Software · head to head
FlightAware vs CAE Flight Training
FlightAware
Software
Global flight tracking and aviation data platform
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
CAE Flight Training
Software
World leader in professional flight training
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only FlightAware has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: FlightAware flightAware Global is sold per aircraft tail, with discounts applied only when multiple aircraft are tracked; CAE Flight Training mostly delivered through physical full-flight simulators and training centres rather than as software a customer installs
- They diverge on capability: FlightAware covers Real-time tracking, CAE Flight Training covers Full-flight simulators.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which FlightAware and CAE Flight Training actually diverge.
| Attribute | FlightAware | CAE Flight Training |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | freemium | usage-based |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Ios, Android | On-site |
| Founded | 2005 | 1947 |
Identical on both: 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
- Airports
Only in CAE Flight Training
- Full-flight simulators
- Type rating training
- Crew resource training
- Maintenance training
- Certification
- Regulators
- Learning platforms
- Tracking systems
Both cover
- Airlines
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 CAE Flight Training
- Blocking or selectively sharing an aircraft's flight legs for privacynot CAE Flight Training
- Pulling live and historical flight positions and tracks into an application over a REST APInot CAE Flight Training
- Predicting arrival times with Foresight for airline and airport operationsnot CAE Flight Training
CAE Flight Training
- Type rating and recurrent training for airline and business jet pilotsnot FlightAware
- Cadet to captain airline training programmesnot FlightAware
- Cabin crew and maintenance technician trainingnot FlightAware
- Flight data analysis and operations management through Flightscapenot FlightAware
- Courseware and training records management with CAE Pelesysnot 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
CAE Flight Training
- Mostly delivered through physical full-flight simulators and training centres rather than as software a customer installs
- The software pieces, Flightscape, CAE Rise and CAE Pelesys, are sold to airlines and operators rather than to individual pilots
- Pricing is not published
Pricing, plan by plan
FlightAware
Free- FreeFree
- Flight tracking
- Basic info
- Mobile app
- Subscription$9.99/month
- Ad-free
- Premium tracking
- Weather maps
CAE Flight Training
On request- Pilot TrainingFree
- Full-flight simulators
- Type ratings
- Crew training
- Maintenance TrainingFree
- Technical training
- Systems training
- Certification
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 CAE Flight Training if
- You need full-flight simulators.
- You work on On-site.
- You also want type rating training.
Questions people ask
- Is FlightAware or CAE Flight Training better?
- Neither clearly leads. FlightAware starts at Free and CAE Flight Training at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, FlightAware or CAE Flight Training?
- FlightAware has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for FlightAware and On request for CAE Flight Training.
- Does FlightAware or CAE Flight Training run on more platforms?
- FlightAware runs on Web, Ios, Android. CAE Flight Training runs on On-site.
- Can I use FlightAware for free?
- Yes. FlightAware has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CAE Flight Training starts at On request.
- 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 CAE Flight Training is typically brought in for.
- What can FlightAware do that CAE Flight Training cannot?
- FlightAware covers Real-time tracking, Flight status, Airport info, Delay tracking. CAE Flight Training covers Full-flight simulators, Type rating training, Crew resource training, Maintenance training. Both handle Airlines.