With hundreds of millions of people all over the world flying, that also makes even more people who are eager to find out the whereabouts of their flights. While loved ones can get phone notifications, however, the best flight-tracking apps are within reach, monitoring flights visually and in real time.
These incredible apps use satellites to track planes, and it’s great to know that most of these apps are either free or very inexpensive to use. Consider one of these six flight-tracking apps to monitor your next flight.
Best Flight-Tracking Apps – #6: PlaneFinder
PlaneFinder is one of the original tools to track flights in real time. This app offers an interactive global map, allowing users to follow flights as they crisscross the skies. The user interface is solid and it offers a number of unique features like AR mode where you can point your app at the sky and see aircraft information of the aircraft above.
PlaneFinder is available oniOS and Android via the Google Play store. The app is free but offers a premium subscription for additional features.
Best Flight-Tracking Apps – #5: OpenADSB
Currently #7 on the App Store paid travel app charts, OpenADSB is a versatile app that can connect to one of many VRS servers — even those that require passwords. Users can look up flights by searching its flight number or tapping on the plane on the radar. Each flight even features a picture of the aircraft and its airline logo.
This app is only available on iPhone and iPad. While it costs $10.99, you pay once and own it forever. To many, the price is worth it given the lack of ads and optimal performance.The real value is that you can track flights that are blocked by the FAA. The app also words with multitasking and split view features on the apple device.
Best Flight-Tracking Apps – #4: FlightStats by Cirium
Users love FlightStats for its clean interface opposed to typical apps that offer only basic menus and maps. It encourages you to simply search the route or flight name, and you can easily find the flight.
Once you select a flight, it presents all the information about the flight neatly on one page, including the flight’s trail and weather radar. Here’s one flight for example with all its details one could need.
FlightStats is available for web browsers and Android and iOS devices. Pay $2.99 monthly to unlock real-time notifications about particular flights on your smart device. Professional accounts cost $24.99 monthly and give users history of any plane, route, and airport.
Best Flight-Tracking Apps – #3: Flighty
This award-winning app touts up-to-the-minute tracking that’s faster than competitor apps. Flighty also comes with ‘industry-first features’ such as explanations for delays, privacy for friends and family who are using the app. Featuring an appealing flight map, this app can also locate grounded planes within the airport and connect with virtual calendars for scheduling.
Flighty is available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac computers. The app comes in a monthly subscription, yearly subscription, or one-time payment of $249. A free trial is also available with no credit card required.
An Android version is currently in the works. Those who are eager to have the app on an Android phone can join a waitlist and get updates on the version’s development.
Best Flight-Tracking Apps – #2: FlightAware
If you’re looking for an affordable option, FlightAware is very popular and contains more data for free than what other apps may charge for. Like FlightStats, you can look up any flight such as this one and get a whole page of details that look clean and easy to navigate. Unlike FlightStats, you can also get data for cancellations and delays by airport or airline.
FlightAware is available on Apple and Android devices as well as web browsers. Signing up is free, while we recommend avoiding paid tiers ranging from $45 to $150 per month. The free offerings suffice for most users.
Best Flight-Tracking Apps – #1: FlightRadar24
This award-winning app arguably can track the most flights at a time, even jets taxiing on the ground, smaller aircraft, and helicopters. FlightRadar24 offers a simply interface: One big map along with a search box for tracking particular flights. With a paid subscription, users can also overlay various weather settings such as rain clouds, lightning strikes, and turbulence.
FlightRadar24 is available for web browsers and iOS and Android devices. Though a free version exists, a Silver subscription plan eliminates ads, unlocks weather radars, and saves flights for the past 90 days. Gold comes with even more premium features and saves flights for up to a year. Both premium tiers have free, seven-day trials.
