Below is a concise, practical comparison of the main award-flight search & management platforms (what they do, cost, strengths, weaknesses, and who should use each). I focused on tools people commonly use to find award availability, set alerts, and decide where to transfer points.

Quick summary (top picks)

• Best all-around search (multi-program, fast, alerts): Seats.aero. (seats.aero.)
• Best for beginners / step-by-step booking help and concierge: point.me. (point.me)
• Best for power users who want low-level award/GDS data and seat maps: ExpertFlyer. (expertflyer.com)
• Best free “which program to use / sweet-spot” tool (not live availability): AwardHacker (use with a live-availability tool). (rewardingtraveler.com)
• Best for tracking balances & expirations (not searching availability): AwardWallet. (awardwallet.com)

Deep-dive: platform-by-platform (short)

1. Seats.aero

• What it is: Dedicated award search engine that aggregates live award availability across many mileage programs, plus alerts and “explore” views. Free tier covers near-term searches; Pro unlocks longer windows and advanced alerts. (seats.aero.)
• Cost: free tier + Pro (monthly/yearly; commonly cited ~$9.99/month or ~$99.99/yr). (forbes.com)
• Strengths: fast results, good alert system, broad program coverage, handles many complex routing cases, mobile app. (seats.aero.)
• Weaknesses: occasional “phantom”/stale results for some carriers (airlines sometimes hide exact seat counts), and dynamic-pricing behavior can make some results differ vs airline site. Always verify on the airline site before transferring points. (docs.seats.aero)
• Best for: frequent award bookers who want a modern, affordable multi-program search + alerts.

2. point.me (formerly Juicy Miles)

• What it is: Multi-program award search + booking guidance; also offers a paid concierge/booking service. Good “show me how to book this with my points” instructions. (point.me)
• Cost: free tier (limited) and paid plans (examples: standard ~$129/yr; premium higher); single-use concierge fees exist (~$200+ per passenger for full service). (point.me)
• Strengths: clear booking instructions (transfer partner recommendations, step-by-step), concierge for complex trips, decent program coverage. Great for beginners. (nerdwallet.com)
• Weaknesses: historically slower searches vs some rivals and some advanced users prefer other UIs; some features behind paywall. (nerdwallet.com)
• Best for: beginners, people who want hand-holding or concierge help to actually execute a booking.

3. ExpertFlyer

• What it is: Longstanding GDS-based tool for award & upgrade inventory, fare classes, seat maps and automated alerts (owned by a travel brand). Very granular. (expertflyer.com)
• Cost: subscription tiers (free trial available; basic → pro with more alerts). (expertflyer.com)
• Strengths: great for power users who want fare class visibility, seat maps, and fine-grained alerts across many airlines and upgrade/award classes. (expertflyer.com)
• Weaknesses: UI is more technical/dated; not the best for multi-program auto-suggested partner bookings; some airlines limit what can be scraped. (expertflyer.com)
• Best for: expert award/bookers, frequent flyers, agents who need GDS/fare-class detail.

4. PointsYeah

• What it is: Award search engine with multi-day searches and strong filtering; competitive free tier/features. (awardwallet.com)
• Cost: has free version; paid tier around ~$89.99/yr (varies by source). (thewaystowealth.com)
• Strengths: multi-day window searches, many filters, good free offering, alerts. (awardwallet.com)
• Weaknesses: smaller program coverage vs the biggest tools; UI and feature set may suit some better than others. (awardwallet.com)
• Best for: users wanting powerful filtering and multi-day search without the highest cost.

5. Roame.Travel

• What it is: Region-to-region “Skyview” searches and flexible alerts, community-driven features; mobile app & guides. (roame.travel)
• Cost: free tier + paid (examples cited ~$109.99/yr or monthly options). (roame.travel)
• Strengths: excellent regional search (cover many airport pairs at once), strong alert coverage and community, mobile push notifications. (roame.travel)
• Weaknesses: smaller program list than the largest players; some advanced users prefer route-specific tools. (roame.travel)
• Best for: flexible travelers who want to monitor whole regions (e.g., “U.S. → Europe”) and rely on alerts.

6. AwardLogic

• What it is: Paid award search tool that returns booking options across many programs, shows transfer options and transfer bonuses. Offers single-day passes or subscriptions. (forbes.com)
• Cost: day passes (~$4.99), monthly (~$19.99), annual (~$199.99) per reviews. (forbes.com)
• Strengths: flexible pricing (day pass), shows multiple booking/program options and transfer guidance. Good for occasional deep searches without long-term subscription. (forbes.com)
• Weaknesses: some users prefer other UIs; you still must verify live availability before transferring points. (princeoftravel.com)

7. AwardHacker

• What it is: Free tool focused on showing which loyalty programs and routing “sweet spots” exist for a route (i.e., how many miles each program would charge). Historically more about charts/sweet spots than live seat scraping/alerts. (rewardingtraveler.com)
• Cost: free.
• Strengths: quick way to find which program might charge the fewest miles (good for planning where to transfer points). (saashub.com)
• Weaknesses: doesn’t reliably show live award availability or provide booking instructions/alerts — always pair it with a live-availability tool (Seats.aero, ExpertFlyer, point.me, etc.). (rewardingtraveler.com)

8. AwardWallet

• What it is: Points/miles/account tracker and expiration-alert tool (tracks balances, expirations, some activity). Not an award-search engine. (awardwallet.com)
• Cost: free + AwardWallet Plus (~$49.99/yr) for unlimited updates, expiration alerts, Balance Watch. (awardwallet.com)
• Use with: any award search tool — AwardWallet helps you know what you have and what’s expiring so you don’t transfer or lose points unknowingly. (awardwallet.com)

How to choose (short checklist)

• If you want the most modern multi-program search + alerts: try Seats.aero Pro. (seats.aero.)
• If you need step-by-step help or will pay for concierge bookings: point.me. (point.me)
• If you need GDS-level detail, seat maps, upgrade class searches: ExpertFlyer. (expertflyer.com)
• If you’re planning which program to transfer to (before checking live availability): use AwardHacker + a live availability tool. (saashub.com)
• Also use AwardWallet (or similar) to track balances/expiration while you search. (awardwallet.com)

Caveats & best practices

• Always verify availability and pricing on the airline/loyalty program site before transferring points — third-party tools can show availability that changes fast or is incomplete (dynamic pricing, phantom availability, partner-only inventory). (docs.seats.aero)
• Consider starting with a free tier trial (many tools offer one) to confirm coverage and alert quality for the routes/programs you care about. (seats.aero.)

If you want, I can:

• Recommend 1–2 specific tools based on the routes/programs you use most (e.g., U.S. → Europe in business on Aeroplan or ANA), or
• Compare 2 tools head-to-head for a particular route/date to illustrate differences in results and workflow.

Which would you prefer?