# American Airlines vs Austrian

The clearest difference is monetization model: Austrian at free against American Airlines's free with in-app purchases. Austrian also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). American Airlines's advantage is ratings volume (1.6M vs 4.9K) and review sentiment (55% vs 32%). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for American Airlines against 4.9 for Austrian. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: American Airlines has 1.6M ratings behind it against 4.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 55% of American Airlines's written reviews are positive against 32% of Austrian's.

American Airlines ships an update weekly, Austrian every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | American Airlines | Austrian |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (1.6M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/american-airlines/id382698565/reviews) | **[4.9 (4.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/austrian/id400224803/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.6M** | 4.9K |
| Positive reviews | **55.5% of reviews** | 31.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#5** | — |
| Size | 303 MB | 386 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [American Airlines, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/382698568) | [Lufthansa Group Digital Hangar GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1795954420) |

## What reviewers say

### American Airlines

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/american-airlines/id382698565)

**Currently charting:** #5 Top Free · Travel, #132 Top Free (US App Store)

Manage your entire travel experience with this app. Access flight information, mobile boarding passes, and airport maps. Track your bags, book trips, and manage your loyalty account all in one place.

**Highlights:** Live flight tracking on Lock Screen and Apple Watch, Mobile boarding pass, Interactive airport terminal maps, AAdvantage account management, Book flights, hotels, cars, and cruises, Track checked baggage, Seat selection and changes

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Convenient and informative app
- 🔒 Secure login process
- 👍 Helpful for navigating airports
- 👍 Tracks baggage status
- 👍 Provides real-time flight updates

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
- 👎 Poor customer service experience
- 👎 Inconsistent and confusing user experience
- 👎 Difficult to make changes or updates
- 👎 Lacking key features compared to competitors

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and inability to access account
- Trouble checking in and accessing boarding passes
- Inconsistent behavior when making changes or updates
- Compatibility problems with older devices
- Glitches with in-flight entertainment system

**Requested features**

- Allow Canadian address entry
- Integrate with OneWorld alliance
- Improve in-flight entertainment options
- Provide more self-service options
- Enhance mobile boarding pass functionality


### Austrian

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/austrian/id400224803)

Book flights, reserve seats, and manage your boarding passes. Receive real-time flight updates and personalized services throughout your journey. Track baggage and access on-board services easily.

**Highlights:** Book flights and reserve seats, Online check-in with mobile boarding pass, Real-time flight status and updates, Baggage tracking, Manage personal data and payment methods, Access on-board services

**Features:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Excellent service and on-time performance
- 👍 User-friendly and easy to navigate
- 📢 Helpful notifications and updates
- 💯 Reliable and consistent performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and errors
- 📵 Inability to check-in or access boarding passes
- 🔒 Lack of account/profile management features
- 🤯 Confusing and counterintuitive UI

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes during check-in process
- Incorrect or missing passenger information
- Booking changes not reflected in the app
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Add Apple Wallet support for boarding passes
- Improve account management and profile syncing
- Enhance seat selection and upgrade options
- Provide more detailed flight status information


## Frequently asked questions

### Is American Airlines free?

American Airlines is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Austrian free?

Austrian is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, American Airlines or Austrian?

Austrian is rated higher. American Airlines averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.6M ratings, while Austrian averages 4.9 from 4.9K ratings.

### Do American Airlines or Austrian have ads?

Neither American Airlines nor Austrian shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, American Airlines or Austrian?

American Airlines ships an update weekly, and Austrian every 2 weeks. Most recently, American Airlines was updated on September 24, 2026 and Austrian on September 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*