What are the best flight simulator logbook apps?

For most PC simmers, Volanta is the best flight simulator logbook app because it combines automatic flight detection, route maps, aircraft statistics and cross-simulator history. Choose Little Navmap for a free local logbook, Sky Dolly for Microsoft Flight Simulator replay, and FS Logbook for a lightweight FSX or Prepar3D record.

Which flight simulator logbook app should you choose?

The best choice depends on whether you value cross-simulator statistics, local ownership, replay data or compatibility with an older sim.

Volanta is our general recommendation when automatic tracking and a polished history matter most. It suits pilots who alternate between Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane and Prepar3D, although its landing-rate figure should be treated as sampled simulator telemetry rather than a complete judgement of landing quality.

Little Navmap is the better choice when you want control of your data. Its local logbook sits alongside route planning, airport information and aircraft tracking, so one program can plan the flight and preserve its record without making a public profile.

Sky Dolly wins when “logbook” really means reviewing a flight. It records enough simulator data to replay approaches and landings, making it more useful than a statistics-first tracker for diagnosing an unstable final or practising camera work.

For an older setup, our downloadable FSX and Prepar3D logbook utility provides a more direct option without adding a large flight-planning suite.

A logbook records what you flew; a career system assigns what to fly next. X-Plane pilots seeking jobs, progression or an economy should compare the available structured career and self-managed tracking options instead.

Is the simulator's built-in logbook enough?

A built-in logbook is enough if you only need approximate hours, departure and arrival airports, and a recent-flight list. An external app becomes worthwhile when you need route maps, filters, aircraft-specific totals, manual corrections, exports or one record spanning several simulators.

Native records can still be useful as a backup because third-party trackers sometimes miss a flight after a simulator crash or lost connector. Our simulator-by-simulator guide to built-in logbooks explains what Microsoft Flight Simulator, FSX, Prepar3D, X-Plane and DCS retain.

These external recommendations are primarily for PC. Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 cannot run the usual desktop tracker or simulator plugin, so Microsoft Flight Simulator console users normally need the in-simulator logbook or a service that permits manual entries. DCS pilots also gain more useful mission and campaign information from the native pilot record than from a civilian route tracker.

Why does a logbook app miss or split flights?

Missing flights usually result from a disconnected tracker, incomplete departure or arrival detection, or a simulator closing before the app receives its final event.

1. Confirm the connection before taxi. Open the tracker first and check that it displays the correct aircraft, airport or live position. A mistake we see constantly is starting the tracker during the climb and expecting it to reconstruct the departure.
2. Install the correct connector. MSFS, FSX and Prepar3D trackers commonly use SimConnect, while X-Plane tools may require a plugin in Resources/plugins. A plugin placed one folder too deeply may appear installed but never load.
3. Give the app a clear beginning and end. Starting at a parking position and finishing after a full stop, parking brake application or engine shutdown gives automatic detection the best chance. Touch-and-goes, runway starts and closing the simulator immediately after landing can produce incomplete records.
4. Check which clock is being recorded. Block time, airborne time, simulator time and real elapsed time are different measurements. Pauses, time acceleration and changing the simulator clock can therefore make two logbooks disagree without either being corrupt.
5. Repair the existing entry instead of importing it again. After a crash, edit the arrival airport or duration if the app allows it. Re-importing the whole history commonly creates duplicate flights.
6. Normalise aircraft identity. Set the registration or tail number before departure. Changing liveries or registrations can make one aircraft appear as several separate airframes in statistics.

How should you back up a simulator logbook?

Back up both the readable export and the app's local database where possible. A CSV file usually preserves airports, times and aircraft details, but it may omit route tracks, replay data, notes or attached flight plans.

Close a locally stored logbook before copying its database so that the file is not being written during the backup. Before moving to another app, export a small sample and inspect its time zone, airport codes, duration format and aircraft fields; then import it once and check for duplicates before transferring the full history.

Can simulator hours go in a real pilot logbook?

Ordinary home flight simulator sessions do not become recognised aircraft flight time merely because an app recorded them. Time in an approved training device may be loggable under the applicable aviation rules and with the required supervision or endorsement, but that is separate from a recreational simulator tracker.

Keep simulated flights in their own database unless you have confirmed the exact regulatory requirements. Our explanation of training logbooks and approved simulator time covers that distinction in more detail.