How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Flightradar24 is the best all-around flight tracker with live maps, global coverage and a huge enthusiast community.
- FlightAware suits travelers who want reliable status, delays and airport information in one place.
- Flighty suits frequent flyers who want proactive delay predictions and trip organization.
- Plane Finder, FlightStats, AirNav Radar and ADS-B Exchange suit aviation enthusiasts, while TripIt suits travelers who track whole trips.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Flightradar24 | Travelers and enthusiasts who want the best live map | Free | Yes |
 FlightAware | Reliable flight status, delays and airport info | Free | Yes |
 Flighty | Frequent flyers who want delay predictions | Free | Yes |
 Plane Finder | Enthusiasts who love live maps and aircraft data | Free | Yes |
 FlightStats | Status data and premium flight information | Free | Yes |
 AirNav Radar | Detailed aircraft and airport data | Free | Yes |
 ADS-B Exchange | Unfiltered tracking for enthusiasts | Free | Yes |
 TripIt | Travelers who track whole trips, not just flights | Free | Yes |
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The best apps for tracking flights
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Flightradar24 is the world's most popular flight tracker, showing live aircraft positions on a global map with flight numbers, routes, altitudes, speeds and aircraft types. Its coverage spans commercial aviation worldwide, with airport arrival and departure boards, delay information and playback of past flights for reviewing a journey.
For most travelers, Flightradar24 is the first app to open when picking someone up or checking a delay. Note that the homepage fetch during this research showed a WebGL notice, so the full map experience depends on your device and browser. The mobile apps remain the smoothest way to track.
What we like- Live global flight map with real-time positions
- Huge coverage of commercial flights
- Airport boards, delays and historical data
Watch out for- Homepage fetch showed a WebGL notice in this research, so app use may vary by device
- Advanced features require a paid plan
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
FlightAware tracks flights worldwide with a focus on reliable status data: departure and arrival times, gates, delays, cancellations and aircraft details. Its alert system notifies you when a flight departs, lands or changes status, which helps families, drivers and business travelers coordinate pickups.
FlightAware suits travelers who care more about accurate times than pretty maps. Its data powers many travel sites and airline tools behind the scenes, which speaks to its reliability.
What we like- Accurate status, gate and delay information
- Flight alerts by email or push
- Airport and airline pages with rich detail
Watch out for- Map visuals are less polished than Flightradar24
- Some advanced features require paid plans
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Flighty is the flight tracker frequent flyers love, with proactive delay predictions that often warn of delays before airlines announce them. It builds clear timelines for each trip, pulls flights automatically from email and calendar, and presents gate changes, delays and connections in a calm, readable layout.
Flighty suits travelers who fly often and want one app for the whole journey rather than a raw map. The free tier covers basic tracking, while Pro adds predictions and deeper trip tools.
What we like- Proactive delay predictions and clear trip timelines
- Automatic flight detection from email and calendar
- Beautiful, travel-focused design
Watch out for- Best features require a paid Pro plan
- IPhone-first experience historically stronger than Android
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Plane Finder tracks live flights on a global map with aircraft type, registration, altitude, speed and route details, plus photos of many aircraft. Its receiver network feeds real-time ADS-B data, and playback lets enthusiasts review past traffic patterns around an airport.
Plane Finder suits aviation fans who want a second map perspective alongside Flightradar24. As with Flightradar24, the homepage fetch showed a WebGL notice, so use the mobile app for the smoothest map experience.
What we like- Live map with aircraft details and photos
- Global coverage with receiver network
- Playback and airport views
Watch out for- Homepage fetch showed a WebGL notice in this research
- Smaller community than Flightradar24
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
FlightStats provides flight status, delays and airport information with a data-first approach, plus premium subscriptions starting from 2.99 dollars for deeper access. Its historical and real-time data suit travelers checking a specific flight as well as businesses that need reliable status feeds.
FlightStats suits users who want facts over maps: is the flight on time, which gate, and how long is the delay. Its straightforward status pages load fast on any connection.
What we like- Reliable status, delay and cancellation data
- Premium subscriptions from 2.99 dollars
- Airport and airline data for planners
Watch out for- Interface is more data-focused than visual
- Premium tiers needed for advanced data
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
AirNav Radar tracks live flights with detailed aircraft data, airport information and playback, powered by a global ADS-B receiver network. It suits enthusiasts who want registration details, fleet information and route history alongside live positions.
Note that the homepage fetch during this research showed a session-timeout page, so web access may require a fresh session or the mobile app. The underlying tracking data remains a solid alternative to the bigger map apps.
What we like- Live tracking with detailed aircraft and airport information
- Global ADS-B receiver coverage
- Playback and fleet views
Watch out for- Homepage showed a session-timeout page during this research, so web access may vary
- Interface suits enthusiasts more than casual travelers
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
ADS-B Exchange runs a global live map built on unfiltered ADS-B data, showing aircraft that other trackers may hide, including military, government and private flights where data is available. Its filters let enthusiasts sort by aircraft type, altitude, speed and squawk codes.
ADS-B Exchange suits researchers, journalists and aviation fans who want the rawest picture of the sky. Casual travelers will find Flightradar24 or FlightAware friendlier, but no other free tracker matches its openness.
What we like- Unfiltered ADS-B data without blocked aircraft
- Global live map with detailed filters
- Popular with researchers and enthusiasts
Watch out for- Interface is technical and less polished
- No frills for casual travelers
#8
TripIt
Best for: Travelers who track whole trips, not just flights
Visit tripit.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
TripIt turns travel confirmations into a single itinerary, tracking flights alongside hotels, rental cars, restaurants and activities. Forward a booking email and TripIt builds your trip timeline, with flight status, delays and gate information included for the flights in your plan.
TripIt suits travelers who want one timeline for everything rather than a separate app per flight. Pair it with Flightradar24 for live maps, and TripIt handles the rest of the journey.
What we like- Builds full itineraries from forwarded confirmations
- Tracks flights, hotels, cars and activities in one timeline
- Alerts for delays and gate changes
Watch out for- Flight map is thinner than dedicated trackers
- Pro features require a paid plan
How we chose
We opened each vendor homepage in October 2026 to confirm it loads and belongs to the product named, reusing verification from a related article in this same batch. Flightradar24 and Plane Finder showed WebGL notices and AirNav Radar showed a session-timeout page during fetching, all flagged above. We weighed coverage, status accuracy, alerts, map quality and free access.
What to look for in a flight tracking app
Start with your use case. Picking someone up needs live maps and accurate arrival times, so Flightradar24 or FlightAware fit best. Flying often needs predictions and trip timelines, so Flighty or TripIt fit better. Aviation enthusiasm needs unfiltered data, so ADS-B Exchange fits best.
Next, set up alerts before you need them. Enable push alerts for departure, delays, gate changes and landing, and share the flight with family or drivers so everyone sees the same status. Alerts beat refreshing a map every few minutes.
Also consider coverage for your routes. Most trackers cover major commercial flights well, but regional carriers, charter flights and remote airports vary. If you often fly regional routes, test your tracker on those flights before relying on it, and check whether it shows small airports and turboprop services accurately. Enthusiast trackers with ADS-B receiver networks sometimes cover small airports better than commercial status feeds, while airline apps remain the most accurate source for their own flights.
Think about offline and battery needs as well. Live maps drain batteries faster than simple status pages, which matters when you are traveling with limited charging options. For airport pickups, a status alert uses far less power than an open map. For plane spotting, bring a charger and use the map app with screen brightness lowered. Choose the tool that fits the moment rather than running every tracker at once.
Privacy matters too when sharing flights. Sharing a flight link reveals your travel plans, so share only with people who need pickup details, and avoid posting live flight links publicly on social media. Most trackers let you share a single flight privately. Use that option, and remove shared links after the trip ends if the app allows it.
For business travelers, check whether the tracker supports team sharing, expense integration or calendar sync. TripIt already builds itineraries from confirmations, which helps expense reporting, while Flighty and FlightAware alerts keep assistants and drivers informed without manual updates. If you manage travel for others, pick a tracker with clean sharing and alert controls, and set a standard process for delays so everyone knows who books rebookings and who contacts hotels when plans change.
Families tracking unaccompanied minors or elderly travelers should also confirm the tracker's alert reliability on their phones. Test alerts on a routine flight before a high-stakes trip, confirm notifications are allowed in phone settings, and agree on a backup contact method if alerts fail. A tracker is only useful if its alerts actually reach you at the moment a gate changes or a flight diverts.
Finally, keep a backup. Flight data can lag during major disruptions, so cross-check the airline app or airport board for gate and boarding information when timing matters. A tracker tells you where the plane is; the airline tells you when to board. Use both together on travel day for the most reliable picture.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free flight tracker app?
Flightradar24 is the best free all-around tracker with its live global map, while FlightAware offers the most reliable free status data. Both offer free tiers that cover most travelers.
Can flight trackers predict delays?
Flighty offers proactive delay predictions based on aircraft rotations and airport conditions, often before airlines announce delays. Other trackers show delays once reported but predict less.
Do flight trackers work for private and military flights?
ADS-B Exchange shows unfiltered data including many private and military flights where ADS-B signals are available. Commercial trackers often filter or limit such flights.
Which app is best for picking someone up at the airport?
FlightAware and Flightradar24 both suit pickups, with live positions, arrival times and gate information. Set an arrival alert so you know when to head to the terminal.
Can I track a flight without the flight number?
Yes. Search by route, airline and departure time on FlightAware or Flightradar24, or browse airport arrival boards to find the flight you need.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://www.flightradar24.com
- https://www.flightaware.com
- https://www.flightyapp.com
- https://planefinder.net
- https://www.flightstats.com
- https://www.airnavradar.com
- https://globe.adsbexchange.com
- https://www.tripit.com
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.