Information as of November 2026
The GDL 50 feeds your tablet. SkyHound feeds your tablet too, and adds its own traffic and weather screen on your glareshield.
SkyHound is $51 less than the Garmin GDL 50, and adds its own traffic and weather screen.
A portable dual-band (978 and 1090 MHz) ADS-B In receiver with its own 4.3-inch QLED touchscreen. It connects wirelessly to ForeFlight, Garmin Pilot and other EFBs like any receiver, and also shows traffic, NEXRAD and METARs on its own screen, with on-screen and audio alerts. Fly it with your iPad, or without one.
A portable ADS-B receiver from Garmin with built-in GPS and a pressure sensor. It has no display of its own: traffic and weather appear on a tablet running an EFB app such as Garmin Pilot, which needs a paid subscription.
Both send traffic and weather to your EFB. SkyHound also shows it on its own touchscreen and alerts you on the device and through audio out, so SkyHound works without or in addition to an iPad. It sits on the glareshield, so traffic is at eye level instead of down on a tablet in your lap. Tablets overheat and run flat, SkyHound does not.
Both work with your EFB. Only SkyHound also shows traffic and weather on its own screen.
How the two compare, feature by feature.
| Feature | SkyHound™ | Garmin GDL 50 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $849, one time | $900 for the receiver alone |
| EFB connection | Wireless connection to ForeFlight, Garmin Pilot and other compatible EFBs | Yes |
| iPad / tablet | Optional. Pair it with ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot, or fly it on its own | Required to see traffic and weather |
| Subscription | None needed to see traffic and weather on SkyHound | Paid subscription required for leading EFB software such as ForeFlight and Garmin Pilot to see traffic and weather |
| Traffic at eye level | Yes. Sits on the glareshield in your line of sight, so traffic is a glance away | Only where you mount the iPad, usually on a kneeboard or yoke below the glareshield |
| Display | Built-in 4.3-inch QLED colour touchscreen | No |
| Heat tolerance | Operates up to 60 °C (140 °F). Case material stable up to 150 °C (302 °F) | Traffic and weather are on an iPad, which Apple rates for ambient temperatures up to 35 °C (95 °F) |
| ADS-B Traffic | Dual-band 978 & 1090 MHz traffic, drawn on the unit's own screen | Only in an EFB app on a tablet, with a subscription |
| NEXRAD & METAR | FIS-B NEXRAD radar and METARs on the unit's own screen | Only in an EFB app on a tablet, with a subscription |
| Built-In GPS | Integrated GPS, with an optional external GPS for difficult installations | Yes |
| Pressure Sensor | Built in | Built in |
| Visual Alerts | On-screen traffic alerts on the device | Only in an EFB app on a tablet, with a subscription |
| Audio Alerts | Audible traffic alerts through audio out | Only in an EFB app on a tablet, with a subscription |
| Software Updates | Free lifetime over-the-air updates | Yes |
| Display modes | North Up and Track Up with Zulu and local time on the unit, plus whatever your EFB offers | Whatever your EFB app offers |
Based on the aircraft you fly, here's what SkyHound delivers and where the Garmin GDL 50 hits its limits.
Why SkyHound wins
Where the Garmin GDL 50 falls short
Why SkyHound wins
Where the Garmin GDL 50 falls short
Why SkyHound wins
Where the Garmin GDL 50 falls short
Why SkyHound wins
Where the Garmin GDL 50 falls short
In direct sunlight under a windscreen, a device can reach 50–70 °C (122–158 °F) or more. Slide to an operating temperature to see what still shows you traffic. With the Garmin GDL 50, that is your iPad.
Published manufacturer ratings as of November 2026. Ratings are for ambient air; a glareshield in direct sun can run hotter than the cabin air.
To show you anything, the Garmin GDL 50 needs an iPad, a mount and an EFB plan. SkyHound works with yours, or on its own.
Switch items on or off on either side to match your cockpit.
Over 3 years, SkyHound saves you $1,164.97.
Assumes an iPad mini (Wi-Fi, 128 GB) at $699, about $85 for a tablet mount and the Garmin Pilot Standard plan at $109.99 a year, its lowest-priced plan. Prices as of November 2026; taxes and other accessories not included.
Traffic and weather on your glareshield, and in ForeFlight too. Fly with your iPad, or without it.
Competitor specifications sourced from manufacturer websites. Prices are as of November 2026. All product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners.