Comparison

FlightAware Flight Tracker vs Aboard

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

Head to head
About

FlightAware Flight Tracker

Track airplanes in real-time globally, monitor flight statuses, and receive delay notifications. Access weather radar and save favorite aircraft and airports. Offers free flight status alerts for departures, arrivals, cancellations, and gate changes.

Highlights
  • Real-time global plane tracking
  • Free flight status alerts
  • Weather radar integration
  • Save favorite aircraft and airports
  • Check flight delays
  • Inbound aircraft delay checks
Features
Read full description

Where’s that plane headed? Whether you’re an aviation enthusiast, a frequent traveler, a pilot, or part of a flight crew, FlightAware is a must-have app. Track planes in real-time above your head, or all over the world. Easily track the status of your flight, check for any delays on the inbound aircraft, see weather radar, and set up alerts to be notified of any changes – all for free! Free features: ▶ Track any plane around the world in real-time ▶ Get free flight status alerts: Departure, Arrival, Cancellations, Gate changes, Delays, Diversions ▶ See weather radar ▶ Save your favorite aircraft and airports ▶ Check for flight delays (with “Where is my plane?”) FlightAware is the leader in providing advanced, accurate, actionable intelligence and insights that inform every aviation decision. We believe that flying opens up the world around you. It makes distances shorter, the world more accessible and satisfies one of the core aspirations of mankind. Upgrade options: ▶ Ad Remove - Removes all advertisements from the app ▶ FlightAware Aviator - Register and enable advanced features for your piston-engine GA aircraft Terms: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Aboard

This offline flight navigator displays your aircraft's position on a world map, along with crucial flight data like speed, altitude, and remaining time. It helps you track your journey and share landing information with loved ones.

Highlights
  • Offline flight navigation
  • World map flight tracking
  • Real-time speed and altitude
  • Passed and remaining flight time/distance
  • Identify cities and countries overflown
  • Share landing information
Read full description

Aboard is the world’s first flight navigator to use on board of an aircraft. It works absolutely offline. Use Aboard and you will know: • where your flight is on a world map • passed and remaining time and distance • speed & altitude of your aircraft • what cities and countries you are flying over Take off and land with Aboard, share info about your landings with your family, partners and friends! We wish you happy flights!

Screenshots

FlightAware Flight Tracker4 screens
Aboard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: FlightAware Flight Tracker at 4.9 against Aboard's 4.2. FlightAware Flight Tracker also leads on ratings volume (386K vs 12) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). Aboard's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 17.6). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. FlightAware Flight Tracker sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month and Aboard sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

FlightAware Flight Tracker holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FlightAware Flight Tracker has 386K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of FlightAware Flight Tracker's written reviews are positive against 71% of Aboard's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FlightAware Flight Tracker ships an update monthly, Aboard every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
FlightAware Flight Tracker versus Aboard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlightAware Flight TrackerAboard
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (386K ratings) — better4.2 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews73.8% of reviews — better70.6% of reviews
Number of ratings386K — better12
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#29 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.610.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB138 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperFlightAwareRoman Silin

Customer experience

FlightAware Flight Tracker

All ratings386,428 ratings
Positive97.7%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews2,065 reviews
Positive73.8%
Neutral5.9%
Negative20.3%

Aboard

All ratings12 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews51 reviews
Positive70.6%
Neutral7.8%
Negative21.6%

Bugs and requests

FlightAware Flight Tracker

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Flights disappearing from the app
  • Inconsistent data between app and website
  • Settings and preferences not saving properly
  • Notifications not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Separate direct flights from layover flights
  • Customizable color schemes and themes
  • More detailed flight history and analytics
  • Improved accessibility features
  • Automatic updates without manual prompts

Aboard

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

FlightAware Flight Tracker

Subscriptions6
  • Ad Remove - Monthly$1.491 Month
  • Ad Remove - Yearly$8.991 Year
  • Aviator - Monthly$9.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Aviator+ - Monthly$19.991 Month
  • Aviator - Yearly$99.991 Year
  • Aviator+ - Yearly$199.991 Year
3 purchases

Aboard

One-time3
  • Altitude only$1.99
  • Speed only$1.99
  • All features$2.99

Questions

Is FlightAware Flight Tracker free?
FlightAware Flight Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Aboard free?
Aboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FlightAware Flight Tracker or Aboard?
FlightAware Flight Tracker is rated higher. FlightAware Flight Tracker averages 4.9 out of 5 from 386K ratings, while Aboard averages 4.2 from 12 ratings.
Do FlightAware Flight Tracker or Aboard have ads?
FlightAware Flight Tracker shows ads; Aboard does not.
Which is updated more often, FlightAware Flight Tracker or Aboard?
FlightAware Flight Tracker ships an update monthly, and Aboard every 3 months. Most recently, FlightAware Flight Tracker was updated on September 30, 2026 and Aboard on September 19, 2026.

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