You manage an aircraft partnership, co-ownership group, or small European flying club and want automated invoicing, per-pilot balance tracking, and flat pricing that doesn't scale up with your fleet size.
You run a large US-based flying club with 10+ aircraft where per-aircraft pricing becomes competitive, you already use QuickBooks for accounting, and you only need scheduling and maintenance (not financial settlements or pilot balance management).
As of March 2026. Verify current pricing directly with each vendor.
SOLO
1 aircraft, 1 pilotFree forever
BASIC
Flat — any number of aircraft€9/month
PRO
Flat — any number of aircraft€18/month
ULTRA
Flat — any number of aircraft€45/month
IDLE
Scheduling only$12/aircraft/mo
HALF-THROTTLE
Scheduling + maintenance$12/aircraft/mo
FULL-THROTTLE
Scheduling + maintenance + logging + QuickBooks$18/aircraft/mo
Instructors/equipment
Add-on per instructor or piece of equipment+$6/item/mo
Example — 3 aircraft club: AircraftClubs FULL-THROTTLE = $54/month. Pilot-Next PRO = €18/month. Pilot-Next is ~3× cheaper and includes automated invoicing and pilot balance management — features AircraftClubs doesn't offer at any price.
Example — 10 aircraft club: AircraftClubs FULL-THROTTLE = $180/month. Pilot-Next ULTRA = €45/month. As fleet size grows, AircraftClubs pricing scales linearly while Pilot-Next stays flat.
| Feature | Pilot-Next | AircraftClubs |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | ✅ SOLO — free forever | ❌ No free tier |
| Starting paid price | €9/month (flat) | $12/aircraft/month |
| Pricing model | Flat per company | Per aircraft per month |
| Unlimited users | ✅ | ✅ |
| Aircraft booking | ✅ 2-click | ✅ |
| Pilot balance management | ✅ full credit/debit tracking | ❌ |
| Automated invoicing | ✅ built-in PDF invoicing | ⚠️ QuickBooks integration only (top tier) |
| Maintenance tracking | ✅ included | ✅ mid and top tiers |
| Hobbs/Tacho time tracking | ✅ | ✅ (top tier) |
| Calendar sync | ✅ Google, Outlook, Apple | ⚠️ iCal invitations only |
| Mobile-optimized | ✅ fully responsive | ⚠️ basic mobile |
| AI / MCP integration | ✅ built-in MCP server | ❌ |
| European-native (EUR) | ✅ | ❌ USD only |
| GDPR compliant | ✅ | ⚠️ US-hosted |
| Financial settlements | ✅ built-in per-flight settlement | ❌ requires external accounting |
| Aircraft co-ownership model | ✅ built for co-owners | ⚠️ basic scheduling only |
| Free data migration | ✅ | ✅ |
Pilot-Next charges a flat monthly fee regardless of how many aircraft or pilots you manage. AircraftClubs charges $12–$18 per aircraft per month, so costs grow linearly with fleet size. For a 1–2 aircraft group, costs are broadly comparable. For 3+ aircraft, Pilot-Next becomes substantially cheaper. For very large clubs (20+ aircraft), AircraftClubs offers unlimited users which may partially offset the per-aircraft cost.
Pilot-Next's biggest differentiator over AircraftClubs is its built-in financial management. Pilots maintain a running balance (pre-payment deposits), and each flight is automatically settled and invoiced. This eliminates the need for any external accounting tool for most clubs. AircraftClubs relies on QuickBooks integration (available only on the top FULL-THROTTLE tier) and doesn't support per-pilot balances.
Pilot-Next generates automated PDF invoices after every flight settlement. No external software needed. AircraftClubs connects to QuickBooks for accounting, but only on the most expensive tier ($18/aircraft/month). For clubs that already have a QuickBooks workflow, AircraftClubs integrates cleanly. For clubs that want everything in one place, Pilot-Next wins.
Pilot-Next offers a permanent free SOLO tier for 1 aircraft and 1 pilot — no credit card required, and it never expires. This makes it ideal for solo owners or very small partnerships wanting to try the platform with no commitment. AircraftClubs has no free tier; you pay per aircraft from day one.
Pilot-Next is designed mobile-first — the goal is to let pilots book a plane in 2 clicks from their phone while standing at the airfield. AircraftClubs has a web-based interface that works on mobile but isn't primarily designed for phone use. If your pilots book from their phones, Pilot-Next will feel significantly more polished.
AircraftClubs is a mature US-focused platform with a well-established customer base. If your club is US-based and deeply embedded in the QuickBooks ecosystem, AircraftClubs integrates directly. Pilot-Next is European-native (EUR pricing, GDPR-friendly) and doesn't integrate with external accounting software.
Free SOLO tier forever. No credit card required. Upgrade when you're ready.
Get Started for FreeRated 4.9 / 5 · Based on 89 reviews