Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

RFS vs Flightradar24 | Flight Tracker

RFS 4.6★ · $0.99 65
Winner Tie
Flightradar24 | Flight Tracker 4.8★ · Free + IAP 70

Choose RFS if you want an immersive flight simulator experience, despite its monetization issues, and pick Flightradar24 if you need a reliable real-time flight tracker, even with its intrusive ads.

Full reviews: RFS · Flightradar24 | Flight Tracker

RFS offers a realistic flight simulation experience with good graphics and detailed airports, but many users are frustrated by its aggressive monetization and subscription issues. Flightradar24 provides excellent real-time flight tracking, but its free version is heavily impacted by frequent and intrusive ads, and some users report issues with subscription features.

Head to head

Features edge: RFSR2R5R7R11
RFS RFS offers a realistic flight simulation experience with detailed graphics, accurate real-world time of day, and features like ground crews and passengers R2. Users enjoy the take-off and landing aspects, but some find flying boring without more engagement R7. There are requests for more detailed scenery, moving cars, and additional aircraft models R5R11.
Flightradar24 | Flight Tracker Flightradar24 is praised for its ability to track a vast number of planes in real-time, helping users find specific flights, monitor family travel, and identify aircraft overhead . Users appreciate the detailed information provided, though some desire more features like time-lapse weather radar, terminal forecasts, and special liveries .
Ease of Use edge: Flightradar24 | Flight TrackerR3R6R19R30
RFS Some RFS users find the game easy to learn and helpful for understanding aerodynamics R6. However, others report issues with plane sensitivity, especially for the 737, making it hard to control R3. There are also complaints about difficulty finding specific camera positions during training R30 and general difficulty for new players R19.
Flightradar24 | Flight Tracker Flightradar24 is generally considered easy to use for tracking flights, with many users loving its straightforward functionality . However, some users report issues with the app not loading flights, the search bar being unresponsive, or the entire screen being blurry . There are also complaints about the old format being preferred over the new one .
Reliability tieR4R15R18R25
RFS RFS users frequently report issues with the app crashing or getting stuck on loading screens R15R18. Some planes malfunction, losing power mid-flight or failing to take off R25. Multiplayer collision avoidance is also a long-standing issue, breaking realism R4.
Flightradar24 | Flight Tracker Flightradar24 generally runs smoothly for many users . However, some users experience issues with flights not loading, unresponsive search bars, or the app becoming blurry . There are also reports of the app not showing all planes, especially military aircraft .
Price/Value tieR1R7R12R14
RFS RFS is criticized for its aggressive monetization, requiring subscriptions for most planes and multiplayer, which users feel is unfair given the initial purchase price R1R7R12R14. Many feel there are too few free planes, making the game stale without paying R7R28R38.
Flightradar24 | Flight Tracker Flightradar24's free tier is heavily criticized for an overwhelming number of intrusive ads that often make the app unusable R61R64. Many features are locked behind a subscription, and some previously free features have been moved to paid tiers, leading to frustration .
Support tieR9R10R13R15
RFS RFS users report significant issues with subscription access, with paid subscriptions not being recognized or disappearing after device changes R9R10R13R16. Many users state that customer service is unresponsive to these issues R15.
Flightradar24 | Flight Tracker There are no direct reviews about Flightradar24's customer support. However, users express frustration over the app's data sharing practices and the difficulty of opting out, suggesting a lack of user-friendly support for privacy concerns R67R82.
Pick RFS if

you are looking for a detailed and realistic mobile flight simulator and are willing to pay for a subscription to unlock its full potential R2.

Pick Flightradar24 | Flight Tracker if

you need a reliable app for real-time flight tracking, especially for monitoring flights of family or identifying planes overhead, and are prepared to either tolerate frequent ads or pay for a subscription .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of negative reviews related to their monetization strategies and technical issues. For RFS, the complaints about subscriptions are particularly prominent, while for Flightradar24, the free tier's ad experience is a major pain point. The lifetime ratings are high for both, but recent reviews highlight these frustrations.

Frequently asked

Does RFS offer many free planes?
No, RFS only offers three free planes, and users frequently complain that this makes the game stale without purchasing a subscription R7R28R38R45.
Is Flightradar24 usable for free?
Flightradar24 is technically free, but its free version is heavily impacted by frequent, intrusive, and often unskippable ads that many users find make the app nearly unusable R61R64R81R85.
Are there issues with subscriptions for RFS?
Yes, many RFS users report significant problems with their paid subscriptions, including purchases failing, subscriptions disappearing, or not being accessible on new devices, with poor customer service response R9R10R13R16.
Does Flightradar24 share user data?
Yes, Flightradar24 openly sells user's Personally Identifiable Information (PII) to third parties, and users report it is very difficult to opt out of this data sharing R67R82.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R2] RFS 5/5 · US I loved it: It has failures and auto pilot I love it
  2. [R5] RFS 5/5 · US Need L-1011 Tristar but great game: The game is great But can you at least Add Lockheed 1011 Tristar since you Added Md-11 and Boeing 727 those are TriJet and Lockheed 1011 Tristar can sound great But I still love the game
  3. [R7] RFS 2/5 · US In air: When flying it gets kind of boring but taking off and landing is fun and there’s not much free planes there’s only three so I give this game a two
  4. [R11] RFS 5/5 · US New features that should be added to the game: I have an idea that could make the flight simulator feel even more like the real world.First, it would be amazing if the scenery included more detailed cities with realistic buildings, neighborhoods, roads, highways, moving cars, traffic lights, and people. Seeing a living world below the aircraft would make every flight feel much more immersive. Anot
  5. [R3] RFS 3/5 · US 737 sensitivity: The 737’s sensitivity is really really bad. The game itself is amazing but the 737’s sensitivity is all over the place. Please redo it.
  6. [R6] RFS 3/5 · US Upsetting: This is a great game. I have always been interested in planes and aerodynamics. This game helped teach me how. It is very realistic and fun but there is one thing that I would like to point out. I was flying my plane and there was apparently a public chat feature where you could talk to strangers. It had no limits or safety controls for children, and people were swearing, talking about
  7. [R19] RFS 1/5 · US Im not good instantly, so it is bad: I’m not good instantly so this game sucks
  8. [R30] RFS 3/5 · US Where’s the initial camera: I was doing the flight training test#2 and I had to change the camera position then it told me to put it back at the initial placement but I slept through it five times and I couldn’t find it.
  9. [R4] RFS 2/5 · US Needs more updates: I’ve been playing Real Flight Simulator for about 4, 5 years, and overall I love the game. It’s one of the best mobile flight simulators out there, but there are a few major issues that have been frustrating me for a long time. My biggest complaint is multiplayer. Players can taxi straight through or into your aircraft with no collision avoidance. It completely ruins the realis
  10. [R15] RFS 3/5 · US Not Working: Hey guys and ROTROS, I finally decided to download this game back 4 days ago and I just get stuck on the loading screen Pack #1491. I’ve reached out to apple support to see if they can do anything and they couldn’t do anything about it and just reach out to the developer of the game. I’ve emailed them on that day and as of today I haven’t gotten a response. so if the ROTROS Devs and a
  11. [R18] RFS 3/5 · US It's okay: Sometimes I can't get in, and it often disconnects. I hope the pneumatics are improved, the cockpit is more realistic, and the weather is more realistic. · translated
  12. [R25] RFS 1/5 · US Major issue with new update: The new update is awesome, but seems like every plane I get just 5000 ft in the air all power is cut off and I crash. I’ve made sure several times that random crash’s etc is turned off and nothing can malfunction when I’m flying, and all of my planes are still crashing, don’t know if this is bug with me or with everyone but it did not do this until the latest update.
  13. [R1] RFS 1/5 · US Bloodthirsty for money: Note to rortos: ya never know when I’ll be lurking in your closet at night like foxy at the aftons house from fnaf
  14. [R12] RFS 3/5 · US Fun but…..: I wish multiplayer was free and all the planes were free to get with in game money.i say that because multiplayer is most people’s favorite part and solo gets boring after some time. But overall it’s fun when I get bored of other games.
  15. [R14] RFS 4/5 · US 😁😁😁: You should make it where all the planes are free
  16. [R9] RFS 3/5 · US Subscription issues: Everytime I pay for a subscription it says something like “purchase failed please review payment details” even though it goes through on the card. So I have a subscription and I still only have the free planes
  17. [R10] RFS 1/5 · US I now need to get RFS pro: When I come back it, my thing is gone
  18. [R13] RFS 1/5 · US RFS pro issue: Hi to inform you, if your device isn’t connected to google with the pro subscription, it won’t be available to you
  19. [R28] RFS 2/5 · US Needs more free planes: I only have the free version THERE ARE ONLY THREE PLANES TO CHOOSE FROM IN THE FREE VERSION. NOT EVEN FREE BECAUSE THE ONE DOLLAR I SPENT ON IT. INFINITE FLIGHT IS BETTER….. and we need a joystick mode…
  20. [R38] RFS 5/5 · US Make more free planes: I been playing this game for 2 years but flying the same A320 we need free planes like the A310 or the A330 NEO
  21. [R45] RFS 3/5 · US We want more free planes: I like this flight sim, but it is getting really stale with the three free aircraft you give us. PS: I cannot afford Pro
  22. [R61] Flightradar24 | Flight Tracker 1/5 · US Persistent Ads: Enjoyed the app for about 2 weeks, didn’t mind the periodic ads. But now the ads that pop up cover the entire screen and make you sit through several seconds before the “X” appears in the corner to close. If that’s not bad enough, pressing the “X” takes you to the App Store instead of closing the ad, then when you close that, another ad pops up in its place. It seems now that I sp
  23. [R64] Flightradar24 | Flight Tracker 1/5 · US Too many ads: Too many ads
  24. [R81] Flightradar24 | Flight Tracker 3/5 · US Great App but ads have gotten crazy!: This is a great and accurate app, however the ads have gotten extremely crazy and make it hard for the app to work correctly in my opinion as a QA agent. The ads started out light but now they are so heavy thry bog down your phones processing speed.
  25. [R85] Flightradar24 | Flight Tracker 1/5 · US Go to hell with your ads: Hey, all you devs, go to hell! This app used to be amazing, now the ads are so intrusive. It’s basically worthless. Shame on you all. No way in hell this ad is worth any real money.
  26. [R16] RFS 1/5 · US Game is okay.: The actual game is okay, but I’m rating this 1 star because I bought a subscription for 6 dollars and it was a total waste of money! It makes no sense, because I have a device (that I no longer have) had this subscription, I can’t even use the subscription.
  27. [R67] Flightradar24 | Flight Tracker 1/5 · US Sells your data very hard yo opt out: Openly sells your PII information to third parties even if you are a paid subscriber. Very hard to reject cookies. Also zero California privacy policy or request for data deletion.
  28. [R82] Flightradar24 | Flight Tracker 1/5 · US Too hard to opt out of data sharing: App shares your data with 30 partners and you have to decline in each individually. Uninstalled instead

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store