Comparison

FlightDeck vs PTC Binder

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
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

PTC Binder

Organize and track your pilot trading card collection. Scan cards with your camera, log their condition, and manage variants. Share your collection and trade with others.

Highlights
  • Camera-based card scanning
  • Catalog and track collected cards
  • Log card condition and ownership
  • Manage card variants
  • Search and filter collection
  • Share trade lists and wishlists
  • Create custom collections
Features
Read full description

PTC Binder - The Pilot Trading Card Collector App. Track, organize, and showcase your collection from Aeroméxico, Alaska, Allegiant, America West, American, ANA, Atlas Air, Avianca, Boeing, Breeze Airways, Calm Air, CommuteAir, De Havilland Canada, Delta, Denver Air, envoy, Fast Air, FedEx, Frontier, Garuda Indonesia, GoJet, Hawaiian, Horizon Air, JAL, Jazz, jetBlue, Jetstar, Keewatin Air, Lost Tails Cards, Maxjet, Mountain Air Cargo, Northwest, Perimeter Aviation, Piedmont, porter, Republic, Royal Canadian Air Cadets, Singapore, Skymark, SkyWest, Southwest, Spirit, Starlux, Sun Country, Tally Ho Aviation, Ted, Trading Card Guild, United, UPS, Vanguard Air Care, WestJet, Wings Over Kississing, and airports participating in the NAACS Airport Trading Card Program. FIND A CARD WITH YOUR CAMERA Point your camera at a card and PTC Binder finds it. No typing, no scrolling through binders. If one side isn't enough to tell it apart, add the other and we narrow it down. The reading happens entirely on your device, so your photos never leave it. Scanned both sides? Use those two photos as the card's photos. CATALOG & TRACK Browse the full catalog of pilot trading cards across multiple airlines and airports. Mark cards as collected by taking photos, log the condition, and track your progress toward completing each collection. Own multiple copies? Track each condition separately. MARK AS OWNED Already have a card but haven't photographed it yet? Mark it as owned to track your collection without photos. Free and unlimited for every card in the catalog. SNAP & STORE Photograph the front and back of every card in your collection. Your photos are stored locally and synced across all your devices with iCloud. STAY ORGANIZED Add notes, record where you collected each card, mark favorites, add cards to your wishlist, and sort your binder the way you like it. SEARCH THAT ACTUALLY FINDS IT Search by anything printed on a card, not just the airline or the aircraft. Filter to what you have or what you're still missing. TRADE WITH OTHER COLLECTORS Mark cards you're willing to trade and build your wishlist. Share your trade list or wishlist as an image to connect with other collectors in the community. VARIANTS MADE EASY Cards with variants show an indicator so you always know which version you have. Compare differences side by side and swap your data between original and variant in one tap, including photos and condition. YOUR OWN CARDS TOO Create your own collections and cards for anything that doesn't have a home in another binder yet. DASHBOARD & STATS See your collection at a glance: total cards, completion percentages, condition breakdowns, collection timelines, and trading activity. WIDGETS Add home screen and Mac widgets to show off your latest cards and collection progress. APPLE TV Display your collection on the big screen with PTC Binder™ Theater, available now on Apple TV. EXPORT & SHARE Export your collection data or share cards with fellow collectors. MORE FEATURES Spotlight search for any card in your collection Move personal cards into other binders when you identify them Made for iPad and iPhone Duo Custom app icons Custom accent color in Settings Light and Dark mode support Siri Shortcuts integration Start building your digital binder today!

Screenshots

FlightDeck4 screens
PTC Binder4 screens

Verdict

The call

FlightDeck and PTC Binder both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of PTC Binder's written reviews are positive against 19% of FlightDeck's. PTC Binder also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ads (none vs shown). FlightDeck's advantage is ratings volume (1.6K vs 8) and chart position (#13 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 PTC Binder sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 PTC Binder. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FlightDeck has 1.6K ratings behind it against 8, 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 100% of PTC Binder's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FlightDeck ships an update every 4 days, PTC Binder every 5 days. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
FlightDeck versus PTC Binder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlightDeckPTC Binder
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (1.6K ratings)4.6 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews19.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.6K — better8
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 5 days
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#13 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size163 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAttractsUmanera LLC

Customer experience

FlightDeck

All ratings1,473 ratings
Positive86.6%
Neutral1.7%
Negative11.7%
Written reviews292 reviews
Positive19.2%
Neutral10.6%
Negative70.2%

PTC Binder

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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
1 purchases

PTC Binder

One-time1
  • Unlimited Cards$5.99

Questions

Is FlightDeck free?
FlightDeck is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PTC Binder free?
PTC Binder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FlightDeck or PTC Binder?
PTC Binder is rated higher. FlightDeck averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while PTC Binder averages 4.6 from 8 ratings.
Do FlightDeck or PTC Binder have ads?
FlightDeck shows ads; PTC Binder does not.
Which is updated more often, FlightDeck or PTC Binder?
FlightDeck ships an update every 4 days, and PTC Binder every 5 days. Most recently, FlightDeck was updated on November 13, 2026 and PTC Binder on November 13, 2026.

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