Comparison

AirwayControl vs MODE 1090

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

Head to head
About

AirwayControl

Features
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Your flight, from the moment you leave the house to the baggage belt at your destination. Every aircraft beautifully presented in the map. Avoid the constant hunt for info screens at the airport. Gate, times and changes are right on your phone, and the app tells you when something changes. At Avinor's airports in Norway, gate and baggage belt come from the same source as the screens in the hall. If something goes wrong, it keeps constant track of what you are entitled to, and guides you through claiming it with ease. MY FLIGHT • Search a flight number, a route or an airline, and add it as My Flight. • Gate, terminal, check-in desk and times on one card, with a Live Activity and a Lock Screen widget. • Notifications you choose: go to gate, gate change, delay, boarding, gate closing, cancellation and baggage on the belt. Worked out on your iPhone, with no account. • Leaving from a Norwegian airport: the expected security wait, and the reclaim belt when you land. WHEN THE FLIGHT GOES WRONG • Delayed or cancelled: what changed, and when the app last checked. • Your rights on that route, in plain language. EU261, UK261 and the national rules of 18 more countries, including Canada, the United States, Brazil, Türkiye and India. • A claim letter to the airline, filled in from what the app already knows. It opens in your own mail app and goes to the airline's own published address. We fill in the form. We are not a claims agency, and we take no fee and no cut. • Where to complain on that route, when the airline says no. • Damaged or delayed bag: the deadline that applies to you, the nearest service desk on the airport map, and every detail the airline's form asks for, ready to paste. BAGGAGE • Published allowances and fees for more than 100 airlines, by fare type: cabin bag, checked bags, extra pieces and overweight. • Allowances also depend on your ticket and status. The app says so, every time. AIRPORTS • Departures and arrivals for any airport you search or tap. • At Norwegian and Nordic airports: gate, belt, check-in desk and live status from Avinor's official feed. • Airport maps with surveyed gates and stands, and a walking estimate to your gate in distance and minutes. One tap hands over to Apple Maps. It is an estimate, not indoor turn-by-turn. LIVE RADAR • Live aircraft on a calm map, worldwide. • Tap a plane: a rendered aircraft in the airline's own colors where we have them, real photos credited to the photographer, the route, and schedule and gate. • Aircraft in view: every aircraft on screen as a list, with a page for each type. • Overhead: what is passing above you right now. • Live precipitation radar over the map. PRIVACY No ads. No account. No tracking. Your location centers the map and measures the walk to your gate. Your exact position never leaves your device. SUBSCRIPTION AirwayControl requires a subscription. One auto-renewable subscription unlocks the whole app. New subscribers get a 7-day free trial; after that it renews monthly at the price shown in the App Store for your country. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase, or when the free trial ends. The subscription renews automatically every month unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in Settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://airwaycontrol.intelsystems.ai/privacy HONEST LIMITS Aircraft positions work worldwide; refresh rate depends on receiver coverage. Gate, belt, check-in desk and security wait are deepest at Nordic airports; elsewhere you get boards, gate and terminal where published, and the live map. Rights information is information, not legal advice. Live data needs a connection. CREDITS Full credits for data, maps and photos: airwaycontrol.intelsystems.ai/credits

About

MODE 1090

Features
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Know what's flying overhead. Track aircraft live, point your iPhone at the sky and turn real sightings into your own aircraft collection. Start with live radar, scanning and collecting for free. No account needed to get started. YOUR SKY, LIVE • See nearby aircraft on a clear radar with altitude, speed and aircraft photos when available. • Explore the interactive flight map, browse the list of nearby aircraft and watch aircraft arriving at or departing from an airport. • Switch between aircraft silhouettes, ATC data blocks and a minimal radar view. SCAN IT. COLLECT IT. • Point your iPhone at an aircraft to find out what you're looking at. No photo upload needed. • Collect real sightings across aircraft types, airlines and registrations. Add notes and revisit your scan history. • See your collected aircraft on the map, complete daily missions, earn XP, level up and unlock achievements. • Share the hobby with friends and compare your progress. GET CLOSER WITH MODE 1090 PRO • Rotate, zoom and explore available 3D aircraft models and liveries. • Search live aircraft worldwide by callsign, registration or ICAO code, then follow a flight on the map. • Discover flight routes when available, save more aircraft favorites and revisit flight history. • Keep airport spotting in view with Live Activities on supported iPhones, where available. • Enjoy radar without the inactivity pause, spoken aviation callouts in English, custom radar colors and app icons. • Export your sighting notes for use beyond the app. ON YOUR PHONE, TABLET AND WRIST Enjoy spotting on iPhone and iPad, with a live radar on Apple Watch. With an optional account, you can sync your collection for free between iPhone and iPad. You can also export your collection data. No ads. Camera images stay on your device. Flight coverage, routes and model availability vary. MODE 1090 is for plane spotting and observation, not navigation or flight operations. MODE 1090 Pro is an optional subscription. It renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings. Privacy: https://mode1090.com/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Support: https://mode1090.com/support

Screenshots

AirwayControl4 screens
MODE 10904 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: AirwayControl at none against MODE 1090's 2. MODE 1090's advantage is device support (5 vs 3) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, 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. MODE 1090 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. AirwayControl asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AirwayControl ships an update every 5 days, MODE 1090 weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
AirwayControl versus MODE 1090: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAirwayControlMODE 1090
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB201 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChristopher SvendsenAlexander Stolte

In-app purchases

None

AirwayControl

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

MODE 1090

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Annually$34.991 Year

Questions

Is AirwayControl free?
AirwayControl is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MODE 1090 free?
MODE 1090 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do AirwayControl or MODE 1090 have ads?
Neither AirwayControl nor MODE 1090 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AirwayControl or MODE 1090?
AirwayControl ships an update every 5 days, and MODE 1090 weekly. Most recently, AirwayControl was updated on October 14, 2026 and MODE 1090 on October 16, 2026.

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