Comparison

MODE 1090 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

MODE 1090

Features
Read full description

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

About

Airspace Live

Features
Read full description

Airspace Live turns your iPhone or iPad into a window on the sky above your city. Real aircraft cross a 3D map in real time, and you can follow any one of them all the way to the runway. YOUR SKY, LIVE Aircraft positions arrive every 5 seconds from a worldwide network of volunteer ADS-B receivers. Each plane is drawn where it is right now, pointing where it is going, coloured by altitude. FOLLOW A PLANE Tap a plane, or the follow button, and the camera flies to it and stays with it. Tap again to hop to the next one. Choose Chase to fly behind it or Orbit to circle it slowly. Drag the map to let go. A REAL 3D MAP Standard, Hybrid and Satellite styles with realistic terrain and buildings. Pinch to zoom, twist to rotate, drag with two fingers to tilt. WHO IS THAT? Callsign, airline, origin and destination, aircraft type and registration appear for the plane you follow, with its route drawn on the map. The Nearby Aircraft list shows everything in range, nearest first. YOUR FILTERS Show everything, only arrivals and departures below 10,000 ft, or only the traffic passing overhead at cruise. Switch callsign labels, ground traffic and airport labels on or off. HOME AND SEARCH One search on first launch sets your home. Make any view your Home later, save favourite views, and jump back with one tap. ONE PRICE, NOTHING ELSE Fast refresh is included. No account, no ads, no subscription. DATA Live aircraft data © adsb.lol contributors, published under the Open Database License (ODbL). Routes and aircraft details by adsbdb. Coverage depends on volunteer receivers: cities are dense, oceans and remote regions can be empty. Not for navigation. Airspace Live remembers where you left off and runs entirely on your device. Also available for Apple TV.

Screenshots

MODE 10904 screens
Airspace Live4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: MODE 1090 at Free against Airspace Live's $0.99. MODE 1090 also leads on device support (5 vs 3) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Airspace Live's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On 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

MODE 1090 is free to download; Airspace Live costs $0.99 up front. MODE 1090 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Airspace Live asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard4 real differences · 2 level
MODE 1090 versus Airspace Live: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMODE 1090Airspace Live
PriceFree — better$0.99
Update frequencyWeekly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size201 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexander StolteZoliTech

In-app purchases

2 purchases

MODE 1090

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Annually$34.991 Year
None

Airspace Live

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MODE 1090 free?
MODE 1090 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Airspace Live free?
Airspace Live costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do MODE 1090 or Airspace Live have ads?
Neither MODE 1090 nor Airspace Live shows ads.

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