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FlightAware vs SkyDemon

FlightAware logo

FlightAware

Software

Global flight tracking and aviation data platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SkyDemon logo

SkyDemon

Software

VFR flight planning for European pilots

From
€150/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; SkyDemon the first year costs 118 GBP against a 90 GBP renewal, so the entry price is higher than the ongoing one
  • They diverge on capability: FlightAware covers Real-time tracking, SkyDemon covers VFR planning.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FlightAware and SkyDemon actually diverge.

Attributes where FlightAware and SkyDemon differ
AttributeFlightAwareSkyDemon
Starting priceFree€150/year
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidIos, Android, Windows, Macos
Founded20052009

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
  • Airlines

Only in SkyDemon

  • VFR planning
  • Airspace display
  • Weather overlay
  • Navigation
  • Flight logging
  • Traffic receivers
  • FLARM
  • ADS-B

Both cover

  • Weather services
  • Data encryption
  • Privacy protection
  • 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 SkyDemon
  • Blocking or selectively sharing an aircraft's flight legs for privacynot SkyDemon
  • Pulling live and historical flight positions and tracks into an application over a REST APInot SkyDemon
  • Predicting arrival times with Foresight for airline and airport operationsnot SkyDemon

SkyDemon

  • VFR flight planning and navigation for general aviationnot FlightAware
  • In flight moving map and airspace awareness on a tabletnot 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

SkyDemon

  • The first year costs 118 GBP against a 90 GBP renewal, so the entry price is higher than the ongoing one
  • Extra airfield maps and flight guides are sold as separate annual subscriptions on top of the base licence
  • Prices for those additional regional guides are not listed on the store page

Pricing, plan by plan

FlightAware

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Flight tracking
    • Basic info
    • Mobile app
  • Subscription$9.99/month
    • Ad-free
    • Premium tracking
    • Weather maps

SkyDemon

€150/year
  • SkyDemon$150/year
    • Flight planning
    • European charts
    • Weather data
  • SkyDemon + Australia$220/year
    • Europe + Australia
    • All features
    • Extended coverage

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.
FlightAware review

Choose SkyDemon if

  • You need vfr planning.
  • You work on Ios, Android, Windows, Macos.
  • You also want airspace display.
SkyDemon review

Questions people ask

Is FlightAware or SkyDemon better?
Neither clearly leads. FlightAware starts at Free and SkyDemon at €150/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FlightAware or SkyDemon?
FlightAware has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for FlightAware and €150/year for SkyDemon.
Does FlightAware or SkyDemon run on more platforms?
FlightAware runs on Web, Ios, Android. SkyDemon runs on Ios, Android, Windows, Macos.
Can I use FlightAware for free?
Yes. FlightAware has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SkyDemon starts at €150/year.
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 SkyDemon is typically brought in for.
What can FlightAware do that SkyDemon cannot?
FlightAware covers Real-time tracking, Flight status, Airport info, Delay tracking. SkyDemon covers VFR planning, Airspace display, Weather overlay, Navigation. Both handle Weather services, Data encryption, Privacy protection, Ios support.
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