Comparison

ADS vs StashIQ

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

Head to head
About

ADS

Track thousands of aircraft in real-time with detailed flight information. View live positions on an interactive map, access aircraft details, and explore airport arrivals/departures. Ideal for aviation enthusiasts and plane spotters.

Highlights
  • Live flight positions on interactive map
  • Detailed aircraft information
  • Flight history and predicted paths
  • Filter by aircraft type, altitude, and distance
  • Airport information and arrivals/departures
  • Apple Watch app
Features
Read full description

Discover aircraft around you with ADS-B. Explore reported aircraft positions on a map, use the compass to find their direction, and discover nearby airports and local weather. Positions update periodically and may be tens of seconds old. EXPLORE THE SKY - Browse aircraft on standard and satellite maps on iPhone and iPad - Check available registration, aircraft type, altitude, speed, heading, and photos - View aircraft and details with the companion Apple Watch app - Choose metric or aviation units and color aircraft by altitude on iPhone and iPad FIND AIRCRAFT NEAR YOU - Search the aircraft list and sort by name or distance on iPhone and iPad - Select a nearby aircraft with the nearest-aircraft shortcut - Use the device compass to help point toward a selected aircraft - Filter civilian, military, PIA, and LADD aircraft using available community classifications DISCOVER AIRPORTS - Explore airports and small airfields, with available codes, elevation, and information links - View local wind, cloud cover, and visibility from Apple Weather on iPhone and iPad - See available wind direction and speed on airport labels as you zoom in COMMUNITY DATA AND COVERAGE ADS-B uses periodically refreshed community data from ADS-B.lol. Coverage depends on receivers and available transmissions; aircraft may be missing, delayed, or inaccurately identified. Details and photos depend on availability. Nearby-aircraft features use positions loaded for the viewed area, not a worldwide search. Internet access is required. Updates may pause under ADS-B.lol's data-access limits and retry automatically. No personal API key is required. You can optionally add your own key in the app's settings on iPhone and sync it to your paired Apple Watch, subject to the provider's limits and terms. Buying the app does not include unlimited data access. Weather describes the surrounding area, not an airport observation or METAR. Aircraft positions, weather, and compass guidance may be unavailable or inaccurate. The app does not monitor aircraft or weather in the background, or provide flight history, predicted routes, scheduled arrivals or departures, or guaranteed origin and destination details. For aircraft spotting and general interest only; not for navigation or safety-critical use.

About

StashIQ

This app helps scale model builders and collectors catalog their kits, manage wish lists, and avoid duplicate purchases. It features a large database of kits, barcode scanning for instant identification, and price comparison tools.

Highlights
  • Catalog owned kits
  • Build want lists
  • Search 88,000+ kits
  • Barcode scanning
  • Compare retailer prices
  • Avoid duplicate purchases
Features
Read full description

StashIQ is the pocket companion for plastic scale model builders and collectors. Whether you build aircraft, armor, ships, cars, figures, or sci-fi, StashIQ helps you catalog what you own, plan what you want, and never buy a duplicate kit again. BROWSE A HUGE CATALOG Search a catalog of 88,000+ scale model kits across every major manufacturer, scale, and subject. Find the exact kit, see its details, and jump straight to retailers when you're ready to buy. SCAN TO IDENTIFY ANY KIT Point your camera at a kit's barcode and StashIQ identifies it instantly — then add it to your stash or want list in one tap. Can't find it? Share a link or add it manually, and it gets reviewed to grow the catalog for everyone. TRACK YOUR STASH Log every kit you own in one organized place. Know your collection at a glance — no more standing in a hobby shop wondering if you already have that Spitfire. BUILD A WANT LIST Keep a running wish list of the kits you're after. When you're browsing or scanning, you'll always know what's still on your list. FIND THE BEST PRICE See where to buy the kits you want and compare retailers, so you can grab the deal when it's right. MADE FOR MODELERS StashIQ was built by scale modelers who were tired of tracking their stash in spreadsheets. It's fast, focused, and designed around how hobbyists actually shop and build. SUBSCRIPTIONS StashIQ is free to start. Upgrade for higher stash and want-list limits, unlimited barcode scans, and an ad-free experience: • Collector — $0.99/month • Trader — $2.99/month • Professional — $4.99/month Prices may vary by region. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the period; manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Questions or feedback? Reach us at support@iqsuite.co. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.knotsoftware.com/stashiq/privacy

Screenshots

ADS4 screens
StashIQ4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: StashIQ at Free against ADS's $5.99. StashIQ also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26). ADS's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

StashIQ is free to download; ADS costs $5.99 up front. StashIQ sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. ADS asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ADS ships an update every 5 months, StashIQ fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
ADS versus StashIQ: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterADSStashIQ
Price$5.99Free — better
Rating—1.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews28.6% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS2615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB53 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperJan ChalupaCHRISTOPHER BRYAN DECKER

Customer experience

ADS

Written reviews7 reviews
Positive28.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative71.4%

StashIQ

All ratings3 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

ADS

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

StashIQ

Subscriptions3
  • StashIQ Collector3 Months trial$0.991 Month
  • StashIQ Trader3 Months trial$2.991 Month
  • StashIQ Professional3 Months trial$4.991 Month

Questions

Is ADS free?
ADS costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is StashIQ free?
StashIQ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ADS or StashIQ have ads?
StashIQ shows ads; ADS does not.
Which is updated more often, ADS or StashIQ?
ADS ships an update every 5 months, and StashIQ fortnightly. Most recently, ADS was updated on November 5, 2026 and StashIQ on October 31, 2026.

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