Key takeaways
- Same technology, different operators: All three maps are built on the open-source chain of readsb, mlat-server and tar1090. If you can use one, you can use the others right away.
- Unfiltered means no targeted blocking. Flights that commercial services hide at an owner’s request generally show up here – as long as a feeder receives them.
- adsb.lol goes furthest on open data: Historical daily data is published as a download every day under the Open Database License, and feeder data is contributed under CC0.
- adsb.fi has the clearest API rules: Public endpoints with one request per second, for private, noncommercial use only and with attribution.
- Coverage comes from you: All three networks run on volunteers. The most effective way to close gaps in your region is your own receiver, connected to several networks at once.
Contents
- 1.The short answer
- 2.Why these maps exist
- 3.The three services in profile
- 4.adsb.fi, adsb.lol and airplanes.live compared head to head
- 5.Why the same map shows different aircraft
- 6.How to use the community trackers for spotting
- 7.Which map suits you?
- 8.Feeding yourself: improving the coverage
- 9.What to keep in mind
- 10.Conclusion
A tanker is circling over the North Sea, a government aircraft is on approach, and your usual flight tracker app shows nothing of it. These are exactly the moments when many spotters turn to the unfiltered community trackers adsb.fi, adsb.lol and airplanes.live. At first glance the three maps look almost identical – and yet they differ in data license, API, archive and coverage. This comparison shows you what is behind the services, how to use them for your spotting and when which map is worth it.
From the live map to your own sighting
With Planetrack you post your sighting with photo, aircraft type, registration, airline, airport and spot – and then have it permanently in your hangar. Planetrack is launching soon – join the waitlist and get early access.
The short answer
adsb.fi, adsb.lol and airplanes.live are networks of volunteer ADS-B receivers that show their data on freely accessible maps and do not deliberately hide any aircraft. Technically, all three use the same open-source foundation: the decoder and aggregator readsb, an mlat-server for multilateration and tar1090 as the map interface. The differences lie mainly in how openly the data is shared and which feeders in your region deliver to which network.
In short: adsb.lol is the open-data project with archives published daily, adsb.fi offers a lean, clearly regulated API for private projects, and airplanes.live relies on its own feeder image and openly documented infrastructure. For pure live spotting, all three are equally good as long as the coverage is right.
Why these maps exist
The big flight tracking services such as Flightradar24 or FlightAware filter part of the traffic. Owners can have their aircraft blocked or anonymized, for example through the US LADD program, and some government or military aircraft are not shown at all at the request of authorities. The background is explained in the article Why an aircraft doesn’t show up on Flightradar.
As a counter-model, ADS-B Exchange was created in 2016, deliberately showing received data unfiltered. In January 2023, the US aviation data provider JETNET acquired the service. JETNET announced that it would stick to the unfiltered model, but in parts of the feeder community the sale drew criticism: a network built by volunteers now belonged to a commercial company. As a result, community projects grew that build on the same freely available software and are run by feeders themselves. adsb.fi, adsb.lol and airplanes.live are the best known of them.
Unfiltered is not the same as complete
Even an unfiltered map shows only what a feeder receives. Aircraft with the transponder switched off, aircraft over the open sea with no receiver in range and flights with a changing 24-bit address cannot be identified, or not unambiguously.
The three services in profile
adsb.fi
adsb.fi presents itself as a lean community map. On GitHub, the project maintains its own derivatives of readsb, tar1090 and mlat-server as well as feed scripts for existing receivers, plus its own list of detailed type designations for military aircraft, which feeds into the map’s type database.
The showpiece for tinkerers is the open data API. It is compatible with the v2 API of ADS-B Exchange and allows queries by hex code, callsign, registration and squawk, a list of all aircraft marked as military, and a radius search up to 250 nautical miles around a point. The rules are clearly worded:
- Public endpoints: one request per second.
- Feeder endpoint: A full snapshot of all aircraft is available only to feeders, who are recognized by their IP address, with one query every 30 seconds.
- Use: strictly private and noncommercial, naming adsb.fi and linking to the home page. Reselling or licensing the data is not allowed.
- Faulty requests: If error codes pile up, your IP can be blocked temporarily.
For a small hobby project – say, a display that alerts you when a particular registration shows up over your home – this is ideal. For commercial use, adsb.fi refers you to contacting them directly.
adsb.lol
adsb.lol describes itself as openly licensed, publicly accessible and unfiltered flight tracking. The project goes furthest when it comes to open data:
- Historical data: The servers’ daily data is published once a day as a download package on GitHub, including the tracks of individual aircraft. The license is the Open Database License (ODbL 1.0). The archives are huge – the 2025 vintage alone comes to a good two terabytes.
- API: At api.adsb.lol there is an interface designed as a replacement for the former ADS-B Exchange API via RapidAPI. It can currently be used without a key, and the rate limits adjust dynamically to server load. According to the project, an API key for feeders is planned for later. The API additionally provides plausible flight routes for callsigns.
- Feeder data: Anyone who feeds adsb.lol waives copyright and related rights to that data under the project’s terms (CC0). According to its own statement, the service collects personal data only in the form of briefly stored log files.
- Feeder extras: A map showing only your own station’s receptions, an overview of MLAT synchronization and other tools are available to feeders.
According to the project, the servers are located at a hosting provider in Germany. The map interface is right on the adsb.lol home page and offers, among other things, playback of past flight movements and export as KML.
airplanes.live
airplanes.live runs its own map interface at globe.airplanes.live, an API at api.airplanes.live and intake points for Beast data and MLAT. Its transparency about availability stands out: the project keeps its own status repository for its services on GitHub.
For feeders, airplanes.live offers two routes: feed scripts for stations that already run a decoder, and its own feeder image for the Raspberry Pi, which bundles decoder, MLAT client, web configuration interface and update tool. If you are new, this gets you to a working station without a command line. You can find the API terms on the project page; check the current limits and usage rules there before any project of your own.
adsb.fi, adsb.lol and airplanes.live compared head to head
| Criterion | adsb.fi | adsb.lol | airplanes.live |
|---|---|---|---|
| Map interface | tar1090 | tar1090 | tar1090 |
| Targeted filters | none, according to the project’s approach | “unfiltered” per its self-description | none, according to the project’s approach |
| API | open, 1 request/s, compatible with ADSBx v2 | open, dynamic limits, replacement for the ADSBx RapidAPI | available, terms on the project page |
| Data license | private, noncommercial use with attribution | ODbL 1.0 for API and archives | observe the project terms |
| Historical data | not as an open archive | daily downloads on GitHub | not documented as an open archive |
| Getting started as a feeder | feed script for existing receivers | feed script, Docker, ADSB.im recommended | feed script and its own Pi image |
| Typical use | quick queries, military endpoint | data analysis, replay, long-term evaluation | live map, getting started as a feeder |
The table reflects the state of the publicly documented project information as of October 2026. Community projects occasionally change endpoints, limits and terms – the current page of the respective service is always the authority.
Don’t miss rare visitors
Planetrack notifies you when a watched registration, an aircraft type, an airline or a special livery arrives or lands at your airport. Planetrack is launching soon – join the waitlist and get early access.
Why the same map shows different aircraft
If you open two community trackers side by side, you often wonder: a helicopter is visible here, but missing there. The reason is simple. Each network shows only the data from its own feeders. Many stations do feed several networks at once, but not all of them. If there is a receiver in your area that feeds only adsb.lol, then only adsb.lol sees the low-flying aircraft around it.
For aircraft with older Mode S transponders that do not report their own position, a second hurdle comes in: the network calculates their position by multilateration from the time differences at no fewer than four receivers. These receivers must all feed the same network and be synchronized with each other. A network with a dense feeder structure in your region therefore shows more MLAT targets than one with scattered stations. How transponder identifiers work is explained in the article on the ICAO 24-bit address.
1. Search for the aircraft on the first map
Enter the registration, callsign or hex code in the search. tar1090 finds the aircraft as long as it is currently being received.
2. If nothing shows, open the next map
Switch to the second and third community map. Because the feeder networks differ, gaps often close just by doing this.
3. Check the data source
In the info panel, tar1090 shows whether the position comes from ADS-B, MLAT or another source. MLAT positions can jump and are less accurate.
4. Use the history
With the replay function you see where an aircraft has been over the past hours – handy if you want to match a sighting afterward.
How to use the community trackers for spotting
For spotters, the three maps are especially interesting for traffic that commercial apps hide. A few typical uses:
- Military traffic: The maps’ type databases mark known military aircraft, and tar1090 can filter the display accordingly. adsb.fi additionally offers its own API endpoint just for aircraft marked as military. How to find tankers, transports and reconnaissance aircraft specifically is described in the guide Tracking military aircraft online.
- Government and business flights: State aircraft and business jets that are missing from the big services often show up here. How to turn that into a successful session at the fence is shown in Spotting government aircraft.
- Emergency squawks: With the squawk search you find aircraft that are currently transmitting an emergency code. What the codes mean is explained in Squawk codes 7500, 7600 and 7700.
- Matching sightings afterward: With replay and flight track you can check after a session which aircraft was over your spot and when. The procedure is described in Matching sightings with ADS-B logs.
- Following a specific aircraft: Searching by registration or hex code works directly in tar1090. More tricks are in Finding an aircraft by registration.
Pros
- no targeted hiding of military, government or business flights
- free in the browser, with no account and no subscription
- powerful tar1090 interface with filters, replay and type search
- open APIs and – at adsb.lol – freely licensed archives
- run by the community instead of a data corporation
Cons
- coverage varies strongly by region and depends on volunteers
- hardly any convenience features such as schedule data, gate info or push alerts
- interface less comfortable on a smartphone than specialized apps
- operation without a guarantee – outages or rule changes are possible
Which map suits you?
Which community tracker suits your plan?
Start with the map that covers your area best
Open all three maps at your home airport and compare which one shows the most low-flying targets. If you want to feed yourself later, the Pi image from airplanes.live or ADSB.im is a convenient way in.
adsb.lol for open data
The daily archives under ODbL and the CC0 rule for feeders make adsb.lol the first choice if open data matters to you or you want to analyze flight tracks over the long term.
adsb.fi for small API projects
The open API from adsb.fi is compactly documented, compatible with ADS-B Exchange v2 and has its own military endpoint. Keep in mind the limit of one request per second and the requirement to give attribution.
Know what’s happening at the airport right now
Planetrack shows you weather, wind and active runways at the airport and leads you on the spot map to the right location – with directions, best light and community photos. Planetrack is launching soon – join the waitlist and get early access.
Feeding yourself: improving the coverage
The most effective way to see more on the community maps is your own receiver. A Raspberry Pi or another small computer, an SDR stick and an antenna for 1090 MHz are enough. Once the decoder is running, you install a feed script for each network that works alongside existing clients. The step-by-step guide is in Feeding ADS-B Exchange and community networks.
If you want to supply several networks at once, feeder images or Docker save you a lot of manual work: adsb.lol recommends the ADSB.im image for new stations, airplanes.live has its own Pi image, and with the Ultrafeeder container you connect many networks from one configuration – see Feeding several networks at once. A local view of your own receptions is provided by Installing readsb and tar1090.
Check location and legal situation
For MLAT the networks need the exact coordinates of your antenna. How precisely your station is then shown publicly differs from service to service. Before feeding, read the privacy and license notes and find out about the legal situation of receiving and sharing ADS-B data.
One difference from commercial networks: feeding the community trackers earns you no premium subscriptions as a reward. What Flightradar24, FlightAware and others offer their feeders is compared in the article What feeders get in return. In exchange, you contribute to maps whose data stays open and unfiltered.
What to keep in mind
- Know several maps. Because the feeder networks differ, the three services complement each other. A bookmark for each map saves time at the decisive moment.
- Read MLAT critically. Positions from multilateration can jump or briefly disappear. For the question “Will it pass over my spot soon?” that is enough, but not for exact flight paths.
- Accept anonymous addresses. If an aircraft uses a changing 24-bit address, even an unfiltered map often shows only type and position. Matching it to a registration is then not straightforward.
- Take license terms seriously. Anyone who publishes screenshots, tracks or API data should follow the respective network’s attribution requirements.
- Stay responsible. Live positions of military or government flights are public, but that is no free pass. Stay on public land and share sensitive movements with discretion.
If you prefer to work with a classic app, you will find suitable alternatives in the flight tracker app comparison and the free flight trackers. As another open network with a research focus, the OpenSky Network is also worth a look.
Are you ready for the community trackers?
- I have bookmarked adsb.fi, adsb.lol and airplanes.live.
- I have compared which map covers my home airport best.
- I know how to search tar1090 by registration, callsign and hex code.
- I can tell whether a position comes from ADS-B or MLAT.
- I know the terms of use in case I reuse the API or data.
- I have considered whether my own receiver would improve coverage where I live.
Your sightings, your collection
Log every sighting with its registration in your hangar, put the aircraft you are after on your wish list and share your best photos with the community. Planetrack is launching soon – join the waitlist and get early access.
Conclusion
adsb.fi, adsb.lol and airplanes.live are three variants of the same idea: collect ADS-B data from volunteers and show it without targeted blocking. On the surface they barely differ, since all of them rely on tar1090. The details make the difference – adsb.lol with consistently open archives, adsb.fi with a clearly regulated API for private projects, airplanes.live with its own feeder image for the Raspberry Pi. For spotting, what counts in the end is which network has the most feeders in your region. And that is something you can change yourself with a receiver of your own.
Quick verdict
Know all three maps and compare them at your home airport. For data projects, adsb.lol with its ODbL archives is the first choice; for quick API queries, adsb.fi. Gaps in coverage are best closed by your own receiver that feeds all three networks.
Summary
- adsb.fi, adsb.lol and airplanes.live are community networks that collect data from volunteer ADS-B receivers and show it on tar1090 maps without targeted filters.
- They gained importance after ADS-B Exchange was acquired by the aviation data provider JETNET in January 2023.
- The differences lie less in the map than in license, API terms, historical data and coverage, which depends on the respective feeders.
- It pays for spotters to know two or three maps in parallel: if an aircraft is missing on one, it is often visible on another.
Frequently asked questions
What does unfiltered mean for adsb.fi, adsb.lol and airplanes.live?
The networks do not hide individual aircraft at the request of owners or through blocking programs such as the US LADD program. Whatever a feeder receives generally appears on the map. Unfiltered does not mean complete, though: aircraft with their transponder switched off or outside the range of all receivers are still missing.
Which community map is the best?
There is no overall best. The interface is tar1090 on all three and therefore very similar. What matters is which map has the most feeders in your region – and that can differ significantly from place to place. For data projects, adsb.lol with its openly licensed daily archives is interesting; for simple API queries, adsb.fi with clearly documented rules.
Do the community trackers cost anything?
The live maps are free to use in the browser, with no account and no subscription. The networks also do not offer premium tiers in return for feeding, as Flightradar24 or FlightAware do. A few extras, such as certain API endpoints, are reserved for feeders at some services.
Can I reuse the data from the community trackers?
That depends on the service. adsb.fi allows its open API only for private, noncommercial purposes with attribution and a link. adsb.lol puts its API and historical data under the Open Database License (ODbL 1.0), which allows reuse with attribution and under the same terms. Read the current terms of the respective network before every project.
Why do I see an aircraft on adsb.lol but not on adsb.fi?
Because each network shows only the data from its own feeders. If a receiver nearby feeds only one network, only that network sees the aircraft. For MLAT positions, at least four synchronized receivers on the same network must also hear the signal.
Can I feed all three networks at the same time?
Yes. The feed scripts of the three networks run in parallel alongside existing clients and tap into your decoder’s data stream. Many stations feed commercial services and several community networks at the same time. This is easy with feeder images such as ADSB.im or the Ultrafeeder Docker container.
Are the community trackers legal?
The networks evaluate signals that aircraft transmit unencrypted. Whether reception, storage and sharing are allowed in your country is governed by the respective national law. For Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the article on the legal situation of ADS-B reception summarizes the key points.
Read more in Live maps & radar services
- Reading the AIP aerodrome chart: runways, taxiways, stands and holding points
- Using AirNav RadarBox: features, filters and how it differs from other trackers
- FlightConnections and route maps: which airline flies which route?
- Live airport webcams: the best cameras and how to use them for spotting
- Finding small airfields: gliding sites and ultralight fields on the map
- Flight tracker apps compared: Flightradar24, FlightAware, ADS-B Exchange and more
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