Plane spotting apps compared

Photo editing on your smartphone: Lightroom Mobile, Snapseed and more for aircraft photos

Six editing apps, one goal: turning the shot from the fence into a clean spotter photo. Which app suits what, where the costs lurk and which combination works in everyday use.

ADS-B feeder programs compared: fr24feed, PiAware, RBFeeder, pfclient and more

Every flight tracking service has its own feeder software. Here you see how fr24feed, PiAware, RBFeeder, the Plane Finder client, the ADS-B Exchange scripts and all-in-one solutions such as adsb.im or Ultrafeeder work technically, what they offer you locally and what reward is behind them.

Flightradar24 Silver, Gold and Business: what the subscription tiers offer

History, aircraft data, alerts, weather layers, bookmarks, device limits: we go through the Flightradar24 tiers feature by feature and explain the trial, billing, platform switching and the Contributor account for feeders.

Flightradar24 vs. FlightAware: data sources, features and subscriptions compared

Two services, similar raw data, different philosophy: Flightradar24 thinks from the live map, FlightAware from the flight plan. The comparison shows which service has the edge for spotters where – and why many use both.

Aviation radio apps and web streams: LiveATC and alternatives compared

Listening to aviation radio by app sounds easy, but coverage, legality and purpose differ a lot. LiveATC, scanner streaming portals and simulation networks like VATSIM and IVAO, compared honestly for spotters.

Official airport apps: what arrival and departure data does for spotters

Official airport apps know gates, status and wait times first-hand, but rarely type and registration. What the BER app, Passngr, Heathrow and Schiphol apps can do and how to use them on your spotting day.

Flight diary apps compared: log and analyze your own flights

Frequent flyer or vacation passenger: a flight diary shows you which types, airlines and airports you already know from the inside. The comparison sorts out Flighty, myFlightradar24, OpenFlights, FlightMemory and your own spreadsheet.

Flight tracking on your PC: tar1090 vs. Virtual Radar Server

Your ADS-B receiver delivers raw data, and a web interface turns it into a map. tar1090 and Virtual Radar Server are the two classics for that – with very different philosophies.

Identifying aircraft types with an app: AI image recognition and its limits

Photo in, type out – it is rarely that simple. How AI image recognition classifies aircraft, why variants and subtypes overwhelm it and how to back up suggestions with registrations and live data.

Google Earth, Maps and Street View: scouting spotting spots digitally

Google Maps, Google Earth in three versions and Street View sound like the same tool but do very different things when scouting spots. The comparison shows which tool to use for runway layout, distance, elevation, time travel and the view at the fence.

Camera apps with manual controls: plane spotting with your smartphone

The default camera picks its exposure time for everyday subjects, not for jets on final approach. These apps give you shutter speed, ISO, focus and RAW back – with an honest look at what really counts at the fence.

Free flight trackers: what the free versions of the big apps can do

Live map, registrations, airport boards and a week of history come free with the big flight trackers. We show what Flightradar24, FlightAware, AirNav Radar, Plane Finder and the community maps deliver at no cost and when paying or feeding is worth it.

Logbook apps for spotters: sightings, registrations and photos compared

Spotter app, spreadsheet, passenger flight diary or photo manager: four types of tools compete for your logbook. This comparison shows what each type really delivers for sightings, registrations and photos – and how to recognize a good logbook app.

Plane Finder explained: features, AR view and value for plane spotters

Plane Finder is one of the oldest flight tracking services and best known for its AR view. Here you learn who is behind it, where the data comes from, how the camera overlay works technically and in which spotting situations the service really pays off.

Plane spotting apps compared: which tools spotters really need

Flight tracker, photo database, spot guide, sun calculator, logbook – spotters often juggle five apps at once. This comparison sorts the app types, names established examples and shows which combination fits which spotting style.

RadarBox explained: what AirNav Radar offers and how the feeder program works

RadarBox, now AirNav Radar, is one of the big flight tracking services. Here you learn who is behind it, what sources feed the map, how the plans differ, how the feeder program works with RBFeeder and what spotters can sensibly use the service for.

Sun position apps for photographers: PhotoPills, Sun Surveyor and The Photographer’s Ephemeris

Three classics of light planning compared head to head – with a view to what plane spotters really need at the fence: sun azimuth relative to the runway, AR preview on approach and quick answers instead of an astronomy seminar.

Spotter apps for Android: the key tools by use case

From the flight tracker to the camera with a Pro mode to the SDR stick on the USB port: Android gives spotters a few options the iPhone doesn’t offer. This overview sorts the key apps by use case and shows which system settings make the difference at the spot.

iPhone apps for plane spotters: the best setup by use case

Flight tracker, manual camera, sun position, weather with METAR, aircraft radio and logbook: which iPhone apps spotters use for which task, what they can do on iOS and how to build a lean setup from them.

Weather apps for spotters: clouds, visibility, wind and METAR at a glance

No weather app can do everything a spotter needs. Which services show cloud layers, wind, rain radar and aviation weather best, and how to build a lean set for your spotting day.