?

Use OutDare if your priority is a free answer to “is my saved site flyable for me?”, and Paragliding Map if its webcam coverage or additional sites solve your problem. Keeping both can make sense: they do not need to replace the same tool.

Start with the specific launch you intend to use. Compare its orientation and altitude with the forecast, inspect gusts and winds aloft, then check local rules and current observations. If two sources disagree, investigate the cause rather than picking the answer that makes the drive worthwhile.

These are planning tools, not instructors or official aviation briefing services. Learn weather interpretation with a qualified school, ask experienced local pilots about the site's limits, and be willing to abandon the plan. When in doubt, do not launch.