PlaneWatcher vs AeroTrail
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
AeroTrail
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AeroTrail is a fuel-aware flight planner for pilots shaping cross-country trips before they fly. Build a route from a departure airport, add destinations, choose an aircraft profile, and let AeroTrail organize a practical plan with fuel-aware legs, suggested stops, day-by-day pacing, route health checks, and a clear map/list/brief workflow. Designed for pre-flight planning, AeroTrail keeps the focus on route shape, fuel range, airport stops, and export. It is not a live navigation, weather, NOTAM, or flight-filing app. Highlights: - Create and save multiple trips - Plan with aircraft-specific range, cruise, fuel burn, reserve, and stop preferences - Search airports offline from a bundled airport database - Add place-based destinations and resolve them into planning airports - Generate route options with fuel stops when legs exceed safe planning range - Review routes on a map, in a day-by-day stop list, or through trip summary cards - Pin stops, mark overnights, add rest days, favorite airports, or avoid airports during replanning - Export full-trip or per-day .fpl files for compatible flight-planning workflows - Use AeroTrail across iPhone and iPad with native layouts for each screen size AeroTrail is built for pilots who want a calm planning workspace before opening their EFB: organize the trip, understand the legs, and carry a cleaner route into the next step of flight preparation. Important: AeroTrail is a planning aid only. Always verify route, fuel, weather, NOTAMs, airspace, airport data, aircraft performance, and regulatory requirements with official sources and approved aviation tools before flight.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is chart position: PlaneWatcher at #43 against AeroTrail's unranked. PlaneWatcher also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
PlaneWatcher costs $9.99 and AeroTrail $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | PlaneWatcher | AeroTrail |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | $9.99 |
| Rating | 3.8 (22 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 77.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 22 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | #43 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ground Effect GmbH | Bountiful Apps |
In-app purchases
PlaneWatcher
No in-app purchases
AeroTrail
No in-app purchases





