SeatGuru shut down in November 2025 after TripAdvisor, its parent company, discontinued the service. For over 20 years, SeatGuru was the primary tool travelers used to find the best airplane seats, but the site became outdated and was not maintained with current aircraft configurations. As of late 2025, SeatGuru.com redirects to TripAdvisor’s main page.

This leaves a gap for travelers. How do you avoid the dreaded middle seat, find extra legroom, or check a seat’s recline? In this guide, we explain what happened to SeatGuru and rank the best alternatives available today. We’ll also show you a simple, two-step strategy to not only find the perfect seat but also see how full your flight is in real-time.

Key Information

  • SeatGuru has officially shut down. The site became outdated and now redirects to TripAdvisor.
  • The best alternative for live seat maps and checking if a flight is full is the AwardFares Seat Map Tool. It’s free, easy, and requires no special knowledge.
  • The best alternative for technical seat details is AeroLOPA. It provides precise, to-scale diagrams of aircraft cabins once you know your specific plane model.
  • The Best Strategy Now: Use AwardFares to quickly see live seat availability, then use AeroLOPA to research the finer details of your chosen seat.

In This Article

What Happened to SeatGuru?

Launched in 2001, SeatGuru was a simple but brilliant idea. It used color-coded maps (green for good, red for bad) to help flyers choose the best seats. It was a traveler’s secret weapon.

In 2007, TripAdvisor bought the site. For years, it remained popular. However, in recent years, the site was not updated. New aircraft configurations were missing, and old ones remained, making the maps unreliable. In late 2025, TripAdvisor officially shut it down. Now, anyone visiting SeatGuru.com is redirected to TripAdvisor’s main site, leaving many travelers searching for a replacement.

SeatGuru shut down in November 2025. Now redirects to TripAdvisor (parent company).

The New 2-Step Strategy for Picking the Perfect Seat

With SeatGuru gone, picking a seat now involves a simple two-step process using two different kinds of tools: one for live availability and one for static details.

Step 1: Check the Live Seat Map with AwardFares.

First, you need to answer the most important questions: How full is my flight? and Is someone sitting next to me? A live seat map shows you exactly which seats are taken, available, or blocked right now. This is your first and most important check.

Step 2: Check the Technical Details with AeroLOPA.

Once you see which seats are available, you can dig deeper. A static, detailed map will tell you if a seat has a misaligned window, is too close to the lavatory, or has extra legroom. This helps you confirm you’ve made the best choice.

This combination gives you a complete picture that even SeatGuru couldn’t provide: real-time data plus technical accuracy.

The 7 Best SeatGuru Alternatives (Ranked)

Here are the best tools to replace SeatGuru, ranked for the everyday traveler.

1. AwardFares Seat Map Tool

Best for: Instantly checking live seat availability and seeing how full a flight is.

The AwardFares Seat Map Tool is the best first stop for any traveler. It’s free, simple, and shows you the real-time seat map for virtually any flight. You don’t need to know the exact aircraft type, just your flight details. Its primary goal is to answer the question: “What does my flight look like right now?”

How To Use the Live Seat Map Checker

  1. Enter your flight details (Origin, Destination, Date, and Flight Number).
  2. Click Search.
  3. Instantly see which seats are occupied (red), available (green), or blocked (yellow).

Why it’s our #1 pick:

  • Live Data: Shows you the actual, up-to-the-minute seat map.
  • Extremely Easy: No need to know the specific Boeing 777-300ER version you’re on.
  • Completely Free: The tool is free for everyone to use.

Expert Tip

Our live seat map is the fastest way to see flight availability. For a deeper dive into all the features, check out our full guide: How Full Is My Flight? Check Flight Seat Availability Instantly.

How Full Is My Flight? Seat Map Availability Checker

2. AeroLOPA

Best for: Accurate, detailed aircraft layouts for aviation enthusiasts.

AeroLOPA creates beautiful, precise, and up-to-date seat maps based on official airline diagrams. If you want to know the exact window alignment, where the bassinets are, or the manufacturer of your business class seat, AeroLOPA is the place to go.

Why it shines:

  • Unmatched Accuracy: The maps are based on real LOPA documents from airlines.
  • Incredible Detail: Shows everything from galleys to window positions with perfect scale.

What to know:

  • You Need to Know Your Plane: You must know the exact aircraft model to find the right map.
  • It’s a Static Map: It shows the plane’s layout, not who is sitting where.

Pro Tip

To find your exact aircraft type, check your booking confirmation email, look up your flight on Google Flights, or use a tool like Flightradar24. This will help you find the correct map on AeroLOPA.

Best SeatGuru Alternatives in 2025: AeroLOPA

3. SeatMaps.com

Best for: A more traditional, SeatGuru-like experience.

SeatMaps.com is trying to be a direct replacement for SeatGuru. It offers color-coded maps, seat dimension details (like pitch and width), and sometimes includes 360-degree cabin views. It covers a large number of airlines and feels familiar to former SeatGuru users.

Why it’s a good option:

  • Familiar Interface: Easy to use if you liked SeatGuru’s layout.
  • Good Coverage: Claims to have maps for hundreds of airlines.

What to know:

  • Data Can Be Generic: The maps may not always be up-to-date.
Best SeatGuru Alternatives in 2025: SeatMaps.com

4. ExpertFlyer

Best for: Frequent flyers who want to set seat alerts.

ExpertFlyer is a powerful subscription-based tool. Its superpower is the ability to set alerts. If you want a specific seat (like an exit row), ExpertFlyer can notify you the moment it becomes available.

Why it’s useful:

  • Seat Alerts: The only tool that actively monitors seats for you.
  • Live Data: Shows a real-time map for a specific flight.

What to know:

  • Requires a Paid Subscription: The best features are not free.
  • Dated Interface: It’s powerful, but not as user-friendly as modern tools.
Best SeatGuru Alternatives in 2025: ExpertFlyer

5. SeatLink

Best for: User reviews and photos of specific seats.

SeatLink is a review-driven platform where travelers share their direct experiences. Its main value comes from user-uploaded photos, which give you a real-world preview of what to expect from a seat, something a diagram can never do.

Why it’s useful:

  • Real Traveler Photos: See the actual seat, legroom, and window view.
  • Crowd-Sourced Data: Offers insights you can’t get from official maps.

What to know:

  • Inconsistent Coverage: The quality of information depends entirely on user submissions, so many planes or seats may have no data.
Best SeatGuru Alternatives in 2025: SeatLink

6. SeatMaestro

Best for: A backup for older aircraft configurations and user reviews.

SeatMaestro is another long-standing site that, like SeatGuru, relies on user reviews and photos. While it also suffers from having some outdated information, its large database can sometimes have details on older planes that other, more modern sites don’t cover.

Why it’s a good backup:

  • Large Database: Has a deep archive of aircraft layouts.
  • Review-Based: Offers personal experiences from other travelers.

What to know:

  • Often Outdated: Not reliable for new aircraft or recently updated cabins.
Best SeatGuru Alternatives in 2025: SeatMaestro

Bonus: The Airline's Own Website

Best for: The guaranteed correct seat map for your specific flight.

Don’t forget the most obvious source. The airline you’re flying with will show you a seat map when you manage your booking. This is the only 100% guaranteed accurate map for your flight. Always use it as your final check before selecting a seat.

Why it’s essential:

  • Guaranteed Accuracy: It’s the real map for your exact flight.

What to know:

  • Lacks Detail: Airline maps won’t tell you if a seat has limited recline or a missing window.
Best SeatGuru Alternatives in 2025: Airline

Which tool should I use?

Your need Best tool Why
I don’t know my aircraft AwardFares Seat Map Live map from just flight details
I need technical seat layout AeroLOPA To-scale diagrams from airline LOPA documents
I want alerts for a specific seat ExpertFlyer Notifies when a target seat becomes available
I want traveler photos/reviews SeatLink Real-world seat images and crowd insights

SeatGuru Alternatives Comparison Chart

Rank Tool Best For Pro Con
1 AwardFares Live Seat Availability Simple to use, shows how full flight is Not a technical diagram of the plane
2 AeroLOPA Technical Seat Details The most precise maps available Requires you to know your exact aircraft
3 SeatMaps.com A familiar SeatGuru-like experience User-friendly and broad coverage Maps can be outdated or generic
4 ExpertFlyer Frequent flyers Powerful seat alert tool Requires a paid subscription
5 SeatLink User reviews and photos Real traveler photos and opinions Inconsistent and sometimes missing data
6 SeatMaestro Backup for older aircraft Large archive and user reviews Often outdated for modern fleets
Bonus Airline Website Verifying your flight’s map 100% accurate for your booking Lacks impartial details and reviews

Learn More in Our Full Guides

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Your Questions Answered

What is the best free alternative to SeatGuru?

The best free alternative is a two-step process:

  1. Use the AwardFares Seat Map Tool to see a live map of available seats on your flight.

  2. Use AeroLOPA to check the technical details of the available seats to ensure you pick one without issues like a missing window or limited recline.

What can I use to see if the seat next to me is empty?

The AwardFares Seat Map Tool is the best way to do this. Because it shows live data from the airline, you can see exactly which seats are occupied. Check it right before you head to the airport for the most accurate view.

Why was SeatGuru shut down?

TripAdvisor, the parent company, stopped updating the site for several years. The seat maps became increasingly inaccurate as airlines introduced new planes and cabin layouts. Instead of investing in updating it, they chose to shut it down in late 2025.

How can I find the best seat on a plane now?

First, check the live seat map on AwardFares to see what’s available. Then, use AeroLOPA to look up that aircraft’s detailed layout. Avoid seats near lavatories and galleys for less noise and foot traffic. Exit row seats offer more legroom but may not recline. Bulkhead seats also have more legroom but no storage in front of you during takeoff and landing.

What is the difference between a live seat map and a static one?

A live seat map (like AwardFares or the airline’s site) shows you real-time availability for a specific flight, which seats are taken and which are open. A static seat map (like AeroLOPA) is a detailed diagram of the aircraft model’s layout. It doesn’t change and is the same for every flight on that plane type.

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