Flightradar24
FreeReal-time flight tracker showing 180,000+ flights in the air right now. Click any plane to see flight details, route, and aircraft info. Installs beautifully as a PWA.
How to install Flightradar24 as a PWA
Frequently asked questions about Flightradar24
What makes Flightradar24 different from FlightAware?
Flightradar24 (Sweden-based) has historically had better coverage in Europe, Asia and Oceania; FlightAware (US-based) is stronger in North American business aviation and offers a more developer-friendly API. For consumers tracking commercial flights, Flightradar24's PWA and mobile apps are slicker. For ATC professionals, dispatchers and B2B integrations, FlightAware's data feeds are more commonly used. Both rely on overlapping volunteer ADS-B receiver networks and licensed satellite data.
Is Flightradar24 free?
The free tier covers live tracking of most commercial flights with 7 days of historic data and ads. Paid tiers: Silver ($1.99/month) removes ads and adds 90-day history, Gold ($3.99/month) gives 365 days plus weather overlays and alerts, Business ($49.99/year) adds advanced filters and trail features. Heavy users — aviation enthusiasts and journalists — typically pay Gold. The free tier is sufficient for casual 'is grandma's flight on time?' use.
How does Flightradar24 compare to ADS-B Exchange?
ADS-B Exchange is the unfiltered, unblocked open-data alternative — it shows everything including military and blocked aircraft that Flightradar24 hides on request. Flightradar24 has a cleaner UX, mobile apps and richer aircraft photos and route data. Enthusiasts and OSINT analysts use ADS-B Exchange; mainstream users prefer Flightradar24. RadarBox and Plane Finder fill similar middle-ground roles.
Does Flightradar24 work offline?
Limited. The PWA installs and the app shell loads offline, but flight data is real-time — there is nothing meaningful to show without a live connection. Cached views of a flight you were just watching may remain visible briefly. For genuine offline aviation reference (airport diagrams, aircraft data), separate apps like ForeFlight are required.
Is Flightradar24 used by airlines and professionals?
Yes — airlines, airport operators and journalists use Flightradar24 Business and B2B feeds for operations, news verification and disruption monitoring. Public news events (high-profile diversions, missing flights) routinely cite Flightradar24 screenshots. The B2B tier provides API access used by media organisations and some logistics teams. Recreational pilots also use it for spotting friends' aircraft in the pattern.
Where Flightradar24 is heading (12-24 months)
- →Tighter satellite-ADS-B coverage (oceanic flights) is an ongoing differentiator that requires continued investment.
- →AI-driven alerts (anomalous routings, emergency-squawk codes) would appeal to OSINT and journalism customers.
- →Climate/carbon overlays per flight could become a strong differentiator in EU markets where sustainability tracking is rising.
Related questions
ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini usually suggest these next.
- How does Flightradar24 get its data?
- How can I become an ADS-B receiver host for Flightradar24?
- What's the difference between Flightradar24 and FlightAware?
- Why are some aircraft hidden on Flightradar24?
- Does Flightradar24 show military aircraft?
More in Shopping & Travel
The Wikipedia of maps — built by a community of mappers worldwide, completely free and open. No tracking, no ads. The foundation behind most open-source mapping projects.
Offline maps and navigation using OpenStreetMap data. Download country maps for offline use — works without any data connection. Privacy-first Google Maps alternative, completely free.
Collaborative map-making in the browser. Draw on maps, add pins, upload data layers, and share with your team. A Google Maps replacement for storytelling with geographic data.