Skyby vs SkyTile
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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/
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.
- Discover aircraft overhead
- Explore flight details
- Revisit past sightings
- Build aircraft collections
- Learn about aircraft profiles
- Manage device and settings
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Skyby sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. SkyTile asks for nothing beyond the download.
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.
Skyby ships an update weekly, SkyTile fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Skyby | SkyTile |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (12 ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 12 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 48 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | StoryForward | Replay Tech Inc. |
Customer experience
Skyby
SkyTile
In-app purchases
Skyby
- Skyby Pro$2.991 Month
- Skyby Pro Annual$19.991 Year
- Skyby Founder Lifetime$19.99
- Skyby Pro Lifetime$49.99
SkyTile
No in-app purchases









