Comparison

PlaneWatcher vs Parkchive

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

Head to head
About

PlaneWatcher

Visualize aircraft around you in real-time, worldwide, without needing your phone. Explore detailed flight information and customize your view with various filters and complications. Designed specifically for the Apple Watch.

Highlights
  • Real-time worldwide flight data
  • Visualize aircraft on watch
  • Detailed aircraft information
  • Aircraft following
  • Multiple filter options
  • Customizable view
  • Watch face complications
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Flight Tracking for the Apple Watch • Visualize aircraft around you, without having to reach for your phone • Worldwide, real-time, unfiltered flight data by ADSBExchange • Explore all the aircraft details like flight name, registration, type, operator, altitude, speeds and more (depending on data availability) • Aircraft following • Filter by multiple criteria • Customizable view options • Complications to match your watch faces Requires WatchOS 10.0 or higher. Built for the Apple Watch PlaneWatcher was designed specifically for the Apple Watch, providing the best possible experience on this small device. The map rotates to align with the direction you're facing, so you can easily identify aircraft that you see around you. Use the digital crown to zoom in/out and touch & drag on the screen to move around the map. Unfiltered Flight Data PlaneWatcher shows you all aircraft, unfiltered, unlike most major flight tracking apps. Made possible by ADSBExchange, the world's largest source of unfiltered flight data. If you're a frequent user, please support them (adsbexchange.com/donate) or become a volunteer feeder to help expand the service. Local & Worldwide View aircraft around your current location or jump to any airport in the world. Use the digital crown to zoom in on a busy LAX or watch aircraft taking off and landing at JFK. Aircraft Details Simply tap on an aircraft to see all its details: flight name, registration, type, category, operator, altitude, speeds and more (depending on data availability). Aircraft Following Interested in a single aircraft? Follow it as it proceeds among the other traffic. Just tap the small blue dot to exit follow mode and return to the main map. Multiple Filters Just want to see aircraft below 10'000 feet, Boeing 747s or only planes from a certain airline? You can filter by altitude, type, callsign or registration. Filters can be combined, too. Customizability Customize the display using many options. You only want to see helicopters and hide all small airports? You can do that and much more... Complications Support With many different complications available, designed to fit into all color schemes, PlaneWatcher is always just a tap away. Privacy Policy: https://www.planewatcher.app/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.planewatcher.app/terms.html

About

Parkchive

Features
Read full description

Your Digital Passport to the Great Outdoors Parkchive is the ultimate companion for every National Park explorer, history buff, and weekend hiker. Whether you’re standing at the rim of the Grand Canyon or exploring a historic battlefield, Parkchive helps you document every journey with beautiful, location-verified digital stamps. Capture the Moment Don't just visit—commemorate. Use your iPhone’s GPS to "check in" and unlock exclusive digital stamps only available when you are physically at the park. Features You’ll Love: Comprehensive Directory: Detailed guides for National Parks, Battlefields, Memorials, and Historical sites. Smart Proximity: Instantly see which parks are closest to you and get notified when you’re in range to collect a stamp. Official NPS Info: Find the exact locations of physical NPS passport cancellation stations within the parks. Special Events: Earn limited-edition stamps for visiting during anniversaries or special event windows. Wander Wishlist: Plan your future adventures by saving the parks you can’t wait to see. Personal Milestones: Track your progress and earn badges as you grow your collection of memories. Beautifully Designed for Discovery Enjoy a stunning SwiftUI interface featuring a polaroid-style image carousel and a clean, "National Park" aesthetic that feels like an extension of the parks themselves. Privacy Policy: https://github.com/Linzeep/apps_privacypolicy/blob/main/PrivacyPolicy_Consolidated.md Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Parkchive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Parkchive at Free against PlaneWatcher's $9.99. Parkchive also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks). PlaneWatcher's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and chart position (#93 vs unranked). On ads 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

Parkchive is free to download; PlaneWatcher costs $9.99 up front. Parkchive sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. PlaneWatcher asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PlaneWatcher ships an update every 6 weeks, Parkchive weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
PlaneWatcher versus Parkchive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlaneWatcherParkchive
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating3.9 (23 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews77.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings23 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#93 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.5
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB144 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGround Effect GmbHLindsey Prentice

In-app purchases

None

PlaneWatcher

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Parkchive

One-time5
  • Stamp Pack - Battlefields$1.99
  • Stamp Pack - Memorials$1.99
  • Stamp Pack - Historic$2.99
Show 2 more
  • All Stamps$5.49
  • Park Ranger$9.99

Questions

Is PlaneWatcher free?
PlaneWatcher costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Parkchive free?
Parkchive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PlaneWatcher or Parkchive have ads?
Neither PlaneWatcher nor Parkchive shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PlaneWatcher or Parkchive?
PlaneWatcher ships an update every 6 weeks, and Parkchive weekly. Most recently, PlaneWatcher was updated on November 13, 2026 and Parkchive on November 5, 2026.

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