What is the best flight tracking app or website?
For general flight simulation, Little Navmap is the best all-round flight tracking app. It provides a live moving map, route planning, airport data, and AI or multiplayer traffic where the simulator exposes it. For tracking a real airline flight, a browser-based service is usually better because it needs no simulator connection or local setup.
Which flight tracker is best for flight simulators?
Little Navmap is our first choice for tracking your own aircraft across MSFS, FSX, Prepar3D and X-Plane. It combines near-real-time simulator position data with the route, procedures, airspace, terrain and airport information needed during a flight.
- Shows the aircraft's position, altitude, speed and recorded track on a moving map.
- Compares the aeroplane's actual path with the loaded flight plan.
- Displays runways, parking positions, frequencies and procedure information.
- Can show AI or multiplayer traffic when the simulator and connection method provide that data.
Our Little Navmap connection and setup guide explains how it works with the main desktop simulators. FSX users can also review the Little Navmap utility package in our downloads library, checking its stated system compatibility before installation.
Unlike a public flight-tracking website, Little Navmap reads data from the simulator. It does not make a simulated flight publicly visible, and it cannot follow your aircraft unless the simulator connection or connector service is running.
Is an app or website better for tracking real flights?
A website is usually better for an occasional real-world flight lookup, while an app is more convenient for repeated monitoring and departure or arrival alerts.
| What you need | Best format | Feature to check |
|---|---|---|
| Track one airline flight | Browser-based tracker | Scheduled, estimated and actual times |
| Receive status alerts | Mobile app | Push notifications and date-specific tracking |
| Track your own simulator aircraft | Desktop moving-map app | Support for the exact simulator |
| Use a tablet as a cockpit display | Companion app or browser panel | Local-network and operating-system compatibility |
Public trackers combine sources such as ADS-B, multilateration and operational data. Remote or oceanic positions may be estimated, some aircraft are withheld, and departure information can lag behind an operational change. Search with the operating flight number and correct date; a codeshare number may point to the wrong service.
How do I track my simulated aircraft on a second screen?
Run the tracker on the second display or computer, then connect it to the simulator through the supported local connector.
- Confirm simulator support. An FSX plug-in cannot be assumed to work with MSFS, Prepar3D or X-Plane.
- Install the required connector. If the map runs on another computer, both machines normally need to be on the same local network.
- Start the simulator first. Load into an aircraft before asking the tracking application to connect.
- Test movement. Taxi a short distance and confirm that position, heading and altitude update.
- Load the same route. This is not required for position tracking, but it lets the map compare the planned and flown paths.
For an iPhone or iPad used with FSX, the FSX AirTrack connector provides a mobile-display option. It relies on separate mobile software, so verify availability and device compatibility before building a setup around it.
Why is the aircraft position missing or wrong?
Most tracking failures come from a disconnected simulator, blocked local-network traffic or confusion between a flight number and an aircraft callsign.
- No simulated aircraft: check that the correct connector is running and that the tracker reports an active simulator connection.
- Frozen position: reconnect after changing aircraft or restarting the simulator, and check whether the flight is paused or in replay mode.
- No traffic: enable the relevant traffic layer. Injected, multiplayer and online traffic are separate sources, and not every simulator exposes all of them.
- Second computer cannot connect: confirm the host address and local firewall permissions. Do not expose a simulator connector directly to the public internet.
- Wrong real flight: use the operating carrier's flight number, date and route rather than relying only on a marketing codeshare number.
- Route and map disagree: mismatched navigation-data cycles can place procedures or waypoints differently even when the live aircraft position is correct.