Software · head to head
FlightAware vs Boeing Aviator
FlightAware
Software
Global flight tracking and aviation data platform
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Boeing Aviator
Software
Boeing flight planning and pilot information system
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: FlightAware flightAware Global is sold per aircraft tail, with discounts applied only when multiple aircraft are tracked; Boeing Aviator jeppesen names AVIATOR's configurable modules, Briefing, Dashboard, Documents, Navlog and Tools, and states pricing is available only via Contact sales
- They diverge on capability: FlightAware covers Real-time tracking, Boeing Aviator covers Flight planning.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which FlightAware and Boeing Aviator actually diverge.
| Attribute | FlightAware | Boeing Aviator |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | subscription |
| Platforms | Web, Ios, Android | Ios, Android, Web |
| Founded | 2005 | 1916 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in FlightAware
- Real-time tracking
- Flight status
- Airport info
- Delay tracking
- Weather data
- APIs
- Third-party apps
- Airlines
Only in Boeing Aviator
- Flight planning
- Aircraft performance
- Weather integration
- Weight and balance
- Route optimization
- Boeing avionics
- FMS systems
- Maintenance systems
Both cover
- Weather services
- Data encryption
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
FlightAware
- Tracking a business aviation fleet by tail number with taxi and ground alertsnot Boeing Aviator
- Blocking or selectively sharing an aircraft's flight legs for privacynot Boeing Aviator
- Pulling live and historical flight positions and tracks into an application over a REST APInot Boeing Aviator
- Predicting arrival times with Foresight for airline and airport operationsnot Boeing Aviator
Boeing Aviator
- Flight planningnot FlightAware
- Pre-flight briefingnot FlightAware
- Performance datanot FlightAware
- Weather analysisnot FlightAware
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
FlightAware
- FlightAware Global is sold per aircraft tail, with discounts applied only when multiple aircraft are tracked
- Global satellite tracking through Aireon space-based ADS-B requires the Platinum plan at $295 per month or $3,540 per year
- Secure flight sharing, flight leg unblocking and access management start at the Gold plan at $168 per month, not the $60 per month Silver plan
- AeroAPI Standard carries a $100 monthly minimum and AeroAPI Premium a $1,000 monthly minimum regardless of usage
- Historical flight data and flight alerting are excluded from the free AeroAPI Personal tier
- AeroAPI Personal is rate limited to 10 result sets per minute against 5 per second on Standard
- AeroAPI billing is metered per result set, for example $0.050 per result set for flight search, where one result set is 15 records
- AeroAPI volume discounts begin only above $1,000 of monthly usage
- Firehose, Foresight and FBO Toolbox carry no published price on the commercial products page
Boeing Aviator
- Jeppesen names AVIATOR's configurable modules, Briefing, Dashboard, Documents, Navlog and Tools, and states pricing is available only via Contact sales
Pricing, plan by plan
FlightAware
Free- FreeFree
- Flight tracking
- Basic info
- Mobile app
- Subscription$9.99/month
- Ad-free
- Premium tracking
- Weather maps
Boeing Aviator
Free- Boeing AviatorFree
- Flight planning
- Aircraft data
- Weather
Which should you pick?
Choose FlightAware if
- You need real-time tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want flight status.
Choose Boeing Aviator if
- You need flight planning.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Ios, Android, Web.
- You also want aircraft performance.
Questions people ask
- Is FlightAware or Boeing Aviator better?
- Neither clearly leads. FlightAware starts at Free and Boeing Aviator at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, FlightAware or Boeing Aviator?
- FlightAware starts at Free and Boeing Aviator at Free.
- Does FlightAware or Boeing Aviator run on more platforms?
- FlightAware runs on Web, Ios, Android. Boeing Aviator runs on Ios, Android, Web.
- Can I use FlightAware for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is FlightAware best used for?
- FlightAware is most often used for tracking a business aviation fleet by tail number with taxi and ground alerts, blocking or selectively sharing an aircraft's flight legs for privacy, pulling live and historical flight positions and tracks into an application over a rest api, predicting arrival times with foresight for airline and airport operations. Of those, tracking a business aviation fleet by tail number with taxi and ground alerts and blocking or selectively sharing an aircraft's flight legs for privacy are not what Boeing Aviator is typically brought in for.
- What can FlightAware do that Boeing Aviator cannot?
- FlightAware covers Real-time tracking, Flight status, Airport info, Delay tracking. Boeing Aviator covers Flight planning, Aircraft performance, Weather integration, Weight and balance. Both handle Weather services, Data encryption, Web support, Ios support.