# Air Codes vs Sim Flights Tracker

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sim Flights Tracker at none against Air Codes's 12. Sim Flights Tracker also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Air Codes's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Air Codes sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Sim Flights Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.

Sim Flights Tracker holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Air Codes has 435 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Air Codes ships an update every 3 days, Sim Flights Tracker every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 3, 2026 and June 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Air Codes | Sim Flights Tracker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (435 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/air-codes/id645448938/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sim-flights-tracker/id1594401428/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **435** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 73.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 100 MB | 106 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Roman Magerko](https://appshunter.io/developer/602673950) | [Donald Sepeng](https://appshunter.io/developer/1594401430) |

## What reviewers say

### Air Codes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/air-codes/id645448938)

Access a comprehensive, regularly updated database of airports, airlines, and aircraft. Features include flight status lookups, an accident archive, aviation news, and push notifications for relevant updates. Explore detailed airport information and stunning visuals.

**Highlights:** Comprehensive aviation database, Real-time flight status lookup, Accident history archive, Global aviation news section, Push notifications for updates, Detailed airport and aircraft info, Dark mode (Night Flight)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Spacecrafts | Free | one-time |
| Night Flight | $0.99 | one-time |
| Netherlands App Icon | $0.99 | one-time |
| Canada App Icon | $0.99 | one-time |
| Airlines | $1.99 | one-time |
| Small Aircraft | $2.99 | one-time |
| Flight Status | $2.99 | one-time |
| Accidents | $2.99 | one-time |
| Middle Aircraft | $3.99 | one-time |
| Big Aircraft | $8.99 | one-time |
| Aircrafts Squadron | $17.99 | one-time |
| Aircrafts Swarm | $79.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 Comprehensive airport and airline code database
- 📰 Up-to-date aviation news feed
- ✈️ Excellent resource for aviation enthusiasts and industry professionals
- 🎨 Good graphical presentation (in earlier versions)
- 🔄 Regular updates with new airports and information

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes on launch
- 💰 Paywall for features previously free
- 🔍 Search functionality is broken or unreliable
- 📵 Intrusive review prompts during usage
- 📰 Excessive messaging and YouTube link notifications

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on opening (iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 13, iPhone SE)
- Force closing issue persisting for months
- Search returns no results despite data being present
- Airline IATA code search not working
- Airport search unresponsive

**Requested features**

- Airline code search functionality
- Aircraft information (origin, seats, range, wingspan, status)
- Flight status feature (working properly)
- Test/quiz feature for studying
- Support for missing airlines (ASKY Airlines, etc.)


### Sim Flights Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sim-flights-tracker/id1594401428)

Track live aircraft on the Vatsim and Ivao networks. View detailed flight information, network statistics, and an interactive map showing aircraft positions in real-time.

**Highlights:** Live aircraft tracking, Vatsim and Ivao network data, Flight information display, Network flight statistics, Custom interactive map

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Air Codes free?

Air Codes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Sim Flights Tracker free?

Sim Flights Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Air Codes or Sim Flights Tracker?

Sim Flights Tracker is rated higher. Air Codes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 435 ratings, while Sim Flights Tracker averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Air Codes or Sim Flights Tracker have ads?

Sim Flights Tracker shows ads; Air Codes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Air Codes or Sim Flights Tracker?

Air Codes ships an update every 3 days, and Sim Flights Tracker every 2 months. Most recently, Air Codes was updated on September 3, 2026 and Sim Flights Tracker on June 5, 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.*