Plane Finder ⁃ Flight Tracker vs Train Beacon
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Plane Finder ⁃ Flight Tracker
Track live air traffic with real-time flight data, including altitude, speed, and destination. Explore flights in 3D, use augmented reality to identify aircraft overhead, and get detailed airport information with weather reports. Set custom alerts for specific flights.
- Live global flight tracking
- 3D flight tracking
- Augmented reality mode
- Live airport information
- Custom flight alerts
- Flight playback
- Advanced filters
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Uncover the mysteries of live air traffic in one beautiful and easy to use app. Is it a bird? Is it a plane?! If it’s the latter, Plane Finder can tell you exactly which plane it is. Plane Finder is incredibly easy to use and utterly fascinating. It enables you to see live air traffic patterns with real-time tracking of almost any plane you’re interested in, and in addition to the aircraft’s location you can see its current altitude, its speed and where it’s heading. Get live information on flights - super handy when travelling. You can even be alerted when a particular flight is heading your way, which is useful if you’re trying to catch sight of rare birds such as the Airbus A380. Switch to incredible 3D flight tracking anytime from any aircraft, airport or location on the map seamlessly to view air traffic as never before. There’s a superb augmented-reality option that enables you to point your camera at the sky and see details of the aircraft that’s overhead, and with full support for iOS’s Dark Mode it’s just as handy for night flights as it is for daytime ones. It’s all great fun, but it’s also very practical: in addition to flight tracking there’s extensive airport information, which supplements live arrival and departures with live weather reports for hundreds of airports. Enjoy Plane Finder’s leading edge design as featured in Apple’s “The Power of Dark Mode” and “See it in Dark Mode” Collections 2019. Apple’s App of The Day – Jan 2020 and Top ranking since 2009. Plane Finder is also featured in Gizmodo, CNN, GMA, BBC, Sunday Times, Mail on Sunday, CNET, Wired, GQ Magazine to name a few. Trusted by friends and families of travellers, enthusiasts, pilots, cabin crew and aviation professionals alike. Choose Plane Finder for: • Live Global Flight Tracking Quickly find and track flights live on a map and explore live status information • Switch to 3D Tracking Anytime Flip instantly to 3D from any aircraft, airport or location on the map • Live AR Mode Point your camera at a plane in the sky to instantly reveal live flight and aircraft information • Live Airport Information View real time airport arrival and departure boards plus terminal, gate, baggage and weather information • Comprehensive Technical Data Dig deeper into technical aircraft and flight data • Unlimited Custom Alerts Never miss a flight, create as many custom notifications as you like and stay informed • Unlimited Global Playback Replay interesting flights and watch fascinating air traffic patterns back to 2011 • Unlimited Filters Simplify your view with powerful filters • Custom Aircraft Labels Choose the position, color and content of aircraft labels inc. logo with text label • Leading Edge Dark Mode Adopt dark mode, a bold interface perfect for low light • Curated Map Styles Switch seamlessly between simple, detailed, hybrid and satellite maps Help and Support Plane Finder is regularly updated with innovative new features. Please email support@planefinder.net with any questions or queries, we are happy to help. How does Plane Finder work? Plane Finder receives real time ADS-B and MLAT signals sent by aircraft to transmit their positional data to land based receivers. This technology is faster than traditional radar and is used for air traffic control and navigation. You can check our worldwide flight tracking coverage for free at www.planefinder.net Disclaimer The use of the information presented using Plane Finder is strictly limited to pursuing enthusiast activities (i.e. for entertainment purposes), which specifically exclude any activities that might endanger yourself or the lives of others. Under no circumstances will the developer of this application be held responsible for incidents resulting from the use of the data or its interpretation or its use contrary to this agreement. Privacy Policy: https://planefinder.net/legal/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://planefinder.net/legal/terms-and-conditions
Train Beacon
Visualize train locations and real-time schedules in augmented reality or on a map. Get instant updates on train times, platform information, and service status for Great Britain and London Underground. Pro features include widgets, incident reports, and advanced train tracking.
- Augmented reality train visualization
- Map-based train tracking
- Real-time train times
- Platform information
- Service incident reports
- Home screen widgets
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* NEW: Brand new train allocations and carriage count information is now available in Train Beacon Pro (subscription required) * Train Beacon shows estimated, interpolated GB* train positions in augmented reality and on a map. Point your phone in the approximate direction that the track is running and see the estimated, interpolated position and distance of trains from your nearest station as beacons overlaid on-screen in augmented reality. See Great Britain and London Underground real-time train times almost instantly from your nearest stations. Displays platform information where available. Automatically loads train times from your nearest station or loads train times from a station that you select from the stations screen. Filter train times by destination station. Features Widgets (Pro subscription required) Easily see train times, cancellations, London Underground service indicators, rail incidents and service status on your homescreen. Incidents (Pro subscription required) Easily see information about the service status and news about rail incidents and current / future maintenance. The incidents screen includes information such as the incident details, routes affected, date/s of incident and direct links to the relevent National Rail Enquiries page and map, where available. Includes London Underground service status and incidents. Augmented Reality mode (Pro subscription required) Picture real-time train information in an interactive real-world environment. See nearby trains*, railway stations and London Underground stations in an immersive augmented reality experience. The app will locate trains that are departing from your nearest station and display them. Tapping on a train reveals more information about its calling points and last reported location. AR mode is available with a Pro subscription. *National Rail trains only, and some trains are not displayed. Train Tracker (Pro subscription required) Using it’s advanced geo-location capabilities, combined with real-time train data and it’s UK rail network map, the app predicts the estimated, interpolated location of National Rail trains at any given time. The estimated train location is displayed on a map, with information about whether the service is currently running early, on-time or late. High precision information The app can report times from intermediary passing points such as junctions, providing you with a high level of precision and accuracy about the current status of a given train’s journey. Packed with detailed train information like number of carriages, train category, power type (eg EMU), timing load (eg Class 323), planned maximum speed (eg 90mph max), seating classes, reservations, catering, and operating characteristics (eg DOO). This information is only available if data has been supplied by the TOC. Some TOCs don't supply carriage data. The app can also show the calling point times and route map for London Undergound trains, if this data has been supplied by TfL. Safety Info Not for use in safety critical applications, level crossings, etc. Train position is estimated from latest available timing point data and may be incorrect. Care must be taken during use. Other trains may be present that are not indicated in the AR or train tracker mode of the app such as trains not stopping at the nearest station and also freight trains. Freight and non passenger trains are not displayed in the app. For your safety do not use your phone while you walk and take extreme care using the app near trains and railways. App powered by National Rail Enquiries & TfL Open Data, it contains public sector information from Network Rail licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 and contains information of Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Plane Finder ⁃ Flight Tracker at 4.7 against Train Beacon's 3.5. Plane Finder ⁃ Flight Tracker also leads on ratings volume (61K vs 2) and update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly). Train Beacon's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.5). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Plane Finder ⁃ Flight Tracker sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per month and Train Beacon sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Plane Finder ⁃ Flight Tracker holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Plane Finder ⁃ Flight Tracker has 61K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Plane Finder ⁃ Flight Tracker's written reviews are positive against 50% of Train Beacon's.
Plane Finder ⁃ Flight Tracker ships an update every 10 days, Train Beacon monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Plane Finder ⁃ Flight Tracker | Train Beacon |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (61K ratings) — better | 3.5 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 64.2% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 61K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Monthly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | #30 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 165 MB | 76 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | pinkfroot limited | Christopher Riches |
Customer experience
Plane Finder ⁃ Flight Tracker
Train Beacon
Bugs and requests
Plane Finder ⁃ Flight Tracker
Reported bugs
4 issues- Planes disappearing mid-flight
- Incorrect flight information displayed
- Subscription issues and billing problems
- Crashes and freezing on certain devices
Requested features
5 requests- Offline mode
- More customization options
- Better integration with iOS features (Dynamic Island, widgets, etc.)
- Improved military flight tracking
- Ability to save/bookmark flight histories
Train Beacon
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Plane Finder ⁃ Flight Tracker
- Plane Finder Premium - Monthly7 Days trial$3.491 Month
- Plane Finder Premium - Annual7 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Legacy Users3 Months trial$19.991 Year
Train Beacon
- Train Beacon Pro (Monthly)1 Month trial$4.991 Month
Questions
Is Plane Finder ⁃ Flight Tracker free?
Is Train Beacon free?
Which has better reviews, Plane Finder ⁃ Flight Tracker or Train Beacon?
Do Plane Finder ⁃ Flight Tracker or Train Beacon have ads?
Which is updated more often, Plane Finder ⁃ Flight Tracker or Train Beacon?
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