Comparison
Turbli vs Turbcast
Both tools answer the same question: how bumpy will my flight be? Both are free to check, and both are built on NOAA's public turbulence guidance. The differences are in what each layers on top, and how each fits the way you fly.
This page is published by Turbcast. We've written it the way we'd want a comparison of us to be written: where Turbli is genuinely better, we say so. Spot an error about Turbli? Email info@turbcast.com and we'll correct it.
The short version
Turbli is the most polished quick route check: type origin and destination, get a clear severity score. It launched in 2020, it's free, and it's the tool travel journalists reach for. Turbcast is built for one flight in particular - yours: look it up by flight number, see a segment-by-segment breakdown at your actual cruise level, and, if you like, let us watch the forecast for you until takeoff, then check it against real pilot reports after you land.
At a glance
| Turbli | Turbcast | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free · optional one-time briefings, $9.99 per flight ($4.99 within 24 h) |
| Search by | Origin + destination + date | Flight number (e.g. BA9) or route + date |
| Forecast detail | One composite severity score per route | Segment-by-segment breakdown, hour by hour, at your flight's cruise level |
| US flights | NOAA guidance | NOAA GTG 4.0 directly - the operational model US dispatchers use |
| Everywhere else | NOAA guidance | Physics-based modelling (Ellrod, Richardson, convective) computed from NOAA GFS upper-air data |
| Live pilot reports | Not surfaced per flight | Layered onto your route, and shown |
| Pre-departure updates | Check back manually | Optional: we watch your flight and email a few briefings before takeoff, plus extra ones only if the forecast changes |
| Accuracy accountability | Not published per flight | Forecasts checked against real pilot reports; the running record, misses included, is public |
| Signup required | No | No |
| Founded | 2020 | 2024 |
Where Turbli is better
- Maturity and recognition. Four more years of polish, a bigger brand, and the default citation in travel media. If you want the tool most people have heard of, that's Turbli.
- Simplicity. One clean severity score is easier to read at a glance than a segment table. If you want a fast yes/no, Turbli's presentation is excellent.
Where Turbcast is better
- It knows your actual flight. Type a flight number and get the real route, schedule, and cruise level - not a generic city pair.
- Detail where it matters. A route is rarely uniformly bumpy. The segment breakdown shows when in the flight the bumps sit and how long they last - which, for an anxious flyer, is most of the comfort.
- The US operational model. For US flights Turbcast runs directly on NOAA GTG 4.0, the hourly 3 km model calibrated against pilot reports that US aviation actually uses.
- It checks its own work. After each paid flight, the forecast is checked against the pilot reports filed along the route, wherever pilots filed any. The running record, hits and misses alike, is published on the accuracy page. No other consumer turbulence tool does this.
Which should you use?
Use Turbli if you only know your city pair and want a quick, well-presented severity read - it's good at exactly that.
Use Turbcast if you know your flight number, want to see where in the flight the bumps are, or want someone to keep an eye on the forecast until takeoff so you can stop checking. And if you're checking because flying makes you nervous: the forecast comes with the context that turbulence is uncomfortable, not dangerous - and a plain-English explainer on why.
Honestly? Check both. They're free. If they agree, fly relaxed. If they disagree, Turbcast's segment view will usually show you why.
Want the wider landscape? Read the full five-tool comparison or our honest accuracy breakdown. Facts about Turbli current as of July 2026.