Comparison

Flight Nav vs Planes Live

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Flight Nav

Track your flight's progress and location even when offline. See your altitude, ground speed, and estimated time to arrival. Record your flight path and share it later.

Highlights
  • Offline GPS tracking
  • Altitude and ground speed display
  • Estimated time to destination
  • Flight recording and GPX export
  • Keep screen on feature
  • Custom destination setting
Features
Read full description

Most airplanes don't have inflight information systems. If you ever wonder where you are, your altitude, ground speed, direct distance to your destination in Miles, Nautical Miles and Kilometers, and how many hours you still have to get there, this app will help you! 
 
Flight Nav uses GPS signals while in Airplane Mode to display your position, estimated distance, and time to your destination. You can record your flight and later share it as a GPX file. This option will consume more battery as it will operate even while you are not using your device. Other features include a "Don't sleep" feature to keep the screen on. 

GPS reception from within an aircraft can sometimes be poor. Best results are with window seats, or close to them, and you might have to wait longer to get results than you would while on the ground. What this means is that you might not get any signal at all, and the app might not work as expected every time, especially if you're sitting in the middle seats of a wide body airplane. Map detail will not be available at every zoom level - since you will be running offline - and you should use the app before flying, while still connected, in order to cache map information. 

You should only use your device when allowed by the cabin crew - Please, pay attention to the specific instructions regarding mobile devices. If you have doubts about using your device, even with Airplane Mode enabled, please consult the cabin crew.

 You can add your own destinations by long pressing the map on the location you want. Continued use of GPS can dramatically decrease battery life.

About

Planes Live

Track flights globally in real-time with detailed aircraft information, schedules, and airport data. Get instant alerts for flight status changes and find planes near you. Ideal for aviation enthusiasts and travelers.

Highlights
  • Global flight tracking
  • Real-time flight status alerts
  • Detailed aircraft information
  • Airport departure/arrival schedules
  • Weather forecasts
  • Nearby planes and airports
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Planes Live Free is a simple yet powerful flight tracking tool that lets you watch the planes online all over the world and get up-to-date information on flights instantly! Track the flights of your family members or beloved ones as if you were traveling with them and find the best time to pick them up at the airport. Whether you are a professional pilot or an aviation enthusiast, you'll definitely appreciate our flight tracker - the simple, clean and informative interface coupled with powerful functionality! FEATURES * Track planes and biplanes online all over the world * Get notified about the flight schedule changes with handy alerts: be aware of the flight status, canceled flights, new departure and arrival time and more * Search for particular flights, airports, ​and locations * Get detailed information on flights: from aircraft characteristics and picture to its route and schedule * Find up-to-date airport information that covers accurate departures and arrivals schedule, airport timezone and local time, its location and weather forecast * Add airports and locations to "My Places" to access them instantly! * Check weather forecast for a particular location or airport * Spot planes and airports near you: select the desirable distance and enjoy the show! * Apply smart filters to track a particular airplane model or an airline company, watch the planes of selected altitude, speed or airport. PREMIUM FEATURES * Weather Overlays * Unlimited number of alerts * 2x faster data update * Terminal, Check In, Gate and Baggage info * No Ads * Subscriptions will automatically renew and payment will be charged to your Apple account unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscription payments will be charged to your App Store account at confirmation of your purchase. Subscriptions will automatically renew and you will be charged unless auto-renew is turned off or unless you cancel at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current subscription or trial period. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a premium subscription during the free trial period. The cost of renewal depends on the Subscription Plan you choose. Subscriptions and auto-renewal may be managed by going to Account Settings after purchase or by contacting Customer Support. Сoverage zone: - Europe: up to 95% of the continent. - South America: up to 90% of ADS-B coverage for airplanes. - North America: close to 100% coverage of transmitter-enabled airplanes; 100% of data delivered with a delay of up to 5 minutes. - Africa: major coverage of South Africa; partial coverage of the rest of the continent. - Australia: 100% coverage. - Asia: coverage of mainly densely populated areas. - Oceania: 100% coverage. Together with our partners, we are constantly working on improving the coverage. Important Notice: The airline tracker app uses data from several providers, which is collected from aircraft, equipped with ADS-B transmitters. ADS-B is not used by all airlines or aircraft. Due to technical limitations on how flight data is collected, ​it might be incomplete in some cases. We are working to improve this situation. Privacy Policy: https://support.bendingspoons.com/privacy.html?app=1097815000 Terms: https://support.bendingspoons.com/tos.html?app=1097815000 Contact us: support@planeslive.com

Screenshots

Flight Nav4 screens
Planes Live4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Planes Live at 4.6 against Flight Nav's 2.3. Planes Live also leads on ratings volume (93K vs 8) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Flight Nav's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 16) and ads (none vs shown). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Planes Live sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Flight Nav asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Planes Live holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Planes Live has 93K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Flight Nav's written reviews are positive against 34% of Planes Live's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flight Nav ships an update every 2 months, Planes Live every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on August 25, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Flight Nav versus Planes Live: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlight NavPlanes Live
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.3 (8 ratings)4.6 (93K ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews — better34.0% of reviews
Number of ratings893K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#11 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB262 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperEmidio CunhaMosaic S.r.l.

Customer experience

Flight Nav

All ratings8 ratings
Positive37.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative62.5%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Planes Live

All ratings93,032 ratings
Positive90.7%
Neutral3.6%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews533 reviews
Positive34.0%
Neutral8.8%
Negative57.2%

Bugs and requests

Flight Nav

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Planes Live

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Flights disappearing from map
  • Subscription issues and inability to cancel
  • Crashes and freezes on launch

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved map view with better plane tracking
  • More detailed flight information (e.g. plane model, altitude, speed)
  • Option to track multiple flights simultaneously
  • Ability to customize notifications and alerts

In-app purchases

None

Flight Nav

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Planes Live

Subscriptions10
  • Planes Live Premium 1 Month3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Weekly with Free Trial7 Days trial$5.997 Days
  • Weekly Subscription$7.997 Days
Show 7 more
  • Planes Live Premium 1 Month3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Planes Live Premium3 Days trial2 variants$9.997 Days
  • Flight Tracker & Weather Radar3 Days trial$9.997 Days
  • Weekly with Free Trial7 Days trial$9.997 Days
  • Weekly Sub with Free Trial7 Days trial2 variants$9.997 Days
  • Weekly Subscription$9.997 Days
  • Planes Live Premium 1 Month3 Days trial$17.951 Month

Questions

Is Flight Nav free?
Flight Nav is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Planes Live free?
Planes Live is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Flight Nav or Planes Live?
Planes Live is rated higher. Flight Nav averages 2.3 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Planes Live averages 4.6 from 93K ratings.
Do Flight Nav or Planes Live have ads?
Planes Live shows ads; Flight Nav does not.
Which is updated more often, Flight Nav or Planes Live?
Flight Nav ships an update every 2 months, and Planes Live every 3 weeks. Most recently, Flight Nav was updated on August 25, 2026 and Planes Live on September 25, 2026.

Other comparisons