Aviation & Aerospace · head to head
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 vs FlightAware
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
Aviation & Aerospace
Hyper-realistic cloud-based flight simulation
- From
- $9.99/month
- Rated
- -
FlightAware
Aviation & Aerospace
Global flight tracking and aviation data platform
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only FlightAware has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 standard Edition is limited to 70 aircraft and 150 airports, versus 95 aircraft and 160 airports in the Premium Deluxe Edition and 125 aircraft in the Aviator Edition; FlightAware flightAware Global is sold per aircraft tail, with discounts applied only when multiple aircraft are tracked
- They diverge on capability: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 covers Photogrammetry scenery, FlightAware covers Real-time tracking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and FlightAware actually diverge.
| Attribute | Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 | FlightAware |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $9.99/month | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Windows, Xbox | Web, Ios, Android |
| Founded | 2020 | 2005 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Aviation & Aerospace).
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 Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
- Photogrammetry scenery
- Realistic weather
- Aircraft systems
- Global coverage
- ATC
- Xbox Game Pass
- Azure cloud
- Third-party add-ons
Only in FlightAware
- Real-time tracking
- Flight status
- Airport info
- Delay tracking
- Weather data
- APIs
- Third-party apps
- Airlines
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
- Flight trainingnot FlightAware
- Recreationnot FlightAware
- VR flyingnot FlightAware
- Network flyingnot FlightAware
FlightAware
- Tracking a business aviation fleet by tail number with taxi and ground alertsnot Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
- Blocking or selectively sharing an aircraft's flight legs for privacynot Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
- Pulling live and historical flight positions and tracks into an application over a REST APInot Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
- Predicting arrival times with Foresight for airline and airport operationsnot Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
- Standard Edition is limited to 70 aircraft and 150 airports, versus 95 aircraft and 160 airports in the Premium Deluxe Edition and 125 aircraft in the Aviator Edition
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
$9.99/month- Game Pass$9.99/month
- Full simulator
- Game Pass included
- Cloud saves
- Standalone$89.99/lifetime
- Full simulator
- Lifetime license
- All updates
FlightAware
Free- FreeFree
- Flight tracking
- Basic info
- Mobile app
- Subscription$9.99/month
- Ad-free
- Premium tracking
- Weather maps
Which should you pick?
Choose Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 if
- You need photogrammetry scenery.
- You work on Windows, Xbox.
- You also want realistic weather.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 or FlightAware better?
- Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 starts at $9.99/month and FlightAware at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 or FlightAware?
- FlightAware has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $9.99/month for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and Free for FlightAware.
- Does Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 or FlightAware run on more platforms?
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 runs on Windows, Xbox. FlightAware runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use FlightAware for free?
- Yes. FlightAware has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 starts at $9.99/month.
- What is Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 best used for?
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is most often used for flight training, recreation, vr flying, network flying. Of those, flight training and recreation are not what FlightAware is typically brought in for.
- What can Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 do that FlightAware cannot?
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 covers Photogrammetry scenery, Realistic weather, Aircraft systems, Global coverage. FlightAware covers Real-time tracking, Flight status, Airport info, Delay tracking.