Comparison

Skyby vs Waypoint

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

Head to head
About

Skyby

Instantly identify commercial flights overhead without searching. Track airline, origin, destination, and aircraft type in real-time. Set alerts for specific planes or monitor your chosen airspace.

Highlights
  • Instant overhead flight identification
  • Real-time airline, origin, and destination
  • Aircraft type and altitude display
  • Inbound flight indicator
  • Customizable alerts for specific aircraft
  • Automatic logbook of flights
Features
Read full description

Know exactly what's flying over you. Look up, and whatever is overhead appears on screen. Airliners, private jets, helicopters, and more, identified instantly. No searching, no typing, no menus. NOTE: Some features shown in the screenshots require Skyby Pro. Whether you're a planespotter camped at the end of a runway or a casual fan glancing up from home, Skyby reads the sky in real time and shows the aircraft directly above: the airline or operator, the aircraft type, the altitude, and, for scheduled flights, where it came from and where it's headed. An inbound indicator shows when a flight is coming into range. Two ways to use it: Set it and forget it. Prop Skyby on a desk, shelf, or windowsill and leave it running: a quiet radar for your patch of sky. Set an alert for the aircraft you care about, and Skyby chimes the moment one flies over. Pull it out and look up. On a walk or in the backyard, open Skyby and see what's flying over right now. From airliners to helicopters: Skyby identifies it all. The passenger and cargo jets, the private planes and business jets, the helicopters overhead. And yes, if a blimp drifts over, Skyby catches that too. Prefer to keep it to the airlines? Flip on Commercial Only in settings. Set your spot, or take it with you: Use your current location Drop a pin anywhere in the coverage area to watch the planes over home while you're away Or set the pin to live, and Skyby follows you as you move WHAT YOU GET Instant overhead ID for the aircraft above you Adjustable search area, up to 3 nm free (wider with Pro) Alerts that chime when a plane you care about flies over (A380 and 747 built in, free) An inbound indicator when a flight is coming into range Real routes and aircraft types for scheduled flights A logbook that saves your catches automatically Available across the US, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia/New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Philippines and Singapore today, with more on the way Skyby Pro adds aircraft photos matched to the tail number (when available), custom alerts (any airline, aircraft type, flight number, or tail), your full logbook with search and bookmarks, detailed stats, and an even wider search radius. Skyby runs on iPhone and iPad, and it shines on iPad propped up on a desk or shelf. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Waypoint

Track live flights globally with a real-time map. View aircraft in 2D or 3D, see flight plans, and access airport information. Get alerts for takeoffs, events, and ATC activity.

Highlights
  • Live traffic tracking
  • 2D/3D aircraft view
  • Detailed flight plans
  • Airport information
  • Push notifications
  • Friends list
Read full description

Waypoint is a free, real-time map for the Infinite Flight community. Track every flight around the world, follow any aircraft in 2D or 3D, and see who's flying where. LIVE MAP • Live traffic on all three servers (Expert, Training, Casual), with aircraft gliding smoothly between updates • Apple Maps, satellite imagery and our own light and dark maps, with aircraft shadows • Tap any flight for its route, flight plan, altitude profile, livery and pilot stats • Follow any aircraft, or watch it in 3D with real aircraft models in airline liveries AIRPORTS AND ATC • Live ATC frequencies and controllers • Arrival and departure boards, runways in use, gates and ground traffic • Detailed airport layouts with runways and taxiways • Real-world weather and METAR VIRTUAL AIRLINES • Crew Center for virtual airlines: bookings, PIREPs, routes, events and rankings • Live Activities and widgets for your flights and your airline ALERTS AND FRIENDS • Push notifications when a pilot takes off, a virtual airline departs, ATC opens or an event starts • Friends list: see when the pilots you follow are online • Fleet Board, flight playback, community events and more Unofficial: not affiliated with Infinite Flight or Flying Development Studio. Waypoint is free and community-driven. Fly safe!

Screenshots

Skyby3 screens
Waypoint4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Waypoint at 5.0 against Skyby's 4.4. Waypoint also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). On price, 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. Skyby sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Waypoint asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Waypoint holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 10 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Skyby's written reviews are positive against 100% of Waypoint's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Skyby ships an update weekly, Waypoint every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Skyby versus Waypoint: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSkybyWaypoint
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (9 ratings)5.0 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings910 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStoryForwardJulian Klaus Hoke

Customer experience

Skyby

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

Waypoint

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Skyby

Subscriptions2
  • Skyby Pro$2.991 Month
  • Skyby Pro Annual$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Skyby Founder Lifetime$19.99
None

Waypoint

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Skyby free?
Skyby is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Waypoint free?
Waypoint is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Skyby or Waypoint?
Waypoint is rated higher. Skyby averages 4.4 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Waypoint averages 5.0 from 10 ratings.
Do Skyby or Waypoint have ads?
Neither Skyby nor Waypoint shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Skyby or Waypoint?
Skyby ships an update weekly, and Waypoint every 2 days. Most recently, Skyby was updated on October 11, 2026 and Waypoint on October 22, 2026.

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