BoardPass vs OverheadView
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BoardPass
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BoardPass turns your phone into a clean live airport board, with the extra context airport screens do not show: TSA waits, METAR weather, FAA delays, route search, inbound aircraft intelligence, gates, terminals, and watchlists. Built for travelers who need fast answers, BoardPass helps you check departures and arrivals, pick someone up, monitor a connection, or keep an eye on the flight that matters. LIVE AIRPORT BOARDS See real-time departures and arrivals for airports worldwide. View flight numbers, airlines, destination cities, scheduled times, gates, terminals, and status in a clear board-style layout made for quick scanning. FLIGHT DETAIL INTELLIGENCE Tap any flight for the full picture: gate assignments, terminal details, baggage claim belts, aircraft information, and inbound aircraft context so you can spot delay risk before it becomes obvious. TSA WAIT TIMES Check security wait estimates before heading to the airport. BoardPass surfaces TSA checkpoint information where available so you can plan your arrival with less guesswork. METAR WEATHER See current aviation weather at a glance, including temperature, wind, visibility, and flight category from NOAA Aviation Weather Center METAR data. FAA DELAY ALERTS Get visibility into FAA ground delays, ground stops, and airspace flow programs affecting your airport. ROUTE SEARCH Search city-pair routes to see flights operating between two airports. Save frequent routes for one-tap access when you check the same travel corridor often. WATCHLIST Add flights to your watchlist for quick status checks without searching again. It is built for the flights you are flying, meeting, tracking, or watching from home. TRACKER LINKS Open flights directly in FlightAware or FlightRadar24 when you want full radar and map tracking. WHY TRAVELERS USE BOARDPASS - Clean airport-board design - Fast airport search by city, name, or code - Nearby airport detection - Favorites and recent airports - Dark mode for airport and red-eye use - Adjustable text size and 12-hour or 24-hour time - Works with cached data when connectivity is spotty DATA SOURCES Flight data: FlightAware AeroAPI Weather: NOAA Aviation Weather Center Delay information: FAA TSA wait times: Transportation Security Administration BoardPass is free to use and supported by advertising.
OverheadView
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OverheadView turns your iPhone into a live radar for the sky above you. See what is flying overhead in real time. Center the map on your location and watch nearby aircraft move across an interactive map, sourced from community ADS-B data. Tap any aircraft to see its callsign, altitude, speed, heading, and route when available. KEY FEATURES • Live aircraft radar — track nearby planes and helicopters in real time on an interactive map centered on your location. • Centered on you — the radar follows your location to surface the aircraft closest to you, wherever you are. • Flight details — tap any aircraft for its callsign, altitude, speed, heading, and route. • Flight search and follow — look up a specific flight and follow it with a predicted path. • Drone Remote ID — detect nearby drones broadcasting ASTM F3411 / OpenDroneID over Bluetooth, processed on your device (experimental). • Interactive map — pan and zoom a smooth, native Apple Map. • Privacy-minded — no account, no login. We do not collect names or emails to identify you, and we never sell your data. Whether you are a plane spotter, an aviation enthusiast, or simply curious about that aircraft you just heard overhead, OverheadView gives you a clear, up-to-date picture of nearby air traffic. Aircraft data is sourced from community ADS-B networks and may not reflect all air traffic. OverheadView is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended for navigation or any safety-critical use.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: BoardPass at none against OverheadView's shown. BoardPass also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). OverheadView's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). On price, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
BoardPass ships an update every 2 months, OverheadView every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BoardPass | OverheadView |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 37 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | JERALD ROBERT SMITH | Erik Gutierrez |
In-app purchases
BoardPass
No in-app purchases
OverheadView
No in-app purchases








