Short comparative overview — what each tool does best, pricing (current from vendor/reviews), strengths & weaknesses, and which to pick depending on your needs.

1. What they are, at a glance

• ExpertFlyer — a long-established GDS-focused tool for award/upgrade inventory, fare classes, seat maps, and alerts. Strong on granular fare-bucket info and seat/aircraft-change notifications. (ExpertFlyer.com)
• Point.Me — an award-search engine and points strategy service that finds how to book award space across many programs and shows which transferable program to use; offers both a DIY Search product and a paid Concierge service for complex bookings. (connect.Point.Me)
• Seats.aero — a modern award-search and alert tool focused on showing available award seats across supported programs with useful route stats and alerts; simpler, more route-focused interface aimed at finding and watching award space. (Forbes.com)

2. Pricing (summary from vendor / recent reviews)

• ExpertFlyer: free tier; Basic around $4.99/mo; Premium ~ $9–9.99/mo (annual discounts available). Feature limits vary by tier (alerts, queries, flexible searches). (ExpertFlyer.com)
• Point.Me: free limited tools; Standard ~ $12/mo or $129/yr; Premium ~ $260/yr. Concierge fees apply separately for full-service bookings. (connect.Point.Me)
• Seats.aero: free limited searches (short window); Pro about $9.99/mo or ~$99/yr for longer-window searches, unlimited alerts and advanced filters. (Forbes.com)

3. Key strengths and where each outperforms the others

• ExpertFlyer — Best for power users who need:

  • Granular GDS/fare-bucket data, published fare rules and timetable info.
  • Precise seat maps and many simultaneous seat/flight alerts (useful for upgrades, instrument upgrades, checking fare-class openings).
    Good when you already know which airline/program you’re working with and want the most technical detail. (ExpertFlyer.com)

• Point.Me — Best for award-booking strategy and convenience:

  • Cross-program award search showing which transfer partners and points will unlock a given itinerary.
  • Helpful for people who want step‑by‑step instructions or use Concierge for complex multi-stop/redemption planning.
  • More hand‑holding (and higher tiers include credits/consultations). (connect.Point.Me)

• Seats.aero — Best for straightforward award availability monitoring:

  • Clean UI for route-based searching and alerts, route statistics, and community signals (Discord alerts).
  • Good value for people tracking specific routes for last‑minute award openings or route trends. Easier for users who want route alerts rather than deep fare-bucket data. (Forbes.com)

4. Main limitations / caveats

• ExpertFlyer: does not show every carrier’s inventory (some big carriers limit data); steep learning curve if you’re not used to fare classes/GDS concepts. Best value for users who need very granular alerts. (thepointsguy.com)
• Point.Me: paid plans are pricier than basic seat-alert tools; results can depend on how each airline publishes award inventory — you should always verify on the airline’s site before transferring points. Concierge can be expensive but time-saving. (connect.Point.Me)
• Seats.aero: supports a limited (but growing) set of programs compared with full GDS access; some familiarity with award partners/airport codes helps get the most out of it. (Forbes.com)

5. Which to choose (quick decision guide)

• You want deep, technical control (fare buckets, upgrades, many custom alerts): ExpertFlyer. (ExpertFlyer.com)
• You want the easiest path to convert credit-card points into specific award bookings, or you want a concierge to do the hard work: Point.Me. (connect.Point.Me)
• You mainly want route-based award availability, simple alerts, and good value for monitoring specific routes: Seats.aero. (Forbes.com)

6. Practical tip for most users

• Use them together: e.g., Point.Me to find which program/transfer is best for a target itinerary, Seats.aero to watch a route for openings, and ExpertFlyer for the final seat/fare-bucket/alert precision if you need upgrade inventory or exact fare-class checks. Also always confirm availability and total taxes/fees on the airline’s own booking page before you transfer points. (WSJ.com)

If you want, I can:

• Check any of their current plan prices or supported airlines for a specific route/date, or
• Recommend which service to try first based on the exact itinerary and whether you prefer DIY or concierge help.