Comparison

Coffee & Radar vs Mini Radar

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

Head to head
About

Coffee & Radar

Features
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Track live air traffic with a vintage twist. Coffee & Radar transforms live flight data into a classic, glowing radar display right on your phone. Watch nearby flights glide across the screen, complete with a traditional sweep line, range rings, and customizable retro color themes (Green, Amber, or Monochrome). Explore the skies: -- Tap to inspect: Get immediate info on callsigns, altitude, speed, heading, and exact distance from your location. -- Audio updates: Enable voice announcements to hear aircraft details read aloud automatically, or on demand with a single tap. -- Zero bloat: No ads, no tracking, no accounts to sign up for, and absolutely no subscriptions. Powered by live ADS-B data from the OpenSky Network and aircraft insights from adsbdb.com. Built responsibly to respect community data limits while giving you a seamless spotting experience.

About

Mini Radar

View live aircraft around you on a radar scope or in augmented reality. Get detailed information on each plane, customize your view, and set alerts for favorite aircraft. Ideal for aviation enthusiasts and curious minds.

Highlights
  • Live radar scope
  • AR Sky View
  • Aircraft details
  • Customizable views
  • Favorites and alerts
  • Apple Watch support
  • Dynamic Island integration
Features
Read full description

Mini Radar shows the aircraft flying around you, live, on a clean radar scope. It's built on adsb.fi — a free, community-run ADS-B network. Volunteers around the world run small receivers and share what they pick up, and that shared feed is what you see. No account, no subscription, no ads. WHAT YOU GET • A live radar centered on you — or anywhere you search • Tap any aircraft for details: type, registration, altitude, speed, heading, squawk, and route (origin to destination) when available • Switch between a classic radar scope and a satellite map backdrop • Pinch, double-tap, or drag to zoom — from a few miles out to 250 NM • Color aircraft by type (commercial, private, helicopter, glider, military…) or by altitude, or switch on distinct per-type icons • North-up or heading-up — one tap on the compass button rotates the scope (radar or satellite) so the direction you're facing is up • A live contacts list and class filters, right on the scope • Sweep or pulse animation — your choice • A nearest-aircraft compass that always points to the closest plane POINT AT THE SKY • AR Sky View — hold up your phone and see the aircraft overhead, labeled in real space; pinch to zoom in ON YOUR WRIST • A standalone Apple Watch radar — zoom with the Digital Crown, tap a plane for details ALWAYS-ON GLANCE • Dynamic Island and Lock Screen tracking for what's overhead — your favorites, or any aircraft nearby, with a live bearing arrow FAVORITES & ALERTS • Star aircraft by tail number, callsign, or hex — they're highlighted whenever they appear nearby • Optional alert when a favorite comes within 10 NM of you (opt-in; uses background location only while it's turned on) SAVED PLACES • Save and name locations to jump between them • Choose what the radar opens to: your live location, the nearest airport, or a saved spot MADE TO READ EASILY • Colorblind-friendly palette • Light, dark, or automatic theme A NOTE ON COVERAGE Because the data comes from volunteer receivers, coverage is best where people are feeding and can have gaps elsewhere. Not every aircraft broadcasts ADS-B, and route lookups aren't available for every flight. Mini Radar is for curiosity and learning — not for navigation or any operational use. Want better coverage where you live? Anyone can become a feeder with a Raspberry Pi, an RTL-SDR dongle, and an antenna. There's a short how-to inside the app. Data by adsb.fi. Route information by adsbdb.

Screenshots

Coffee & Radar4 screens
Mini Radar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Mini Radar at 16.0 against Coffee & Radar's 18.6. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Coffee & Radar versus Mini Radar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCoffee & RadarMini Radar
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (11 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—11 — better
Update frequency—Every 2 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlackdaw Media LLCJohn Grey80227563111

In-app purchases

None

Coffee & Radar

No in-app purchases

None

Mini Radar

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Coffee & Radar free?
Coffee & Radar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mini Radar free?
Mini Radar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Coffee & Radar or Mini Radar have ads?
Neither Coffee & Radar nor Mini Radar shows ads.

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