Comparison

PulseMap vs Airplanes.live

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

Head to head
About

PulseMap

See live crowd levels for bars, restaurants, and other venues on a real-time map. Check activity before you go, avoid waits, and discover popular spots. Users can check in and share observations to help the community.

Highlights
  • Real-time activity estimates
  • Live venue discovery map
  • Check-in and share observations
  • Find popular venues nearby
  • Activity forecasts and trends (Pro)
  • Customizable activity alerts (Pro)
Read full description

PulseMap shows you how busy places are right now. See live crowd levels for bars, restaurants, coffee shops, nightlife, entertainment venues, and more on a real-time map. Check activity levels before you go, avoid long waits, discover popular spots nearby, and find the atmosphere you're looking for. LIVE VENUE INTELLIGENCE • Real-time activity estimates across thousands of venues • Open/Closed status and today's hours • Interactive map with live venue discovery • Filters for Bars, Restaurants, Coffee Shops, Nightlife, and more • Search for venues by name or location CHECK IN & SHARE OBSERVATIONS • Check in to venues you're visiting • Submit real-time crowd observations • Update your observation as conditions change • View active visit sessions and visit history • Help improve venue activity intelligence for the community SMART DISCOVERY • Find popular venues nearby • Compare activity levels between similar venues • Save favorite places for quick access • Get alerts when venues reach your preferred activity level PULSEMAP PRO • Activity forecasts and peak-time insights • Historical activity patterns and trends • Unlimited saved places • Custom activity alerts • Advanced planning tools • Priority access to premium insights • Ad-free experience PRIVACY YOU CAN TRUST • Location is used only while the app is open • No background location tracking • No advertising tracking • Privacy-focused venue discovery experience PulseMap is intended for users 17 and older. Some listed venues may serve alcohol. Please drink responsibly and follow all local laws and regulations. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION PulseMap Pro Monthly: $4.99/month with a 7-day free trial PulseMap Pro Annual: $34.99/year with a 7-day free trial Payment is charged to your Apple ID after any applicable free trial period. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period. You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time through your Apple ID subscription settings. Privacy Policy: https://pulsemapapp.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Airplanes.live

Track live aircraft in the sky, including airliners, general aviation, helicopters, and military traffic. View detailed flight information, weather overlays, and a radar-scope view with convergence alerts. Offers a Pro version with advanced features for a fee.

Highlights
  • Live aircraft tracking
  • Detailed flight information
  • Weather radar overlay
  • ATC scope mode
  • Convergence alerts
  • Search by callsign/registration
Features
Read full description

See every aircraft in the sky — unfiltered. Airplanes.live is a live flight tracker powered by the community-run airplanes.live receiver network. Unlike other trackers, it shows you everything the network sees: airliners, general aviation, helicopters, and the military and privacy-flagged traffic that other apps remove. THE MAP • Live aircraft colored by altitude, with type-specific silhouettes • Tap any aircraft for photos, route, altitude, speed, and registered owner • Flight trails, search by callsign / registration / hex • Light and dark maps, all served from our own infrastructure WEATHER • Live NOAA/NWS radar overlay, animated or latest-frame • See the weather traffic is flying around, in real time ATC SCOPE MODE • A radar-scope view with data blocks — callsign, flight level, speed, type • Convergence alerts between converging aircraft • Emergency squawk (7500/7600/7700) highlighting PRO • Weather radar, advanced filters, unlimited watchlist, and alerts • Feed data to airplanes.live? Pro is free for feeders. Aircraft positions come from publicly broadcast ADS-B signals received by a volunteer community. For informational and educational use — not for navigation, separation, or safety-of-life purposes. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms of Service: https://airplanes.hughesit.us/terms Privacy Policy: https://airplanes.hughesit.us/privacy

Screenshots

PulseMap4 screens
Airplanes.live4 screens

Verdict

The call

PulseMap and Airplanes.live both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of PulseMap's written reviews are positive against 50% of Airplanes.live's. PulseMap also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. PulseMap sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Airplanes.live sells 2 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 — 5.0 for PulseMap against 5.0 for Airplanes.live. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of PulseMap's written reviews are positive against 50% of Airplanes.live's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PulseMap ships an update every 5 days, Airplanes.live fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
PulseMap versus Airplanes.live: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPulseMapAirplanes.live
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings3 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB8 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperJack CatanzariteBlake Hughes

Customer experience

PulseMap

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Airplanes.live

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

PulseMap

Subscriptions2
  • PulseMap Pro: Monthly$4.991 Month
  • PulseMap Pro: Annual$34.991 Year
One-time2
  • PulseMap Pro- Monthly$4.99
  • Pulse Map Pro- Annual$34.99
2 purchases

Airplanes.live

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly$19.991 Year

Questions

Is PulseMap free?
PulseMap is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Airplanes.live free?
Airplanes.live is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PulseMap or Airplanes.live?
PulseMap and Airplanes.live are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do PulseMap or Airplanes.live have ads?
Neither PulseMap nor Airplanes.live shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PulseMap or Airplanes.live?
PulseMap ships an update every 5 days, and Airplanes.live fortnightly. Most recently, PulseMap was updated on November 5, 2026 and Airplanes.live on November 7, 2026.

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