Find the best flight planner for MSFS 2024, with clear picks for VFR, airliners and consoles, plus fixes for failed route imports.
For most Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 pilots on PC, Little Navmap is the best all-round flight planner: it is free, detailed, suitable for VFR and IFR, connects to the simulator, and exports flight plans. Choose SimBrief for airline dispatch, Navigraph Charts for paid charts and navdata, or the built-in EFB on consoles.
Best MSFS 2024 flight planners compared
Each planner excels at a different job, so the best choice depends on the aircraft you fly and the level of planning you want.
| Planner | Best for | Main strength | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Navmap | VFR, general aviation, bush flying and mixed IFR | Free detailed planning, moving map, airport information and simulator tracking | It is a desktop application; direct simulator connection is primarily a PC workflow |
| SimBrief | Scheduled airline and business-jet operations | Operational flight plans, fuel calculations, route generation and aircraft profiles | Import support differs between aircraft, and its free navdata may not match the simulator |
| Navigraph Charts | Chart-centred IFR flying | Integrated charts, route planning, moving maps and matching navigation data | Requires a subscription and is most valuable with supported aircraft |
| MSFS 2024 EFB | Quick planning and console flying | Built into the simulator, with no extra installation or file management | Less capable for dispatch planning, route analysis and advanced fuel calculations |
Our broader comparison of simulator flight-planning tools covers the same options across several flight simulators.
Is Little Navmap better than SimBrief for MSFS 2024?
Little Navmap is better for visual route building and situational awareness, while SimBrief is better for realistic airline dispatch. They are complementary tools rather than direct replacements.
Choose Little Navmap if you fly Cessnas, helicopters, bush aircraft or mixed VFR and IFR routes. It exposes airspace, terrain, parking positions, radio frequencies and procedure geometry on one map. Our explanation of why Little Navmap is the leading free planner covers its main advantages and limitations.
For an Airbus, Boeing or regional jet, SimBrief provides the more useful operational paperwork. It calculates a route, fuel figures, alternates and an operational flight plan using an aircraft profile. Follow our aircraft-profile and OFP workflow for SimBrief if airline planning is your priority.
Is Navigraph worth using as well?
Navigraph Charts is worth adding when you regularly fly IFR and want chart access, route planning and consistent navigation data in one paid system. It does not make SimBrief redundant: SimBrief handles dispatch calculations, while Charts handles route review, procedures and chart-based flying.
The subscription makes less sense for casual VFR flying, where Little Navmap and the MSFS 2024 EFB already cover the essential planning tasks.
How do you import an external flight plan into MSFS 2024?
An imported route must reach the EFB, aircraft avionics and simulator ATC separately where the aircraft does not synchronise them automatically.
- Check the navigation data. Try to keep the planner, simulator and aircraft on matching AIRAC cycles. A mismatch can remove waypoints or substitute a different SID or STAR.
- Create the route. Set the correct departure, destination and cruise level. Delay choosing a runway or approach if the weather may change before departure.
- Use the supported import method. Little Navmap can export a Microsoft Flight Simulator plan file, while supported aircraft can retrieve a SimBrief plan through their tablet or flight management system.
- Transfer each required copy. Loading a route into the EFB does not guarantee that it has reached the FMS or ATC. Use the available avionics and ATC transfer controls where supported.
- Inspect every leg. Check the active runway, first waypoint, final approach, altitude constraints and any route discontinuities before starting the engines.
The exact controls vary by aircraft. Our MSFS 2024 EFB route-transfer walkthrough explains route calculation, fuel and payload review, and the avionics transfer process.
Why does an imported flight plan fail?
Most failed imports come from separate route copies, mismatched navdata or procedures being added twice.
- The route appears in the EFB but not the FMS: the aircraft uses its own flight-management database. Import through its tablet or FMS, or send the EFB route to avionics if that aircraft supports the function.
- A waypoint is missing: the planner and aircraft probably use different AIRAC cycles. Replace the waypoint with one recognised by both systems or align their navigation data.
- The route doubles back near the airport: a SID, STAR or approach has probably been inserted by both the planner and the FMS. Remove one copy and check the transition waypoint.
- ATC ignores the imported route: loading avionics does not always file the same route with simulator ATC. File or transfer the ATC copy separately when the option is available.
- Fuel or payload is wrong: importing route legs does not necessarily apply dispatch figures. Review the EFB or aircraft tablet and apply the load explicitly.
Do the AIRAC cycles need to match?
Matching AIRAC cycles matters more than simply having the newest cycle. If Little Navmap, MSFS 2024 and the aircraft all recognise the same procedures and fixes, imports are far less likely to break. This becomes critical for airliner IFR flights but is rarely a concern for basic VFR planning.
What is the best MSFS 2024 flight planner on console?
The built-in EFB is the most practical flight planner on Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and PS5 Pro because it avoids desktop software, local plan files and SimConnect.
A separate phone, tablet or computer can still generate routes. Some aircraft can retrieve a SimBrief plan after the relevant account identifier is entered in their tablet or FMS, but support is aircraft-specific. If that integration is absent, build the route in the EFB and verify it manually in the cockpit avionics.