Comparison

Mini Radar vs Airspace Live

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

Head to head
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.

About

Airspace Live

Experience a military-style flight radar on your iPhone and Apple Watch. Track real-time aircraft data with a minimalist, visual-first interface, perfect for aviation enthusiasts and plane spotters.

Highlights
  • Tactical radar sweep
  • Live satellite view
  • Apple Watch integration
  • Instant dynamic scanning
  • Military aircraft highlight (Pro)
  • Adjustable range rings
  • Custom data overlays
Features
Read full description

The flight radar that feels like a command center. Built for aviation enthusiasts, Airspace Live combines live flight tracking, immersive AR plane spotting, collectible aircraft cards, widgets, and Apple Watch support into one streamlined experience. Airspace Live strips away the cluttered maps and bloated menus of ordinary flight trackers. What's left is a focused, retro-vector radar delivering live aircraft data over crisp satellite terrain whether you're scanning your own backyard or the world's busiest hubs. NOW ON APPLE WATCH Track the skies glance-by-glance. The all-new Apple Watch companion app brings a fully functional tactical radar sweep right to your wrist. Monitor local flights, view real-time callsigns, and track overhead aircraft instantly without ever pulling out your phone. Perfect for hands-free plane spotting in the field. Collectible Plane Cards & Flight Deck: Every aircraft you spot unlocks a Plane Card with real photography, full specs, and a live satellite view. Hunt rare tail numbers, build your Flight Deck, and turn everyday spotting into a collection worth showing off. AUGMENTED REALITY (AR) PLANE TRACKING: See a plane, wonder what it is? Point your camera at the sky and its callsign, route, and live flight data appear right over the aircraft. No squinting at maps, no guessing — instant identification, hands-free. KEY FEATURES: • Tactical Radar Sweep: Watch the skies update in real time with a classic, sweeping radar beam optimized for dark-mode viewing. • Collectible Plane Cards: Unlock, collect, and catalogue unique aircraft as you spot them to build your ultimate digital flight deck. • Augmented Reality (AR) Spotter: Point at any aircraft in the sky to instantly discover what it is using your live camera view. • Satellite Moving Maps: Experience an upgraded, real-time aerial satellite map tracking live flights over exact terrain and geographic landmarks. • Apple Watch Flight Tracker: A premium, ultra-responsive wrist-radar companion for quick, on-the-go airspace scanning. • Instant Global Tracking: Drop a pin anywhere in the world like San Francisco, Tokyo, or London or use your current GPS location to instantly map nearby aircraft. • Military Aircraft Highlight (Pro): Instantly isolate and track military transport, reconnaissance, and tactical aircraft operating in your range. • Custom Unit Selection: Personalize your data display. Effortlessly toggle between nautical miles, kilometers, knots, or miles per hour. • Adjustable Range Rings: Scale your scanning radius effortlessly from 10 NM for hyper-local overhead traffic up to 100 NM for a massive regional overview. • Custom Data Overlays: Toggle detailed flight labels, callsigns, and vector lines to match your preferred level of data density. No cluttered maps, no bloated menus. Just raw airspace data delivered through a premium, single-page command center. Scan the skies. Track the targets. Download Airspace Live today. Geocoding and map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Nominatim), with map tiles by CARTO and Esri. Legal: Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://airspacelive.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

Mini Radar4 screens
Airspace Live4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mini Radar at none against Airspace Live's 1. Mini Radar also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 79%). Airspace Live's advantage is ratings volume (65 vs 11). On price, rating, update cadence 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. Airspace Live sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Mini Radar asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mini Radar holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Airspace Live has 65 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Mini Radar's written reviews are positive against 79% of Airspace Live's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Mini Radar versus Airspace Live: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMini RadarAirspace Live
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (11 ratings) — better4.8 (65 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better78.9% of reviews
Number of ratings1165 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 daysEvery 2 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB72 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJohn Grey80227563111Adventure On, Inc.

Customer experience

Mini Radar

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Airspace Live

All ratings61 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral3.3%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral15.8%
Negative5.3%

In-app purchases

None

Mini Radar

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Airspace Live

One-time1
  • AirSpace Lifetime Pro$5.99

Questions

Is Mini Radar free?
Mini Radar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Airspace Live free?
Airspace Live is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mini Radar or Airspace Live?
Mini Radar is rated higher. Mini Radar averages 5.0 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Airspace Live averages 4.8 from 65 ratings.
Do Mini Radar or Airspace Live have ads?
Neither Mini Radar nor Airspace Live shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mini Radar or Airspace Live?
Mini Radar ships an update every 2 days, and Airspace Live every 2 days. Most recently, Mini Radar was updated on October 24, 2026 and Airspace Live on October 31, 2026.

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