Best Flight Tracker Apps in 2026: 7 Apps Compared

FlightAware is the safest first download for most travelers. Its App Store listing says the free features include tracking any plane in real time, flight status alerts for departures, arrivals, cancellations, gate changes, delays and diversions, weather radar, saved favorite aircraft and airports, and a "Where is my plane?" check for delays. The app listing shows about 4.9 out of 5 from more than 390,000 ratings in the U.S. store.

Paid options exist. The App Store lists Ad Remove, and the FlightAware site describes Premium Subscriptions as a personalized flight-following experience with unlimited alerts. We could not find a current premium price on a page we could read, so see the site for details. FlightAware also sells an Aviator package aimed at general aviation aircraft owners.

It is a good choice if you want trustworthy delay information without paying. The catch is that the best features for heavy users sit behind premium, and the free version shows ads.

Flightradar24 is the app most people picture when they think of a flight tracker. It shows aircraft moving on a detailed map and lets you tap a plane for route, estimated arrival, actual departure time, aircraft type, speed and altitude. It can also identify a plane overhead if you point your phone at the sky, and it offers arrival and departure boards and flight playback. The listing shows about 4.8 out of 5 from more than 670,000 ratings.

The App Store listing describes two upgrades. Silver adds 90 days of flight history, more aircraft and flight details, filters and alerts, and weather at more than 3,000 airports. Gold adds 365 days of history, weather layers, aeronautical charts, air traffic control boundaries and extended data. The website lists Free, Silver, Gold and Business plans, each with a 7-day free trial, and says upgrade prices depend on your country.

Flightradar24 is the better pick for plane spotting and for checking where a friend's flight is right now. If you only want gate and delay alerts for your own trip, FlightAware or Flighty will feel simpler.

Flighty is built for people who fly a lot and want to know about problems early. Its pricing page lists Pro at $4.99 per month, or $59.99 billed annually, and says all Pro features are free for your first flight. The page also lists Weekly, Lifetime and Family options, though we did not capture their prices. Pro includes unlimited flights, unlimited history, flight import from email, calendar and TripIt, and extra alerts.

The App Store listing claims delay alerts are 2 to 90 minutes faster than airline apps and that cancellation alerts come 24 to 48 hours earlier. Those are the company's own claims, which we did not test. It also lists features such as delay and gate predictions, a taxi-time view, a "Flighty Friends" sharing feature and a passport-style map of your flights. The listing shows about 4.8 out of 5 from more than 158,000 ratings.

Flighty is our pick for frequent travelers with Apple devices. It is not an option on Android, and it is overkill if you fly once a year.

Plane Finder is a live air traffic app with a few visual extras. Its App Store listing describes real-time tracking with altitude, speed and heading, a 3D view you can switch to from any aircraft or airport, an AR mode that identifies planes when you point your camera at the sky, and live airport arrival and departure boards with terminal, gate, baggage and weather information.

The listing also names features such as unlimited custom alerts, global playback back to 2011, unlimited filters and custom aircraft labels. It does not say which of these sit behind a paid plan or what the plans cost, so check inside the app before you rely on them. The listing shows about 4.7 out of 5 from more than 61,000 ratings.

We could not open the company's own website to confirm pricing because it blocked our reader. Plane Finder is a good option for aviation fans who like the 3D and AR views. For plain delay alerts, other apps are easier.

TripIt solves a different problem. You forward booking emails to the service, and it builds a single itinerary with flights, hotels and cars, with offline access. The free tier handles organizing. TripIt's Pro page says it costs $49 per year and adds a heads-up as things change.

According to the App Store listing, Pro shares real-time flight status alerts and check-in reminders, tells you if you may be eligible for a refund when a fare drops, tracks reward programs and alerts you when points are about to expire, offers interactive airport maps and warns you about possible disruptions. The Pro page also mentions seat tracking and baggage claim information. The listing shows about 4.8 out of 5 from more than 312,000 ratings.

TripIt is a smart pick for business travelers and families with multi-stop trips. It will not show you a live map of every plane in the sky, so pair it with Flightradar24 if you want that.

Flightview is a plain flight status app. Its App Store listing says it is a free app that tracks upcoming and in-air flights, sends status alerts by push notification, shows gate assignments, delays and cancellations, and displays a flight map. You can forward itinerary emails to load trips automatically, and it shows a North American airport delay map with radar weather.

The listing shows about 3.6 out of 5 from around 6,400 ratings, which is noticeably lower than the other apps here. That does not tell you why, but it is a reason to read the recent reviews before you rely on it for a tight connection.

Flightview is worth trying if you want a free, no-frills status app focused on North American airports. For international trips or detailed aircraft data, one of the larger apps is a safer bet.

Planes Live is a flight tracker with a strong airport focus. Its website describes flight change notifications, plane details such as model, age and registration, airport maps and timetables, and security wait times. The App Store listing says the free version can track planes worldwide, send schedule change alerts and filter by airline, altitude or speed.

Its Premium features include weather overlays, an unlimited number of alerts, data updates twice as fast, terminal, check-in, gate and baggage information, and no ads. The listing does not give a price. It shows about 4.6 out of 5 from more than 93,000 ratings.

Planes Live suits someone who wants to know about airport details before leaving for the terminal. It is smaller than FlightAware and Flightradar24, so the free tier may feel more limited.