Comparison

FlightDeck vs Skyby

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

Head to head
About

FlightDeck

This app provides real-time flight tracking with AI-generated insights, offering context beyond raw data. It highlights notable aircraft, weather conditions, and airport details, with customizable alerts and emergency detection.

Highlights
  • Real-time flight tracking map
  • AI-generated flight briefs
  • Notable aircraft spotting
  • Weather intelligence overlays
  • Detailed airport information
  • Customizable flight alerts
  • Emergency squawk detection
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

FlightDeck is the flight tracker that shows you what pilots are saying, live. PILOT MESSAGES (ACARS) Read the messages pilots and their airline send each other, decoded live: diversions, medical emergencies, maintenance problems, and the odd joke. Search any flight and day. TRACK YOUR FLIGHT Follow your flight on your Lock Screen: clearance, pushback, takeoff and landing runways, and the plane flying in that becomes yours. 3D MODE The 3D flight tracking you've seen all over social media. Real planes in their airline's paint, gear and all. Nothing else comes close. REPLAY Go back to any flight from the last 30 days and watch it fly again. ALERTS Write an alert in plain English, or draw one on the map. Get notified about emergency squawks and military and government aircraft. ALSO INCLUDED Weather radar, turbulence and pilot reports, D-ATIS, METARs, plain-English NOTAMs, FAA ground stops and delays, active runways, gates, TSA wait times, and approach charts. SUBSCRIPTION FlightDeck requires a weekly or yearly subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. It renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it anytime in your Apple Account settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.tryflightdeck.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.tryflightdeck.com/terms

About

Skyby

Identify aircraft flying overhead in real-time, including airlines, aircraft types, and flight details. Log your sightings and set custom alerts for planes you're interested in. Explore a wider range of features with an optional Pro subscription.

Highlights
  • Live aircraft identification
  • Airline and flight details
  • Hands-free operation
  • Automatic logbook
  • Customizable flight alerts
  • Pro version with enhanced features
Features
Read full description

Look up. Skyby tells you what's flying over. Hands-free. Airliners, private jets, helicopters, even the occasional blimp. Skyby shows the plane right above you: airline, aircraft type, altitude, and for airline flights, where it's coming from and going. Leave it running on a desk or windowsill as a quiet radar for your patch of sky, or pull it out on a walk and see what's overhead right now. Set an alert for the planes you love, and Skyby chimes when one flies over. A380 and 747-8 alerts are free. Every catch lands in your logbook automatically. Available across North America, Europe, and much of Asia and the Pacific, with more on the way. SKYBY PRO Aircraft photos, custom alerts for any airline, type, flight, or tail, special livery alerts, a 90-day logbook with search and stats, and a bigger radius. Works on iPhone, iPad, and iPhone Duo. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

FlightDeck4 screens
Skyby4 screens

Verdict

The call

FlightDeck and Skyby both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 86% of Skyby's written reviews are positive against 19% of FlightDeck's. Skyby also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ads (none vs shown). FlightDeck's advantage is ratings volume (1.5K vs 12) and chart position (#23 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. FlightDeck sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days and Skyby sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for FlightDeck against 4.6 for Skyby. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FlightDeck has 1.5K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 19% of FlightDeck's written reviews are positive against 86% of Skyby's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FlightDeck ships an update every 4 days, Skyby weekly. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
FlightDeck versus Skyby: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlightDeckSkyby
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (1.5K ratings)4.6 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews18.7% of reviews85.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.5K — better12
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterWeekly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#23 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size163 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAttractsStoryForward

Customer experience

FlightDeck

All ratings1,473 ratings
Positive86.6%
Neutral1.7%
Negative11.7%
Written reviews289 reviews
Positive18.7%
Neutral10.7%
Negative70.6%

Skyby

All ratings12 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

In-app purchases

6 purchases

FlightDeck

Subscriptions6
  • FlightDeck Pro$6.997 Days
  • FlightDeck Pro$12.997 Days
  • FlightDeck Pro$19.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • FlightDeck Pro$49.991 Year
  • FlightDeck Pro3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • FlightDeck Pro3 Days trial$69.991 Year
4 purchases

Skyby

Subscriptions2
  • Skyby Pro$2.991 Month
  • Skyby Pro Annual$19.991 Year
One-time2
  • Skyby Founder Lifetime$19.99
  • Skyby Pro Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is FlightDeck free?
FlightDeck is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Skyby free?
Skyby is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FlightDeck or Skyby?
Skyby is rated higher. FlightDeck averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Skyby averages 4.6 from 12 ratings.
Do FlightDeck or Skyby have ads?
FlightDeck shows ads; Skyby does not.
Which is updated more often, FlightDeck or Skyby?
FlightDeck ships an update every 4 days, and Skyby weekly. Most recently, FlightDeck was updated on November 5, 2026 and Skyby on November 5, 2026.

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