# Flight Tracker vs Contrail

The clearest difference is rating: Flight Tracker at 5.0 against Contrail's 4.6. Contrail's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 days) and review sentiment (100% vs 91%). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Flight Tracker sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Contrail sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Flight Tracker holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 10 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 91% of Flight Tracker's written reviews are positive against 100% of Contrail's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Flight Tracker ships an update every 10 days, Contrail every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Flight Tracker | Contrail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flight-tracker-flightelite-ai/id6745320310/reviews)** | [4.6 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/contrail-live-flight-tracker/id6760384533/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **14** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | 90.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 114 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Aditya Purandare](https://appshunter.io/developer/1811771002) | [Jacob Lassen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1717573880) |

## What reviewers say

### Flight Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flight-tracker-flightelite-ai/id6745320310)

Track any flight globally in real-time with live radar, status updates, and instant delay or gate change alerts. AI-powered travel insights offer personalized recommendations and travel tools. A Pro version unlocks unlimited tracking and advanced features.

**Highlights:** Live flight tracking and radar map, Real-time status and delay alerts, Gate and terminal updates, AI-powered travel tips, Pilot-grade data sources, Modern, privacy-focused design

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FlightElite Pro Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| FlightElite Pro Annual | $29.99 | per year |
| FlightElite Pro Lifetime | $79.99 | one-time |


### Contrail

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/contrail-live-flight-tracker/id6760384533)

Instantly see all aircraft in the sky on a real-time map. Get detailed flight information, track flights you care about, and view airport departure and arrival boards. Discover notable aircraft and log your own flight history.

**Highlights:** Live aircraft map, Detailed flight information, Flight tracking and alerts, Airport departure/arrival boards, Personal flight logbook, Notable aircraft discovery, Fleet filtering

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Contrail Pro Weekly | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Contrail Pro Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Contrail Pro Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Buy me a coffee | $1.99 | one-time |
| Keep the servers running | $4.99 | one-time |
| I love this app | $11.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Flight Tracker free?

Flight Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Contrail free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Flight Tracker or Contrail?

Flight Tracker is rated higher. Flight Tracker averages 5.0 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while Contrail averages 4.6 from 10 ratings.

### Do Flight Tracker or Contrail have ads?

Neither Flight Tracker nor Contrail shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Flight Tracker or Contrail?

Flight Tracker ships an update every 10 days, and Contrail every 4 days. Most recently, Flight Tracker was updated on October 20, 2026 and Contrail on October 18, 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.*