Comparison

Flight Overhead vs PilotFlight Watch

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

Head to head
About

Flight Overhead

See real-time aircraft positions and flight details on a map. Automatically detect planes near you and get notified when they approach. Explore flight information like speed, altitude, and route.

Highlights
  • Real-time aircraft tracking
  • Automatic location detection
  • Flight details (number, altitude, speed)
  • Aircraft type silhouettes
  • Proximity notifications
  • Map view with headings
Features
Read full description

Flight Overhead shows the aircraft flying above you in real time. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Automatically detect aircraft near your location • Watch live positions and headings on the map • Tap a plane for flight number, altitude, speed, and route • Highlight the nearest aircraft • Browse altitude, speed, heading, and departure/arrival airports • See aircraft-type silhouettes • Get notified when a plane approaches within your chosen radius WHO IT’S FOR • Anyone curious about planes overhead • Aviation fans near airports • People who want a quick answer to “What’s flying above me?” DATA Positions come from the OpenSky Network. Route and aircraft-type details use public databases. Aircraft data refreshes about every 15 seconds. Look up. The sky is closer than you think.

About

PilotFlight Watch

Features
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PilotFlight puts a PFD-style Flight Deck and MFD-style Live Map on Apple Watch. These PFD and MFD views are supplemental, not certified or primary flight instruments. The native companion handles subscription purchase, restore and management on iPhone and iPad; paired-Watch status and setup remain on iPhone, and aviation views remain on Apple Watch. PFD-STYLE FLIGHT DECK AND MFD-STYLE LIVE MAP • Use the MFD-style Live Map to see position, active route, nearby airports and breadcrumb track. • Use the PFD-style Flight Deck to follow Direct-To or multi-leg plans with HSI/CDI guidance, bearing, distance, ETE and cross-track deviation. KEEP SAVED ROUTES VISIBLE OFFLINE • Save active-route coverage or an area around your current position on Apple Watch. • Choose automatic fallback when the connection is lost, or keep the local map on manually. • A worldwide overview is included. Download or delete three verified worldwide packages independently: Terrain HD (31,379,456 B; Natural Earth · Public domain), Visual HD (625,291,264 B; NASA Earth Observatory · Blue Marble: Next Generation · Contains modified NASA imagery; May 2004, not live), and Atlas Pro (3,732,973,284 B; © OpenStreetMap contributors · Protomaps 20260814; ODbL). • PilotFlight keeps an 8 GiB offline-map quota and 512 MiB free-space reserve. The maps are supplemental—not live data, aviation charts or terrain-avoidance data. Weather and hazards still require a connection. CHECK LIVE AVIATION WEATHER • Request METAR and TAF for a selected ICAO station from AviationWeather.gov. PLAN AND CALCULATE ON APPLE WATCH • Build and edit multi-leg routes and Direct-To guidance. OPTIONAL OXYGEN AWARENESS, SET BY YOU The optional low-blood-oxygen cue is off by default, starts at 94% and supports 80–99%. While the app is active, eligible device-recorded Health readings up to 5 minutes old may trigger cues at most once a minute; each reading can be silenced. It does not measure cabin pressure, start or continuously monitor a measurement, prevent hypoxia, diagnose a condition, provide emergency service or determine fitness to fly. TRY 3 DAYS FREE ON IPHONE OR IPAD PilotFlight is free to download, but every Watch feature requires an active auto-renewable subscription. Eligible new or returning subscribers who have not used an introductory offer in the PilotFlight Watch Pro group can start Monthly or Annual with a 3-day free trial. The subscription starts immediately, with no charge during the trial. Unless canceled at least 24 hours before the trial ends, the selected plan renews automatically at the localized price and billing period shown by the App Store. One introductory offer is available per subscription group. Purchase, Restore Purchases and subscription management are available in the native companion on iPhone and iPad. Apple Watch is entitlement-only and stays locked without a verified Apple-signed StoreKit entitlement. The trial unlocks the same complete Watch experience as a paid period; there is no separate guest or demo tier. Manage or cancel in Apple Account settings. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Plans and Apple Health data stay on device. AviationWeather.gov receives a selected ICAO code or nearest-airport area. Each optional map uses a fixed AkıncıJet file request. It sends no route, coordinates or disk-capacity value. Temporary delivery/security logs retain IP address, timestamp, requested path, HTTP status and user-agent in daily archives; they are not used for ads or tracking. PilotFlight is a supplemental planning and situational-awareness aid. It is not a certified navigation or primary flight instrument, aviation chart, approved weather/NOTAM source, medical monitor or guaranteed background-alert service. Always verify information with approved aircraft documents, current official sources and pilot judgment. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Flight Overhead2 screens
PilotFlight Watch4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Flight Overhead at none against PilotFlight Watch's 2. Flight Overhead also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, 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. PilotFlight Watch sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Flight Overhead asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flight Overhead ships an update every 3 days, PilotFlight Watch every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Flight Overhead versus PilotFlight Watch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlight OverheadPilotFlight Watch
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRyuhei HosoyaYigit Can Akinci

In-app purchases

None

Flight Overhead

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

PilotFlight Watch

Subscriptions2
  • PilotFlight Monthly3 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • PilotFlight Annual3 Days trial$74.991 Year

Questions

Is Flight Overhead free?
Flight Overhead is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PilotFlight Watch free?
PilotFlight Watch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Flight Overhead or PilotFlight Watch have ads?
Neither Flight Overhead nor PilotFlight Watch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flight Overhead or PilotFlight Watch?
Flight Overhead ships an update every 3 days, and PilotFlight Watch every 2 days. Most recently, Flight Overhead was updated on October 14, 2026 and PilotFlight Watch on October 8, 2026.

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