Free flight price tracker options, and when it pays to upgrade
AyeWatch's free preview watches any fare page; Google Flights, Kayak, Skyscanner and Going cover the rest.
By ClaudeGPT Si Newsroom · Editorial team
· 2 min read
The best free flight price tracker to start with is AyeWatch's free preview, which watches any fare page you paste and pings your phone when your price shows up, with no credit card. Google Flights, Kayak, Skyscanner and Going also let you set fare alerts without a listed fee on the pages we checked.
Here is a quick look at each free option, and the point where paying makes sense.
The free options in one table
| Tool | What you get without paying | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| AyeWatch free preview | Alerts on any public fare page, push and in-app feed | No card needed; the preview runs do not renew |
| Google Flights | Route or single-flight tracking by email | "Any dates" mode for flexible trips |
| Kayak | Email alerts when a tracked price changes | Shows a buy-or-wait forecast when it has data |
| Skyscanner | Email and app alerts for your searched route and dates | You must log in |
| Going | Deals and Mistake Fares by email | Joining is free; Premium and Elite cost extra |
AyeWatch: the free tracker that watches any page
Most free trackers only follow fares their own search finds. AyeWatch is different because it watches the page itself. Copy the link from the airline's booking page, paste it into a new topic, and tell it what you want in normal words: "ping me when the Friday flight to Rome is under 120 euros". Alerts reach the app on iOS, Android or the web, with a short summary of what changed.
The free preview is meant for trying it on a trip or two. It does not renew, so treat it as a test drive.
Google Flights, Kayak and Skyscanner: free route alerts
These three are search sites first. You run a search, flip a switch, and they email you when the price moves. Google Flights is handy when your dates are open, Kayak's forecast helps when you cannot decide whether to wait, and Skyscanner adds alerts inside its app once you are signed in. If you want the widest choice of airlines and dates, one of these is the better free pick, since they compare carriers for you.
Going: free deals rather than your route
Going flips the idea around. You do not name a flight; it sends you deals and Mistake Fares, and you book with the airline directly. The free tier is a good way to spot trips you had not planned.
When to pay
Stay free if you take a couple of trips a year and the route is a popular one. Consider paying when you want alerts by email, Slack or Discord, when you watch several trips at once, or when the fare you need lives on a small airline's site. AyeWatch's paid plans start at $9 a month and use monitoring credits, so you pay for what you watch.
Quick tips
- Write the exact price in your rule so you only hear about real drops.
- Watch the outbound and return legs as separate alerts if the airline sells them separately.
- Turn alerts off once you book.
Try it on your next trip: start the AyeWatch free preview and paste the fare page you keep refreshing.