PlaneWatcher vs Flight Metrics
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Real-time worldwide flight data
- Visualize aircraft on watch
- Detailed aircraft information
- Aircraft following
- Multiple filter options
- Customizable view
- Watch face complications
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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
Flight Metrics
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Flight Metrics records your flights from a passenger perspective. Track real-time speed, altitude, G-force, and route using your phone's built-in GPS and sensors. WHAT FLIGHT METRICS CAPTURES: - Real-time ground speed in knots, km/h, or mph - GPS altitude and barometric altitude - G-force during takeoff, turbulence, and landing - Full flight route on an interactive map - Distance traveled, flight duration, and heading FLIGHT PHASE DETECTION: The app automatically detects each phase of flight, from gate departure to taxi, takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, landing, and taxi to gate. WORKS IN AIRPLANE MODE: Flight Metrics uses GPS, so no internet connection is needed during your flight. Record your data even at 35,000 feet. POST-FLIGHT SUMMARY: After landing, review detailed stats, your route map, and performance data. FREEMIUM: Your first 3 flights are free. Unlock unlimited flights with a Pro subscription. Made in Switzerland. Privacy Policy: https://studiovolt.dev/flight-metrics/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://studiovolt.dev/flight-metrics/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Flight Metrics at Free against PlaneWatcher's $9.99. Flight Metrics also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 6 weeks). PlaneWatcher's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and chart position (#70 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
Flight Metrics is free to download; PlaneWatcher costs $9.99 up front. Flight Metrics sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. PlaneWatcher asks for nothing beyond the download.
PlaneWatcher ships an update every 6 weeks, Flight Metrics every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PlaneWatcher | Flight Metrics |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.8 (22 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 77.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 22 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | #70 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 90 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ground Effect GmbH | Joanna Bednarczyk |
In-app purchases
PlaneWatcher
No in-app purchases
Flight Metrics
- Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
- Pro Annual$29.991 Year








