How to Track Flights in Real Time with the Best Apps

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Imagine if you could see your incoming plane—much like you can see your Uber driver stuck at a traffic light—so you knew if you had time to grab a snack or sit down for a meal before your flight. Well, we have good news: Thanks to flight tracking technology, we now have instant access to the comings and goings of commercial flights. Some flight tracking programs also allow you to follow celebrity or even military aircraft, in case you’re curious about who exactly is flying overhead. So, whether you’re interested in knowing a plane’s location, speed, or even altitude, here’s how to track a flight in real time.

How does flight tracking work?

Flight tracking works in a few ways. Historically, it relied on radar, but these days it’s incorporating other modes of surveillance, too. For example, Flightradar24 —one of the top travel apps in the App Store—utilizes more than 50,000 receivers on the ground as well as satellite-based technology to pick up radio signals broadcast by aircraft. These signals offer information pertaining to the aircraft’s current position. “We fuse that data with other information like flight schedules and aircraft information to create a real-time moving map,” Ian Petchenik, director of communications at Flightradar24, tells Travel + Leisure .

If you’re interested in “hosting” one of these ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) receivers to expand the coverage grid, you can even apply to put one on your property. It comes with a complimentary contributor plan subscription that includes more perks. FlightAware , another popular flight tracking app, utilizes data from more than 35,000 receivers. “Many are hosted by aviation enthusiasts, right in their homes,” says Kathleen Bangs, a spokesperson for FlightAware. “The receivers themselves are small: about the size of a couple of mobile phones stacked on top of each other or a couple of card decks.”

How to Track a Flight

Much like you need to have a tracking number to track a package, you need to have a number to track a flight. That number is the flight number . You can look it up online by inputting a departure and arrival city as well as date and time. The flight number will also be on your ticket when you book a flight. Where do you input your flight number? You can enter it online or in a flight tracking app. Within seconds of doing that, you’ll be able to see everything from the flight’s current altitude to its ETA based on its speed and local weather conditions. See below for the best ways to track flights. All apps featured are available for both iPhones and Androids.

Best Flight Tracker Apps and Websites

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FlightAware

With an impressive 4.9-star average rating from more than 311,000 users in the App Store, Houston-based FlightAware is one of the most trusted flight tracker apps. In fact, Bangs tells T+L that more than half of the ETA’s you see displayed on flight information boards in airports are provided by FlightAware. The basic version of the app is free and allows you to save your favorite aircraft and airports as well as sign up for flight status alerts including gate changes, delays, and diversions. It includes weather radar, too. FlightAware also offers paid subscriptions, starting at $45 per month, that provide more data. According to Bangs, they’re popular among pilots.

Flightradar24

Flightradar24 is a Swedish company claiming to boast the largest ADS-B network in the world. More than four million people use it daily, and it has a 4.8-star average rating from more than 512,000 ratings in the App Store. Like FlightAware, it’s free and offers the same features, but it has an intuitive interface and prides itself on being able to track flights in areas such as the Middle East and Eastern Europe where GPS jamming and spoofing (often used in cyberattacks) is more common. It also offers a paid version, starting at $15 per year, that includes historical data, unlimited 3D views, and more information about the aircraft including the year it was built, its serial number, and where it’s registered. Who is their average customer? “Flightradar24 users range from grandkids keeping an eye on Grandma’s flight to aviation professionals who rely on our data to power their business,” says Petchenik.

Plane Finder

Founded in 2009, Plane Finder hasn’t been around as long as Flight Aware (2005) or Flightradar24 (2006), but it claims to be the first flight tracker in app form and has been recognized as the App of the Day in more than 150 countries. Its biggest point of differentiation is the fact it allows users to “seamlessly flip” between 2D and 3D mode. With Plane Finder, you can also hold up your phone’s camera and get data on any plane in its viewfinder. Plane Finder is free, although if you host one of its receivers , you’ll get access to premium features.

AirNav Radar

AirNav Radar , also known as RadarBox, allows you to track flights in real time as well as see specific photos of aircraft provided by “spotters” posted up around the world. It utilizes a network of more than 9,000 ADS-B receivers. Paid versions of the app offer unique features such as being able to listen in on air traffic control.

FlightView

FlightView , available in free and paid versions, is great if you’re only looking to track North American flights. It allows you to look for alternative flights if yours is delayed or canceled. Note FlightView does not have the prettiest interface compared to others on this list.

FlightStats

While FlightStats is technically a flight tracking app, it’s less about tracking a specific flight and more about providing helpful information pertaining to the airports you’re flying in and out of. It’s free although it does offer a premium ad-free version.

Flighty

Founded in 2019, Flighty is a relatively new flight tracking app. That said, it’s already won major awards (including a 2023 Apple Design Award) for its user-friendly, aesthetically pleasing interface. It claims to be the first to know when a flight will be delayed, and it offers “industry-first” features including taxi time estimates, pilot-grade FAA data, and most notably, reasons for why your flight may be delayed.

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Google Flight Tracker

If you don’t want to download an app and just need basic information like actual departure and arrival time (as opposed to the scheduled times), you can use Google . Simply type the flight number into the search bar; depending on the airline, sometimes you’ll be able to see the flight’s terminal and gate information, too. Make sure you’re on the correct date as Google will show you the same flight number, but for a range of dates. For example, if you conduct your search on April 2, Google will show you that flight number’s information for April 1, and its estimated information for April 2, April 3, and April 4.

Airline Apps

Airline websites and apps also allow you to track a flight. For example, if you’re flying United, you can track your flight, but you might not get as much information as flight tracking-specific apps would provide. That said, you’ll definitely get your estimated ETA and gate information.