Guide
The best flight tracker app for iPhone
A good flight tracker tells you about delays before you’re stuck at the gate, shows what’s happening at the airport, and keeps a record of every trip. Here’s how the top apps for iPhone compare.
What’s the best flight tracker app for iPhone?
It depends on what you need. For most travelers, Flying is the best all-in-one choice: free alerts for delays and gate changes, turbulence forecasts for your route, airport status and security wait times, friends’ flights, and a logbook, in one app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
If you want an Apple Watch app, Flighty is a good pick. If you mostly want to watch all the air traffic around you, including private jets, Flightradar24 is.
The top flight trackers, feature by feature
As of October 2026.
| Feature | Flying | Flighty | Flightradar24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free flight alerts for delays and gate changes | Yes | No | No |
| Live Activities and Dynamic Island | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Turbulence forecast for your route | Yes | No | No |
| Live security wait times at US airports | Yes | No | No |
| Free FAA advisories | Yes | No | No |
| Follow your friends’ flights | Yes | Yes | No |
| Logbook and flying stats in the app | Yes | Yes | Partly |
| Planes near you and at airports | Yes | No | Yes |
| Private jets, military aircraft, and helicopters | No | No | Yes |
| Mac app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Android | Coming soon | No | Yes |
Where Flying stands out
Alerts on the free plan
Delays, gate changes, and takeoffs reach your Lock Screen without a subscription, along with your logbook and friends’ flights.
Turbulence for your flight
See where your route gets bumpy, how strong it should be, and for how long, at every altitude. See how it works.
Airports at a glance
See how any airport is running, with delays, FAA advisories in plain English, and security wait times at US airports.
Plane spotting built in
See the planes flying near you and at any airport, and tap one to see its flight path, route, altitude, and speed.
What to look for in a flight tracker
Alerts you can count on
Delays, gate changes, and cancellations should reach your Lock Screen the moment they happen, without opening the app.
Live Activities
Your flight’s countdown, gate, and delays should stay on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island.
The plane flying in
Most delays start with a late inbound plane. A tracker that follows it can warn you when a delay is likely.
The airport, not just the flight
Ground stops, weather, and the security line can matter as much as your own flight’s status.
A logbook that fills itself in
Flights from your calendar and booking emails should be added for you, so every trip is saved.
What’s actually free
Check what the free plan includes. Some trackers keep alerts behind a subscription.
Flight tracker questions, answered.
Is there a free flight tracker app for iPhone?
Yes. Flying’s free plan includes alerts for delays, gate changes, and takeoffs, your logbook, friends’ flights, and airport status. Flighty and Flightradar24 also have free versions, but their alerts need a subscription.
Which flight tracker app has turbulence forecasts?
Flying forecasts turbulence along your route, at every altitude, for flights anywhere in the world. Flighty doesn’t forecast turbulence, and Flightradar24 only has turbulence maps on its Business plan.
Which flight tracker shows TSA wait times?
Flying shows the typical security wait at US airports for the day and hour you fly, including TSA PreCheck and CLEAR, and live waits at select major airports. You can also check them on the web.
How much do flight tracker apps cost?
Flying Pro is $59.99 a year, and Flying’s free plan already includes alerts. Flighty Pro is also $59.99 a year. Flightradar24’s personal plans are $14.99 or $34.99 a year.
Do flight trackers work on iPad and Mac?
Flying and Flighty work on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Flightradar24 works on iPhone and iPad, and on the web.
Is Flying free?
Yes. Flying’s free plan includes flight alerts, your logbook, friends’ flights, airport status, and the Explore tab. Flying Pro adds Live Activities, turbulence forecasts, importing past flights, email forwarding, and calendar sync.
Try Flying for free.
Flight alerts, turbulence forecasts, airport status, and more, on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Download on the App Store