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Aviation · head to head

Flighty vs X-Plane 12

Flighty logo

Flighty

Aviation

Subscription flight tracking for iOS with predictive delay alerts

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
X-Plane 12 logo

X-Plane 12

Aviation

Professional flight simulation software

From
$59.99/lifetime
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Flighty it is iOS-only, so a mixed-platform household or an Android user cannot use it at all.; X-Plane 12 commercial and professional use requires a separate licence at $1,000, against $59.99 for the personal digital download
  • They diverge on capability: Flighty covers Delay prediction, X-Plane 12 covers Flight physics.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Flighty and X-Plane 12 actually diverge.

Attributes where Flighty and X-Plane 12 differ
AttributeFlightyX-Plane 12
Starting priceOn request$59.99/lifetime
Pricing modelPer user per month or one-time purchaseone-time
PlatformsiOSWindows, Macos, Linux
FoundedUnknown1995

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Aviation).

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 Flighty

  • Delay prediction
  • Gate and baggage alerts
  • Auto flight import
  • Taxi and weather context
  • Trip statistics
  • Family sharing

Only in X-Plane 12

  • Flight physics
  • Global scenery
  • Realistic aircraft
  • Weather simulation
  • ATC system
  • Plugins
  • Add-ons
  • VR headsets

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Flighty

  • A frequent business flyer who wants a delay warning before the gate agent announces itnot X-Plane 12
  • An iPhone user willing to pay for a single well-maintained app instead of a free ad-supported onenot X-Plane 12
  • A family wanting to see at a glance where a travelling relative currently isnot X-Plane 12
  • A traveller who wants automatic flight import from confirmation emails without manual entrynot X-Plane 12

X-Plane 12

  • Flight simulation for private pilots and enthusiastsnot Flighty
  • Procedure practice and aircraft familiarisationnot Flighty

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Flighty

  • It is iOS-only, so a mixed-platform household or an Android user cannot use it at all.
  • The free tier tracks very few flights, so anyone who flies more than occasionally is pushed toward the subscription almost immediately.
  • Delay predictions are a probability model, not a guarantee, and can be wrong in either direction.
  • It depends on the same underlying ADS-B and airline feeds as free trackers, so the raw position data is not exclusive to Flighty.
  • A lifetime purchase is expensive relative to a year or two of the annual plan, so it only pays off for someone certain they will use it for years.

X-Plane 12

  • Commercial and professional use requires a separate licence at $1,000, against $59.99 for the personal digital download
  • The personal edition therefore cannot be used for paid training or commercial simulation
  • The professional edition is a distinct product rather than an upgrade path

Pricing, plan by plan

Flighty

On request
  • Flighty Plus$9.99/month
    • Unlimited tracked flights
    • Delay prediction alerts
    • Gate, baggage and taxi data
  • Flighty Plus Annual$49/year
    • Same features billed yearly
  • Flighty Lifetime$299/one-time
    • One-time purchase, no renewal

X-Plane 12

$59.99/lifetime
  • X-Plane 12$59.99/lifetime
    • Full simulator
    • Global scenery
    • Realistic physics

Which should you pick?

Choose Flighty if

  • You need delay prediction.
  • You work on iOS.
  • You also want gate and baggage alerts.
Flighty review

Choose X-Plane 12 if

  • You need flight physics.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Linux.
  • You also want global scenery.
X-Plane 12 review

Questions people ask

Is Flighty or X-Plane 12 better?
Neither clearly leads. Flighty starts at On request and X-Plane 12 at $59.99/lifetime, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Flighty or X-Plane 12?
Flighty starts at On request and X-Plane 12 at $59.99/lifetime.
Does Flighty or X-Plane 12 run on more platforms?
Flighty runs on iOS. X-Plane 12 runs on Windows, Macos, Linux.
What is Flighty best used for?
Flighty is most often used for a frequent business flyer who wants a delay warning before the gate agent announces it, an iphone user willing to pay for a single well-maintained app instead of a free ad-supported one, a family wanting to see at a glance where a travelling relative currently is, a traveller who wants automatic flight import from confirmation emails without manual entry. Of those, a frequent business flyer who wants a delay warning before the gate agent announces it and an iphone user willing to pay for a single well-maintained app instead of a free ad-supported one are not what X-Plane 12 is typically brought in for.
What can Flighty do that X-Plane 12 cannot?
Flighty covers Delay prediction, Gate and baggage alerts, Auto flight import, Taxi and weather context. X-Plane 12 covers Flight physics, Global scenery, Realistic aircraft, Weather simulation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Flighty: Is there an Android version?

No. Flighty has only ever shipped for iOS.

X-Plane 12: How much does X-Plane 12 Personal Edition cost?

X-Plane 12 Personal Edition is priced at $59.99 for digital download, the same price on Steam, or $99.99 for the DVD set.

Source
Flighty: Can I use it for free?

A limited free tier exists but tracks very few flights; regular use requires the Plus subscription or the lifetime purchase.

X-Plane 12: What is the pricing difference for professional use of X-Plane 12?

Professional-use versions are significantly more expensive, ranging from $1,000 for digital downloads to $1,250 for USB keys.

Source
Flighty: How is it different from Flightradar24 or FlightAware?

Those are free-first, cross-platform trackers with ads; Flighty is a paid iOS-only app that adds predictive delay alerts.

X-Plane 12: How do I activate X-Plane 12 after purchasing the digital download?

When you purchase the digital download edition, you will receive an email confirmation with instructions on how to use and activate X-Plane 12.

Source
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