Short answer: AwardFares is mainly a powerful award-search engine (not a booking agency) that focuses on real‑time, multi‑program searching plus flexible, AI-enhanced alerts and integrated tools (seat maps, timeline/journey planner, schedule/booking‑class lookups). Those features — and the way they’re combined — are what distinguish it from many other award‑finder platforms. (awardfares.com)

What specifically makes AwardFares different

• Simultaneous multi‑program searches: search many frequent‑flyer programs at once so you can compare redemption options across alliances and partners in a single results view. (awardfares.com)
• Real‑time availability with high refresh rates: higher tiers allow true real‑time checks (Diamond can refresh as often as every minute), which helps you catch seats the moment they appear. (awardfares.com)
• Advanced alerting (Live Alerts + AI “Flex Alerts”): you can monitor exact flights/dates or set broad, flexible criteria (e.g., “US → Europe, business class, whole month”) so the system surfaces high‑value opportunities you might otherwise miss. (awardfares.com)
• Integrated tools for decision making: timeline/calendar view and a Journey Planner for multi‑leg itineraries, integrated seat maps, flight schedules and booking‑class lookups — all in the same interface so you don’t have to jump between sites. (blog.awardfares.com)
• Flexible alert/search limits and pricing tiers: a free tier to try things out and paid Gold/Diamond tiers that add real‑time searches, more frequent refreshes and higher/lifted alert limits (Diamond offers unlimited alerts/searches). (help.awardfares.com)

What it is not

• AwardFares does not issue tickets — it finds availability and (when possible) provides booking links, but you must complete redemptions on the airline’s site or by calling the airline. Keep that in mind for complex bookings or stopovers where a phone agent may be required. (help.awardfares.com)

How that compares to many competitors (brief)

• Many other tools either search only a single program at a time, limit the number/scope of alerts, lack integrated seat maps/timeline views, or refresh availability much less frequently. AwardFares aims to combine broad multi‑program visibility, fast real‑time updates and flexible alerts in one product. (AwardFares’ own comparisons and user reviews highlight these differences.) (blog.awardfares.com)

Who benefits most

• Travel‑hackers and flexible travelers who want to monitor many programs/routes and grab seats quickly; people building complex multi‑leg award itineraries; and anyone who prefers an integrated, visual workflow rather than checking multiple airline sites manually. (awardfares.com)

If you want, I can: (a) compare AwardFares side‑by‑side with a specific competitor (e.g., PointsYeah, ExpertFlyer, AwardHacker), or (b) summarize which of its paid tiers is likely best for your use case.