# Skyby vs Airplanes.live

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Skyby at 86% against Airplanes.live's 50%. Skyby also leads on update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly) and ratings volume (12 vs 2). Airplanes.live's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Skyby sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 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.

Airplanes.live holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Skyby has 12 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 86% of Skyby's written reviews are positive against 50% of Airplanes.live's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Skyby ships an update weekly, Airplanes.live fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Skyby | Airplanes.live |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/skyby/id6763821459/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/airplaneslive/id6801947441/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **12** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **85.7% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 11 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [StoryForward](https://appshunter.io/developer/509563620) | [Blake Hughes](https://appshunter.io/developer/1792651791) |

## What reviewers say

### Skyby

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/skyby/id6763821459)

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:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Skyby Pro | $2.99 | per month |
| Skyby Pro Annual | $19.99 | per year |
| Skyby Founder Lifetime | $19.99 | one-time |
| Skyby Pro Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |


### Airplanes.live

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/airplaneslive/id6801947441)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Pro Yearly | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Skyby free?

Skyby 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, Skyby or Airplanes.live?

Airplanes.live is rated higher. Skyby averages 4.6 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Airplanes.live averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Skyby or Airplanes.live have ads?

Neither Skyby nor Airplanes.live shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Skyby or Airplanes.live?

Skyby ships an update weekly, and Airplanes.live fortnightly. Most recently, Skyby was updated on November 5, 2026 and Airplanes.live on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*