FLIGHT TRACKING HEAD-TO-HEAD
Flightradar24 vs Airplanes.live (2026)
Flightradar24 and Airplanes.live track the same sky from opposite ends of the market. Flightradar24 (Sweden, founded 2006) is the polished mainstream tracker: real-time positions from a vast volunteer receiver network, rich aircraft detail, airport boards and best-in-class apps, with some traffic filtered and the depth sold by subscription. Airplanes.live is a community-run, not-for-profit ADS-B and MLAT aggregator founded by four aviation enthusiasts, built on the opposite promise — it will never filter or obfuscate aircraft data — with a web map that is free permanently and asks for no account at all.
Flightradar24 is the polished product — filtered, app-first and subscription-deep. Airplanes.live is the community commons — unfiltered, free on the web and run by enthusiasts. Casual users and travellers will be happier in Flightradar24; enthusiasts who resent filtering will choose Airplanes.live.
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Sources listed at the bottom of this page
Quick facts
| Flightradar24 | Airplanes.live | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Commercial tracker — free Basic tier plus subscriptions | Community-run, not-for-profit aggregator — free web map |
| Filtering | Filtered mainstream tracker | Unfiltered and unobfuscated, by its founding promise |
| Receiver network | Roughly 45,000 volunteer receivers | No receiver count published on its official pages |
| Free tier | Basic tier with limited features; full web view requires registration | Full unfiltered map, free permanently, no accounts |
| Paid tier | Silver, Gold and Business — pricing varies by region | No web plan; iOS Pro at $2.99/mo or $19.99/yr, free for feeders |
| History | Up to 365 days on top tiers | Replay listed for feeders; length not stated — unverified |
Key differences at a glance
- Unfiltered military and LADD aircraftFlightradar24: NoAirplanes.live: YesAirplanes.live never filters or obfuscates, including military and LADD-enrolled aircraft; Flightradar24 is a filtered mainstream tracker
- Flight history and replayFlightradar24: YesAirplanes.live: Not verifiedFlightradar24 offers up to 365 days of history on top tiers; Airplanes.live lists replay as a feeder benefit, but no replay length is stated on its official pages
- Weather layers and radarFlightradar24: YesAirplanes.live: PartialFlightradar24's Gold plan has 15+ weather layers; Airplanes.live's live weather radar is a Pro feature in its iOS app, with public weather radar listed among feeder benefits on the web
- Aeronautical charts and ATC-style viewsFlightradar24: YesAirplanes.live: PartialFlightradar24 offers aeronautical charts and ATC boundaries; Airplanes.live's ATC scope mode is a Pro feature in its iOS app
What is Flightradar24?
Flightradar24 shows real-time aircraft positions built from ADS-B, MLAT, radar and FAA data fed by roughly 45,000 volunteer receivers, with airport departure and arrival boards, aircraft photos and deep flight history. Its consumer plans layer on features — up to 365 days of history, full aircraft details (age, serial, squawk, vertical speed), 15+ weather layers, aeronautical charts and oceanic tracks — and its iOS/Android apps, including 3D and cockpit views, are widely considered the best in flight tracking.
What is Airplanes.live?
Airplanes.live is a community-run ADS-B aggregator. Receivers built and hosted by enthusiasts pick up ADS-B and MLAT signals from the aircraft overhead, and the combined feed shows what is flying in your area right now — unfiltered and unobfuscated, including military aircraft, aircraft squawking an emergency and LADD-enrolled aircraft that other trackers suppress. The organisation was founded by four aviation enthusiasts and describes itself as not for profit, with by-laws that it cannot be sold, transferred or taken over by any one individual. The web map is free permanently with no accounts; a freemium iOS app adds a paid Pro tier.
Flightradar24 vs Airplanes.live: feature comparison
Verified against official sources. “Not verified” means we couldn’t confirm it — not that it doesn’t exist.
FEATURE TALLY — FROM THE TABLE BELOW
Flightradar24
12 yes · 1 partial · 1 no
Airplanes.live
8 yes · 2 partial · 1 no · 3 not verified
A count of the rows in the verified table beneath — not a quality rating. The rows themselves, and what each product does best, matter more than the totals.
| Feature | Flightradar24 | Airplanes.live |
|---|---|---|
| Live global flight mapBoth track flights in real time; Flightradar24 blends ADS-B, MLAT, radar and FAA data, Airplanes.live aggregates community ADS-B and MLAT | Yes | Yes |
| Unfiltered military and LADD aircraftAirplanes.live never filters or obfuscates, including military and LADD-enrolled aircraft; Flightradar24 is a filtered mainstream tracker | No | Yes |
| MLAT positionsBoth use multilateration; Airplanes.live feeders get the unfiltered MLAT results back | Yes | Yes |
| Flight history and replayFlightradar24 offers up to 365 days of history on top tiers; Airplanes.live lists replay as a feeder benefit, but no replay length is stated on its official pages | Yes | Not verified |
| Aircraft details, photos and routesBoth show aircraft details and photos; Airplanes.live adds search by callsign, registration or hex | Yes | Yes |
| Weather layers and radarFlightradar24's Gold plan has 15+ weather layers; Airplanes.live's live weather radar is a Pro feature in its iOS app, with public weather radar listed among feeder benefits on the web | Yes | Partial |
| Aeronautical charts and ATC-style viewsFlightradar24 offers aeronautical charts and ATC boundaries; Airplanes.live's ATC scope mode is a Pro feature in its iOS app | Yes | Partial |
| Watchlist and emergency alertsFlightradar24 offers custom alerts on paid plans; Airplanes.live Pro adds an unlimited watchlist and push alerts — when a followed aircraft takes off, or anything squawks 7700 | Yes | Yes |
| Official iOS appBoth have official iOS apps; Airplanes.live's app is free with an optional Pro tier, and Pro is free for active feeders | Yes | Yes |
| Official Android appFlightradar24 has an established Android app; no official Airplanes.live Android app was linked or announced on its official pages checked | Yes | Not verified |
| 3D and cockpit viewsFlightradar24's apps offer 3D and cockpit-view modes; Airplanes.live is a 2D map only | Yes | No |
| Free access without signupFlightradar24 has a free Basic tier, but full web access requires registration; Airplanes.live's web map is free permanently with no accounts | Partial | Yes |
| Commercial data feeds and APIsFlightradar24 sells its API separately and offers Business plans; no public API documentation or pricing was found on the Airplanes.live official pages checked | Yes | Not verified |
| Community feeder networkBoth rely on volunteers hosting receivers: roughly 45,000 for Flightradar24; Airplanes.live is community-run by enthusiast feeders | Yes | Yes |
Pricing: Flightradar24 vs Airplanes.live
Flightradar24 pricing
Free Basic tier with limited features. Paid consumer plans — Silver, Gold and Business — unlock 60+ premium features, with a 7-day free trial and pricing that varies by region (2026 reviews list Silver at roughly $12.99/year on annual billing). The Flightradar24 API is sold separately from the subscriptions.
Airplanes.live pricing
The web map is free — its app site says the unfiltered map is free, permanently — and no paid web plan is published. The iOS app is freemium: Free ($0) includes the full unfiltered live map, aircraft details, photos and routes, search, and no ads; Pro costs $2.99/month or $19.99/year in the app and adds live weather radar, ATC scope mode, advanced filters, an unlimited watchlist and push alerts. Pro is free for active feeders. Those Pro prices are iOS in-app prices, not web subscription prices.
Flightradar24: pros and cons
- Polished iOS and Android apps with 3D and cockpit views
- Up to 365 days of flight history and CSV export
- Full aircraft detail, photos and airport boards with live ETAs
- 15+ weather layers, aeronautical charts and oceanic tracks
- Roughly 45,000-receiver network behind the live map
- Filtered — some military and blocked traffic is hidden
- Full web access requires registration, even on the free tier
- The depth sits behind Silver, Gold or Business subscriptions
- Pricing varies by region and is listed in-app
- Flight-only — no ships, cameras or other live layers
Airplanes.live: pros and cons
- Unfiltered — military, emergency and LADD traffic shown as heard
- Web map free permanently, with no accounts and no ads
- Official iOS app: full map free, Pro just $2.99/mo or $19.99/yr
- Pro free for active feeders, who also get unfiltered MLAT back
- Community-run and not for profit, with a no-sale commitment in its by-laws
- Web map is a single-purpose 2D viewer — no 3D globe
- No official Android app confirmed on its official pages
- Replay exists as a feeder benefit, but no replay length is stated
- Pro alerts and advanced filters live in the iOS app, not a web plan
- No public API documentation or pricing on its official pages
The verdict
Choose Flightradar24 if…
Choose Flightradar24 if you track for the love of it or for travel — planespotting, following aircraft globally, digging into history and aircraft detail, checking airport boards, or wanting polished apps on both iOS and Android with 3D views.
Choose Airplanes.live if…
Choose Airplanes.live if you want the whole sky for free — a community-run, unfiltered map with no accounts and no ads, military and emergency traffic included — and you're happy with a 2D web map and an iOS-only app for alerts and extras.
Is Flightradar24 better than Airplanes.live?
They solve different problems. Flightradar24 is the better everyday tracker: richer aircraft detail, up to 365 days of history, airport boards and polished apps for both phone platforms — filtered, and with the depth behind subscriptions. Airplanes.live is the better open window: a community-run, unfiltered ADS-B and MLAT map that is free on the web with no accounts, with a cheap Pro tier in its iOS app. If you want a tracker, open Flightradar24; if you want the unfiltered sky for free, open Airplanes.live.
ANOTHER OPTION
Where WorldEye fits
If you mainly want to glance at the sky rather than study it, WorldEye shows live flights free on a 3D globe — no signup — alongside live ships, satellites, weather, earthquakes, wildfires and 74,229 public cameras across 105 countries in the same view. WorldEye does not claim unfiltered military data like Airplanes.live or Flightradar24-grade flight history; it is the free, everything-at-once picture. An optional Pro tier ($7.99/week, $13.99/month or $74.99/year) adds the OSINT toolkit and intel feeds.
Live on WorldEye right now
Real cameras from WorldEye's live catalogue — no account, no install. Tap any frame to open that exact camera on the globe.
Full WorldEye head-to-heads: WorldEye vs Flightradar24 · WorldEye vs Airplanes.live
Flightradar24 vs Airplanes.live: quick answers
Does Airplanes.live really show military aircraft?
Yes — that is its founding promise: 'Airplanes.live will never filter or obfuscate aircraft data.' Its FAQ describes a live map that is never filtered or blocked, including military aircraft, aircraft squawking an emergency and LADD-enrolled aircraft that other trackers suppress. Flightradar24, as a filtered mainstream tracker, hides some traffic Airplanes.live shows.
Is Airplanes.live free?
Yes on the web. Its homepage says Airplanes.live is free to use, and its app site says the unfiltered map is free, permanently — with no accounts. The iOS app is also free, with an optional Pro tier at $2.99/month or $19.99/year; active feeders get Pro free.
Is Flightradar24 free?
There is a free Basic tier with a limited feature set. Silver, Gold and Business plans unlock 60+ premium features with a 7-day free trial; pricing varies by region. The API is a separate product.
Which has more flight history, Flightradar24 or Airplanes.live?
Flightradar24, on what is confirmed. It offers up to 365 days of history on its top tiers. Airplanes.live lists an ability to replay data as a feeder benefit, but no replay or history length is stated on its official pages — treat its replay length as unverified.
Does Airplanes.live have an Android app?
No official Airplanes.live Android app was linked or announced on its official pages checked for this comparison — treat Android availability as unverified. There is an official iOS app for iPhone and iPad. Flightradar24 has established apps on both iOS and Android.
Is there a free flight tracker with no signup?
Both maps here can be opened free, and WorldEye's globe also shows live flights free with no signup, combined with ships, satellites, weather and 74,229 public cameras. For unfiltered data, Airplanes.live is the specialist; for history, alerts and aircraft records, Flightradar24 remains the specialist.
How we researched this comparison
Every row in the table above was checked against Flightradar24’s and Airplanes.live’s official sites, documentation or published pricing — the sources are listed at the bottom of this page, and the comparison was last reviewed in October 2026. Where a capability couldn’t be confirmed from an official source, it is marked “Not verified” rather than guessed.
This page is published by WorldEye, so the head-to-head above is kept deliberately neutral: each product’s strengths are stated in its own terms, and WorldEye appears only in the labelled “another option” section. WorldEye’s own figures there are counted, not estimated — 74,229 public cameras in its live directory across 105 countries, and a free map (flights, satellites, ships, weather, earthquakes, wildfires, cameras and satellite imagery) with an optional Pro tier at $7.99/week, $13.99/month or $74.99/year.
Products change. If you spot a row that has gone stale, the sources below show exactly what each claim rests on.