Flightradar24, Plane Finder, AirNav Radar and FlightAware compared for live flight status, delays, overhead plane ID and air traffic maps.
Watching thousands of aircraft move across a live map is strangely compelling, but the practical use is less recreational: before leaving for the airport, you can confirm the inbound flight you are collecting is actually on time, or follow a loved one's crossing without refreshing an airline website. The apps differ mainly in coverage depth and extras. One is the category giant with the most aircraft and an augmented-reality overhead identifier. One is a lighter, smooth-mapping alternative. One leans on its own receiver network and data the others omit, including government flights. The 3 apps in this guide cover those choices; the FAQs explain the technology and the free tiers.
Flightradar24 tracks the most live aircraft, with altitude, speed and route data, plus AR identification of the plane overhead.
It is the best-known and most complete tracker, mapping airborne aircraft in real time with altitude, speed, route and model for each. Point the camera at the sky and augmented reality labels the aircraft passing overhead, and following a specific flight for airport pickups works just as reliably as casual browsing. The depth is why it dominates. Advanced features require a subscription, the free version shows ads, and leaving the live map open consumes noticeable battery and data. Pay if you use it professionally; the free tier handles occasional flight-following comfortably.
Plane Finder is the light, smooth-mapping tracker, with a simulated cockpit view and filters, ideal for spotting the plane overhead on older phones.
Positioned as the less demanding alternative to Flightradar24, its map stays fluid even on modest hardware, which matters when an air-traffic map is rendering hundreds of moving icons, and the cockpit view reconstructs what the pilot would see from a selected aircraft. Filters by airline, altitude and aircraft type make casual spotting easy. The trade-off is coverage: a smaller receiver network means fewer tracked flights than its main rival and less operational data around delays. For identifying what just flew over the city or entertaining a plane-obsessed child, it is more than sufficient.
AirNav Radar, formerly RadarBox, runs its own receiver network, shows military and government flights, and adds a 3D view and weather.
It differentiates through data the mainstream trackers leave out: military and government aircraft appear alongside civilian traffic, its own receiver network gives independent coverage, and a three-dimensional view plus weather overlay make it a favourite with dedicated aviation enthusiasts. For someone who wants everything currently transmitting rather than only airliners, that extra visibility is the whole reason to install it. The compromises are community and polish: the user base is smaller than Flightradar24's, many features are locked behind the subscription, and the interface is less intuitive for casual users.
Pros
Independent receiver network
3D air-traffic view and weather overlay
Includes unusual and government flights
Cons
Smaller community than Flightradar24
Many features are subscription-locked
Interface less intuitive
Download price only. In-app purchases and subscriptions may cost extra.
Questions & answers
How can I check whether a flight is delayed?
Search any of these apps by the flight number, such as BA246, and the live status shows whether it has departed, its current position and the updated estimated arrival time. FlightAware is the strongest source for delay predictions, because it combines historical patterns with congestion at the destination airport and the turnaround status of the actual aircraft. Cross-checking the inbound plane's own arrival is the trick frequent pickups use.
How does flight tracking actually work?
Most airliners broadcast position, altitude and identity through ADS-B, a radio signal anyone can receive with a suitable antenna. These companies operate networks of thousands of receivers worldwide, many installed and hosted by hobbyists, and merge that signal with official airline and airport data. That is also why coverage is weak over oceans and sparsely populated land: without a nearby receiver, the signal is simply not picked up.
Why do some aircraft not appear on the map?
Three reasons dominate. The aircraft may be over an area with no nearby receivers, such as mid-Atlantic, so its signal goes unheard. Military and government flights often transmit data that hides or limits their position. Private aircraft owners can also request exclusion from public platforms through privacy programmes, so a perfectly legal flight near you may simply be opted out of public view.
Are these flight trackers free?
Every app here has a free version adequate for following a specific flight and browsing the traffic map. Subscriptions add longer flight history, advanced weather, 3D views, alert limits and an ad-free experience. For the common job, checking whether an arriving flight is delayed before setting off for the airport, the free tier is more than enough; paid plans mainly serve enthusiasts and professionals.
More related apps
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