MSFS ships with a flight planner, ATC, and traffic. None of them are good enough to leave alone. This is a list of the tools that fix that, by category. Prices are correct as of June 2026.
1. Flight Planning
SimBrief — FREE
SimBrief is the standard. It generates full IFR flight plans — SIDs, STARs, alternates, fuel calculations, weight and balance, OFP — based on real-world airline procedures. Every serious IFR flight starts here.
It’s free. It integrates directly with MSFS 2024’s EFB. Most third-party aircraft pull SimBrief data automatically. There’s no reason not to use it.
→ simbrief.com
Navigraph — ~€10/month
Navigraph gives you current AIRAC cycle nav data and Jeppesen charts. If you fly IFR with any regularity, outdated nav data causes real problems: approaches that don’t match the sim, waypoints that don’t exist, procedures that have changed. The nav data subscription is the main reason people pay.
The charts app works well on desktop and tablet and is useful during flight. The MSFS 2024 EFB pulls Navigraph data if you’re subscribed.
As of May 2026, a Navigraph Unlimited subscription also unlocks Flightradar24 live traffic in both FSLTL and BeyondATC. If you were already considering Navigraph for the nav data, that changes the value calculation considerably.
→ navigraph.com
Little Navmap — FREE
Little Navmap is the best free standalone flight planner. It connects to the sim, shows your aircraft position in real time, displays AI traffic, and handles VFR and IFR planning. No subscription, no account.
If you’re doing GA or VFR flying and don’t need current AIRAC data, Little Navmap covers most of what you need.
→ littlenavmap.org
2. ATC
VATSIM — FREE
VATSIM is human controllers and real pilots on a shared network. When coverage is active, nothing else matches it. Proper phraseology, real sequencing, the full picture. Free to join.
The limitation is coverage. Outside peak hours or major hubs, you’re flying through uncontrolled airspace. It also requires you to know procedures, which has a learning curve.
→ vatsim.net
BeyondATC — €29.99 one-time (live traffic requires Supporters Edition + Navigraph Unlimited)
BeyondATC provides AI-generated ATC with realistic voices, correct phraseology, and proper IFR sequencing. It includes its own traffic injection system, one of the few tools that manages AI aircraft from pushback through landing with full ATC integration.
One-time €29.99. Premium voice packs are sold separately. Requires a free SimBrief account to function.
Live traffic (June 2026, Experimental build): BeyondATC now supports Flightradar24 live traffic via Navigraph. Real callsigns, real aircraft types, real airlines on actual routes. Traffic is managed in a bubble roughly 200 nm around your position. Departures only trigger when the real-world counterpart actually starts moving. To use it, you need a Navigraph Unlimited subscription and the Supporters Edition of BeyondATC. It is currently on the Experimental build only. The schedule-based traffic system stays in the base purchase at no extra cost.
⚠️ BeyondATC cannot currently integrate with MSFS 2024 Career Mode. Career flights still require default ATC for mission points. The team says this depends on Asobo opening the relevant APIs. Worth knowing before buying if Career Mode is your primary use.
→ beyondatc.net
SayIntentions AI — ~€10/month
SayIntentions uses a large language model to generate unscripted ATC conversations. Rather than matching voice inputs to a fixed response set, it understands context and generates dynamic replies. It can handle unexpected requests, teach phraseology interactively, and deal with situations scripted systems cannot.
It integrates with SimBrief and includes a copilot and cabin crew system. It works with both MSFS 2020 and 2024. The trade-off versus BeyondATC is the subscription model — over time it costs more — and it does not include traffic injection. AI aircraft are not sequenced by the ATC system.
⚠️ SayIntentions is the better pick for pilots who want to learn correct ATC communication. BeyondATC is the better pick for immersive flying with integrated traffic. Neither is clearly superior. Both offer free trials. Try them before committing.
→ sayintentions.ai
3. AI Traffic
Getting realistic AI traffic into MSFS has always required third-party tools. The landscape shifted in May 2026 with the Navigraph/Flightradar24 partnership, which restored live injection after the FR24 API shutdown in April.
FSLTL — FREE (live traffic requires Navigraph Unlimited)
FSLTL is the standard for AI traffic models. The livery library is large, the aircraft look right, and the sounds are good. That part is free.
The injection side has had a rough few months. The free FR24 API FSLTL relied on was shut down April 30, 2026. Version 1.9.0 moved to static schedule-based injection only. Then on May 26, Navigraph announced a formal partnership with Flightradar24, and a new version launched with live injection restored via licensed FR24 data through Navigraph.
Current state: live injection works for Navigraph Unlimited subscribers. Static schedule-based injection still works for everyone else. The model library is free regardless.
Setup: select Navigraph as the data provider in the FSLTL injector settings and authenticate with your Navigraph account. One-time.
→ fsltl.com
AIG — FREE
AIG (AI Gateway) is the veteran option. Full MSFS 2024 support, schedule-based injection, large model and livery library. It doesn’t do live traffic but it’s stable and well-maintained.
If you want static traffic without a subscription, AIG works.
→ aig.aero
PSXT + RealTraffic — Subscription
PSXT with a RealTraffic subscription was the main live traffic alternative after the FR24 API shutdown. It still works, and it’s the better option if you don’t have Navigraph Unlimited.
One limitation: BeyondATC and similar ATC tools cannot sequence PSXT-injected traffic. You get live aircraft in the sky but they’re invisible to the ATC layer.
→ realtraffic.com
4. Performance
AutoFPS — FREE
AutoFPS manages Level of Detail (LOD) values dynamically to keep frame rates stable. It monitors VRAM usage and adjusts rendering distance on the fly, which prevents VRAM overflow crashes on heavily modded setups during approach into dense airports.
Set your target frame rate, leave it running.
→ github.com (search: AutoFPS MSFS)
GPU-Z — FREE
Not a sim tool, but useful for diagnosing performance issues. GPU-Z shows real-time VRAM usage, GPU load, and temperature. When MSFS crashes on approach, this tells you whether it was a VRAM spike.
→ techpowerup.com/gpuz
5. Ground Operations
GSX Pro — €29.99
GSX Pro simulates ground operations: boarding, catering, pushback, fuelling, deboarding. Doors open and close correctly. Ground crews show up. Jetways connect. Most major airports have custom profiles.
It’s the most visible immersion upgrade after sorting ATC and traffic. €29.99 one-time.
→ fsdreamteam.com
6. Add-on Management
MSFS Addons Linker — FREE
The community folder gets large fast. Addons Linker manages it without moving files. It creates symbolic links so your add-ons live wherever you store them and the sim sees them as if they’re in the community folder. Useful for toggling scenery and aircraft on and off.
→ flightsim.to
FlyByWire Installer — FREE
The FBW Installer manages updates for FlyByWire aircraft (A32NX, A380X), FSLTL, and a handful of other community tools. Handles stable vs. development builds. Worth having even if you only use it for FSLTL updates.
→ flybywiresim.com
7. Controllers and Advanced Mapping
FSUIPC7 — Free / Paid
FSUIPC7 handles advanced controller mapping, LVARs, offsets, and Lua scripting. The free version covers most standard use cases. The paid version unlocks the full feature set for home cockpit setups and complex hardware integration.
If native MSFS bindings work for your setup, you don’t need this. If you’re running a home cockpit or hitting mapping limitations, it’s the tool for it.
→ fsuipc.com
Last updated: June 2026
