Flightradar24
Aircraft tracking and contributor network analogue; not established here as a drone detection network.
Identity and relationship
Flightradar24 AB, Sweden; official domain flightradar24.com. The user’s “flightradar” is provisionally interpreted as Flightradar24. Its role in this study is an aircraft-data contribution analogue. The current terms name the entity and Swedish registration number 556895-1213.6
Current offering and collection
As observed 2026-10-09 (America/Los_Angeles), official pages offer flight maps, contributor onboarding and a separate paid API. Public availability of pages and pricing was checked; no receiver was deployed and no paid API account was tested.25
The provider says its main source is aircraft ADS-B broadcasts carrying identity, position, speed and altitude. It combines these with MLAT for Mode S aircraft, satellite ADS-B, radar data in North America and Australia, FLARM/Open Glider Network, UAT and flight schedules/aircraft metadata. It claims more than 50,000 receivers across seven continents and space; that is an unverified provider network-size/coverage claim, not measured low-altitude completeness.1
Hardware, contributors and incentives
There are three published entry routes: apply for a hosted receiver, build a receiver, or share from an existing receiver. Contributor benefits are 60+ premium features; API access is explicitly excluded. A feed outage not restored within seven days results in downgrade to Free, with the Contributor plan restored when feeding resumes. No cash payment is advertised on the captured programme page.2
The free hosted kit includes receiver, antennas and cables and needs no separate computer. The application requires unobstructed outdoor antenna placement, installation within one week and uninterrupted 24/7 internet; unusual sites may receive exceptions. The company says it prioritizes civilian airports and selected other locations.3
Hosting is not ownership: receiver manual v1.3 dated 2025-09-02, page 10, says the equipment remains Flightradar24 property, requires exclusive feeding from that supplied equipment, and provides a contributor plan while local data is uploaded. This restriction is specific to the supplied-kit agreement; do not extend it to privately owned receivers without checking their terms. Pages 3–4 describe 1090 MHz line-of-sight siting; page 7 specifies continuous Ethernet/power, up to 5 W consumption and typical uploads of 10–1000 MB/day. These are supplier figures, not a DroneRadar cost estimate.4
Data access, price and rights
The rendered API pricing page lists Explorer US$9/month, Essential US$90/month and Advanced US$900/month, excluding applicable sales tax/VAT. At inspection a double-credit promotion runs through 2026-12-31; do not treat promotional credits as permanent. API endpoints cover live/historic positions, flight summaries/tracks, airports and airlines, with tier and credit limits. The pricing table was inspected in the browser and preserved as supplemental visible text because the original HTTP HTML was a JavaScript shell; no purchase or API call was made.5
The terms’ clauses 2.4 and 6.3 limit API storage and uses; they prohibit redistribution/resale of data itself, competing services and flight/safety-critical decisions, while allowing certain commercially enriched derivatives adding significant value. These are recorded supplier conditions, not a legal conclusion about any proposed use. Contributor or map access should not be read as whole-database or redistribution rights.6
Relevance and uncertainty
Analysis: the transferable comparison is distributed receiver hosting, location selection, continuity of contribution, central aggregation and conditional service benefits. This evidence describes aircraft broadcasts and supported transponder technologies. It does not demonstrate reception of drone Remote ID or detection of drones lacking cooperative transmissions, and cannot establish drone sensor range, density or economics.14
Older programme descriptions may call the reward a Business plan; the current contributor FAQ explicitly explains the name change. The current plan excludes API, so a legacy Business-plan description must not be treated as API entitlement.2
Unresolved: country-specific receiver eligibility; independently measured coverage, latency and uptime; private-receiver contribution/data rights; practical API quotas and archival rights for a defined research use. The published kit figures do not validate the user’s proposed $10 monthly contributor payment.
-
Flightradar24 how it works, publication date unknown unless noted in text; capture 2026-10-10T04:55:17Z, original.html; “Where does the tracking data come from?” and opening network claim. Capture is partial; see source record. ↩↩
-
Flightradar24 contributor programme, publication date unknown unless noted in text; capture 2026-10-10T04:55:04Z, original.html; programme routes and FAQ, especially API and feed-outage questions. Capture is partial; see source record. ↩↩↩
-
Flightradar24 free receiver application, publication date unknown unless noted in text; capture 2026-10-10T04:55:21Z, original.html; “Requirements for hosting,” “Most wanted receiver location,” kit contents. Capture is partial; see source record. ↩
-
Flightradar24 receiver hosting documentation, publication date 2025-09-02 (version 1.3); capture 2026-10-10T04:56:40Z, original.pdf; PDF pp. 2–4, 7–10; line-broken extraction, figures unreviewed. Capture is partial; see source record. ↩↩
-
Flightradar24 API subscriptions and credits, publication date unknown unless noted in text; capture 2026-10-10T04:58:17Z, original.txt; browser visible-text capture: plan prices, endpoint headings, tax note, promotion and credits. Capture is partial; see source record. ↩↩
-
Flightradar24 terms of service, publication date 2026-06-23; capture 2026-10-10T04:58:16Z, original.html; clauses 1.1, 2.4 and 6.3; terms last updated June 23, 2026. Capture is partial; see source record. ↩↩