PFM App vs The Tail Sniffer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PFM App
Access comprehensive trip details, crew information, and PFM databases. Features include fuel pricing, time/distance calculations, and paperless flight log posting. Integrates with various aviation services for seamless data transfer.
- Trip details (Tripsheet, Flightlog, Itinerary)
- Crew grid for non-flight activity
- Access to PFM databases
- Fuel pricing and time/distance calculator
- Paperless flight log posting
- Datalink and SATCOM Direct interface
- Crew notification acknowledgements
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PFM Wireless Functionality - (Requires Wireless account credentials) -All trip details, including Tripsheet, Flightlog and Trip Itinerary PDF -Crew grid for non-flight activity codes -Access to PFM databases (passenger, airport, FBO) -Fuel pricing -Time/distance calculator -Paperless flight log posting (on-line only). -Datalink interface. No need to key in take-off/landing times. (ARINC Direct or SATCOM-Direct subscription required. -SATCOM Direct interface. For joint customers, all data from the flight deck (take-off/landing, fuel burn, night/day take off and landings, approaches) auto-filled. -Crew Notification Acknowledgements. Ability to send a message back to dispatch Ops Console (Available to all PFM users) - Trip Navigator / Monthly Calendar - Pax Compliance - Airport Lookup - Schedule Creation/Editing - Reports - Partner Interfaces (Baldwin Safety, UAS, ForeFlight, uvGo, Pulsar, Feasibility-IQ, FlightBridge, iFlightPlanner) - Documents
The Tail Sniffer
This platform provides real-time aircraft tracking for aviation professionals, including access to data hidden from other services. Monitor your fleet, receive notifications, and review flight history with detailed maps and export options.
- Real-time ADS-B aircraft tracking
- LADD-restricted aircraft tracking
- Interactive dark-themed fleet map
- Automatic departure/arrival detection
- Email notifications
- Flight history with route replay
- Multi-user access
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The Tail Sniffer is aircraft tracking built for the people who operate airplanes — corporate flight departments, jet-management and fractional operators, and the crews who fly for them. Most trackers are built for spectators. This one is built for operations: the aircraft you manage, the airports you work out of, and the arrival your day depends on. YOUR OWN AIRCRAFT, VISIBLE TO YOU Consumer flight trackers filter their displays to comply with FAA data agreements, which means owners and operators often can't see their own aircraft on the platforms everyone else uses. The Tail Sniffer reads ADS-B directly from a community receiver network, so LADD-enrolled and privately operated aircraft can stay visible to verified owners and operators with the LADD add-on — and every aircraft is labeled with its LADD status. It's a different data source, not a workaround. WHAT YOU GET • Live fleet map with position history, route replay, and weather radar • Alerts on departure, arrival, transponder power-on, and emergency squawks — by email, push, or both • Watched airports — get told when one of your aircraft lands at a field you care about • Folders to group a fleet, a client, or a handful of tails • Team access with admin and viewer roles, so dispatch, maintenance, and crew see the same picture • Flight history with duration, distance, altitude and speed profiles • CSV export and shareable flight links for handoffs and reporting • 45,000+ airports worldwide, with local field times BUILT BY A WORKING PILOT The Tail Sniffer exists because its author needed one reliable place to see where the fleet was, where it had been, and to know the moment an aircraft moved. FREE AND PRO Start free: follow up to 3 aircraft, with 30 days of flight history and email alerts. Pro follows 15 aircraft, keeps your full flight history, adds push alerts, and removes ads, with a free trial for new subscribers. Add aircraft packs for a bigger fleet, and the LADD add-on to see LADD-enrolled aircraft (verified accounts only). Positions update every minute. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment is charged to your Apple ID when you confirm. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://thetailsniffer.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: The Tail Sniffer at 100% against PFM App's 0%. The Tail Sniffer also leads on rating (5.0 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (14 vs 1). PFM App's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, 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. The Tail Sniffer sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. PFM App asks for nothing beyond the download.
The Tail Sniffer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Tail Sniffer has 14 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of PFM App's written reviews are positive against 100% of The Tail Sniffer's.
PFM App ships an update every 2 weeks, The Tail Sniffer every 9 days. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.
| Parameter | PFM App | The Tail Sniffer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (14 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 14 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Portside, Inc. | Roxstar Labs LLC |
Customer experience
PFM App
The Tail Sniffer
In-app purchases
PFM App
No in-app purchases
The Tail Sniffer
- +10 aircraft$1.491 Month
- +20 aircraft$2.991 Month
- +30 aircraft$4.491 Month
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- Pro7 Days trial$5.991 Month
- LADD add-on$5.991 Month
- +50 aircraft$7.491 Month
- Pro (yearly)7 Days trial$49.991 Year
Questions
Is PFM App free?
Is The Tail Sniffer free?
Which has better reviews, PFM App or The Tail Sniffer?
Do PFM App or The Tail Sniffer have ads?
Which is updated more often, PFM App or The Tail Sniffer?
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