Comparison

Skyby vs SkyTile

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

SkyTile

Explore aircraft overhead and discover flight details with this companion app for a SkyTile display. View past sightings, learn about aircraft types with profiles and facts, and manage your device settings.

Highlights
  • Discover aircraft overhead
  • Explore flight details
  • Revisit past sightings
  • Build aircraft collections
  • Learn about aircraft profiles
  • Manage device and settings
Features
Read full description

Discover the aircraft overhead with SkyTile, the companion app for your SkyTile display. Explore flight details, revisit past sightings, and build a personal collection of the aircraft types spotted nearby. Learn about each aircraft with detailed profiles and fun facts, and easily manage your device, detection area, and display preferences.

Screenshots

Skyby4 screens
SkyTile3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SkyTile at none against Skyby's 4. SkyTile also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (100% vs 86%). Skyby's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, ratings volume, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Skyby sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. SkyTile asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SkyTile holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Skyby's written reviews are positive against 100% of SkyTile's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Skyby ships an update weekly, SkyTile fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Skyby versus SkyTile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSkybySkyTile
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (12 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings12 — better5
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB48 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStoryForwardReplay Tech Inc.

Customer experience

Skyby

All ratings11 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

SkyTile

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Skyby

Subscriptions2
  • Skyby Pro$2.991 Month
  • Skyby Pro Annual$19.991 Year
One-time2
  • Skyby Founder Lifetime$19.99
  • Skyby Pro Lifetime$49.99
None

SkyTile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Skyby free?
Skyby is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SkyTile free?
SkyTile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Skyby or SkyTile?
SkyTile is rated higher. Skyby averages 4.6 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while SkyTile averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Skyby or SkyTile have ads?
Neither Skyby nor SkyTile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Skyby or SkyTile?
Skyby ships an update weekly, and SkyTile fortnightly. Most recently, Skyby was updated on October 31, 2026 and SkyTile on October 29, 2026.

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