Having up-to-date tracking information about when a flight will take off or land at an airport can come in handy. Whether you're waiting to pick up someone from the airport or trying to make a flight connection, airline tracking tools can save you time and even money.

Here, we'll discuss six great airline tracker apps for iOS and Android devices and four sites you can use to track a flight in real-time.

1. FlightStats

FlightStats is one of the best live flight trackers available. To start, you can track flights anywhere in the world via a specific flight number, route, or airport. After searching for any flight, the information will be saved in the My Flights tab to quickly access later.

One of the app's best features is a real-time flight tracker live map. The map shows the exact position of the airplane. You can select from several different layers to include the flight plan, actual flight path, weather radar, and more. The flight information can also quickly be shared directly from the app.

While on the go, anyone with an Apple Watch can look at flight information on the small screen of the wearable device. Users can even customize a specific Apple Watch face with the widget that will provide information without needing to open the app.

Download: FlightStats for iOS | Android (Free)

2. The Flight Tracker Pro​​​​​

If you hate ads, try out The Flight Tracker Pro. You can track any flight in the world and view departure and arrival information right along with aircraft information and seat maps.

When you're traveling, the app also automatically syncs with a TripIt account, making it a perfect choice for business travelers. The information can also be saved and then shared through a number of outlets like text or social media.

Push notifications are available for several different situations, including the ability to customize a departure or arrival reminder, so you can remember to pick up someone from the airport.

Download: The Flight Tracker Pro for iOS | Android ($4.49)

3. FlightAware Flight Tracker

Besides being able to see the status of any commercial airline flight worldwide, FlightAware Flight Tracker can track general aviation flights like private and charter planes in the United States and Canada.

Users can search for a flight by aircraft registration, route, airline, flight number, city pair, or airport code. The app provides a full-screen map with a radar overlay along with the full flight information.

As a nice touch, you can receive push notifications with departure and arrival information for a specific flight along with cancellations, gate changes, delays, and diversions.

Download: Flight Aware Flight Tracker for iOS | Android (Free, premium version available)

4. FlightRadar24

flight radar

As you can probably tell by the name, FlightRadar24's top feature is a map displaying aircraft traveling around the world. You can select a flight to see more information like the route, estimated time of arrival, speed, altitude, and much more.

It's also easy to search for an individual flight by flight number, airport, or airline. Selecting a specific airport will show more information like current weather conditions and delay stats.

If you're ever wondering what flights are currently overhead, just point your device at the sky to see flight information and a photo of the actual aircraft. You can even view exactly what the pilot of an aircraft is currently seeing in 3D. It's a great real-world use of augmented reality technology.

FlightRadar24's subscription options provide more features like additional flight history and more.

Download: FlightRadar24 for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)

5. Planes Live

Next on the list, we have Planes Live, a powerful flight tracking app that you can use to track not just commercial flights but also biplanes all over the world. Whether it's your friend or a family member traveling to visit you, this app has you covered.

Planes Live can alert you about flight schedule changes, provided you have notifications enabled. The app lets you filter search flights by the airplane model, airline company, arrival airport, departure airport, etc., so you don't have to waste time scrolling around the map.

You can view the speed of the plane you're tracking, the altitude it's flying at, and the distance traveled like most other flight trackers. In addition, the app offers weather overlays that show the cloud cover as seen from space by default; you can switch to the precipitation overlay if you would rather like a detailed forecast by precipitation type.

The app is free to use, with ads and a very limited set of features. So, if you want to enjoy everything it offers and get rid of the ads, you'll need to pay for Planes Live Premium, which costs $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year. Note that when you launch the app for the first time, you'll see a subscription offer with a free 3-day trial, but you can reject this and continue using it for free.

Download: Planes Live for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)

6. Flight Board

Flight Board takes a unique approach to tracking an airline flight. You can view an old-school arrivals or departures board for almost any airport in the world that updates every minute with real-time information. The information covers more than 16,000 airports and 1,400 airlines.

You can search for a specific flight by number, destination, or airline. It's also easy to quickly switch between an airport's departures and arrivals board with just a single touch.

Download: Flight Board for iOS | Android (Free)

7. FlightView

flightview

There's no need to search around while using the FlightView site. Front and center is a box to track flights by number or route.

Along with all of the most up-to-date information about the flight, users can also call up a live view that will let you see where exactly the airplane is, along with other information like speed, heading, and altitude.

After creating a FlightView account, you can forward any current and future flight itinerary emails to a specific email address and then see them on the site. You can also share the flight information with friends, family, and coworkers, quickly access the information, and even receive alerts on your mobile device when travel changes occur.

8. Plane Finder

plane finder

You'll definitely want to visit Plane Finder on as big a screen as possible. The home page is a map of the globe with a real-time look at flight route maps around the world, including both commercial and private traffic.

With the top search bar, you can search for a specific flight and view more information like aircraft type. Users can also click on any flight on the map to see the same data.

The fun doesn't stop there, as the online flight tracker live map allows users to create many filters to see only planes by aircraft type, airline, and more. The site even offers an animated map that shows the world's flights in motion at a certain date and time. If traffic from a specific airport interests you, you can use the bookmark feature to move to its location quickly.

For additional trackers for your next vacation, feel free to check out these smart luggage trackers. You never know when one of your bags might get lost during air travel.

9. RadarBox

AirNav RadarBox web view

AirNav's RadarBox is next on the list, which is pretty accurate when it comes to tracking not just commercial flights but also military aircraft and helicopters. While it's free to use, you'll need to pay a small monthly fee ($2.45 per month) to unlock all its features.

As you'd typically expect from a flight tracking site or app, you can filter flights by company, airport, and flight number. Spotters can check details like the altitude a plane's flying at and its speed, along with other information like aircraft make and model. So, spotting an Airbus A380 on the map shouldn't be hard at all.

What's unique about RadarBox is that it has a Playback feature that lets you replay past flights if you ever feel the need to. While RadarBox is primarily a flight tracking site, you can download its mobile app to keep your eyes on your upcoming flight while you're bored at the airport.

And if having Wi-Fi during your flight is also important, read our article about in-flight Wi-Fi and if it's worth it before you board the plane and take out your wallet.

Download: RadarBox for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)

10. Google's Flight Tracker

Google Flight Tracker search result

There's no need to rely on a specific flight tracking app or site if you're looking for quick information about a particular flight. That's because Google can scrounge the best flight trackers on the internet to give you reliable information.

As long as you know the flight number, just enter it into a Google search, and a quick snippet of its status will appear before any search results. If you need more information than Google's flight tracker can provide, you can click the source link at the bottom of the snippet to visit the flight tracker's webpage.

Speaking of which, you should know how to use Google Flights alerts to take a trip on the cheap. See our tips for maximizing efficiency with Google Flights for more help.

Find the Flight Path Tracker That's Best for You

Using one of these smartphone apps or sites, you should definitely be able to track an airline flight, no matter where you are. Of course, the apps are convenient when you want to conveniently track a flight on your phone, but you still need an alternate free flight tracker site whenever you're sitting in front of a computer.

And when you're ready to take to the skies yourself for your next vacation, make sure you use popular travel apps to help you keep your expenses down.