PlaneLens vs Airplanes.live
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PlaneLens
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That plane overhead? Now you know. PlaneLens turns your phone into a window on the sky. Point it up and see every aircraft around you rendered live on a beautiful sky dome — or flip to a classic radar scope that rotates with your compass, so north on screen is always real north. TAP ANY PLANE FOR ITS FULL STORY Airline, flight number, and the radio callsign pilots actually use. A photo of the exact airframe. Departure and arrival boards with estimated times in each airport's local time. Altitude with real-world context, speed in mph, estimated Mach, heading, and how close it will pass to you. Even what its transponder code means in plain English. A RADAR SCOPE IN YOUR POCKET Live blips riding real trajectories, a rotating sweep, range rings out to 100 miles, and doppler precipitation so you can watch flights thread the weather. CATCH FLYOVERS, BUILD YOUR COLLECTION Planes that pass directly overhead land in your logbook automatically. Share spotting cards, watch your plane catalog light up with every type currently in your sky, and put live overhead traffic on your home screen with the PlaneLens widget. FREE TO USE. PREMIUM WHEN YOU WANT MORE. PlaneLens Premium adds worldwide flight search, unlimited logbook history, and extended 100-mile range. Weekly ($4.99/week after a 3-day free trial), annual ($24.99/year), or lifetime ($69.99 one time). Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends; manage anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://snoflo.org/products/planelens
Airplanes.live
Track live aircraft in the sky, including airliners, general aviation, helicopters, and military traffic. View detailed flight information, weather overlays, and a radar-scope view with convergence alerts. Offers a Pro version with advanced features for a fee.
- Live aircraft tracking
- Detailed flight information
- Weather radar overlay
- ATC scope mode
- Convergence alerts
- Search by callsign/registration
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See every aircraft in the sky — unfiltered. Airplanes.live is a live flight tracker powered by the community-run airplanes.live receiver network. Unlike other trackers, it shows you everything the network sees: airliners, general aviation, helicopters, and the military and privacy-flagged traffic that other apps remove. THE MAP • Live aircraft colored by altitude, with type-specific silhouettes • Tap any aircraft for photos, route, altitude, speed, and registered owner • Flight trails, search by callsign / registration / hex • Light and dark maps, all served from our own infrastructure WEATHER • Live NOAA/NWS radar overlay, animated or latest-frame • See the weather traffic is flying around, in real time ATC SCOPE MODE • A radar-scope view with data blocks — callsign, flight level, speed, type • Convergence alerts between converging aircraft • Emergency squawk (7500/7600/7700) highlighting PRO • Weather radar, advanced filters, unlimited watchlist, and alerts • Feed data to airplanes.live? Pro is free for feeders. Aircraft positions come from publicly broadcast ADS-B signals received by a volunteer community. For informational and educational use — not for navigation, separation, or safety-of-life purposes. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms of Service: https://airplanes.hughesit.us/terms Privacy Policy: https://airplanes.hughesit.us/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is chart position: Airplanes.live at #198 against PlaneLens's unranked. 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
Both are free to download. PlaneLens sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Airplanes.live sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | PlaneLens | Airplanes.live |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | — | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | — | #198 — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Snoflo.org LLC | Blake Hughes |
In-app purchases
PlaneLens
- Premium Weekly3 Days trial$4.997 Days
- Premium Annual$24.991 Year
- Premium Lifetime$69.99
Airplanes.live
- Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
- Pro Yearly$19.991 Year
Questions
Is PlaneLens free?
Is Airplanes.live free?
Do PlaneLens or Airplanes.live have ads?
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