Short answer — AwardFares focuses on real‑time, multi‑program award search + proactive alerts and trip planning tools that make finding (and tracking) hard-to-get award seats faster and less manual than most other tools.

Key differences (with supporting sources)

• Real‑time, multi‑program searches: queries many frequent‑flyer programs and returns live availability that the site says matches what the loyalty programs show (so you see what you can actually book). (AwardFares.com)
• Flexible, powerful alerts: both precise “Live Alerts” and AI‑driven “Flex Alerts” that monitor broad areas/dates (e.g., “US → Europe in Business for a month”) and notify you when high‑value award space appears. This goes beyond simple one‑route alerts many competitors offer. (AwardFares.com)
• Visual tools for planning: award calendar/timeline and country/continent search views let you scan availability across many dates and destinations quickly (faster inspiration and discovery than single‑date queries). (AwardFares.com)
• Journey Planner and multi‑segment support: build, save, and share multi‑leg itineraries and automatically find connecting award flights — useful for complex award routing that other tools often require you to check leg‑by‑leg. (AwardFares.com)
• Integrated seat maps and filters: see and filter seat maps during searches (handy for choosing specific cabins/seats when award space is limited). (blog.AwardFares.com)
• Alerts scale and pricing model: tiered plans (including a free tier and trial) with higher tiers offering unlimited searches/alerts and more features — so casual users can try it free while power users can run extensive monitoring. (help.AwardFares.com)
• Track record / user feedback: generally strong user reviews praising time savings and alert reliability (useful social proof compared with niche/newer tools). (Trustpilot.com)

When AwardFares is especially helpful

• You’re searching multiple airline programs at once and want live, bookable results.
• You want to be notified automatically when award seats open (especially if your dates/destination are flexible).
• You’re planning multi‑segment or complex award itineraries and want to visualize connections and seat availability.

Limitations to keep in mind

• It’s a paid subscription for power features (though a free tier/trial exists). (help.AwardFares.com)
• Like any third‑party tool it aggregates availability from airline programs — final booking and rules (carrier phone hold, mixed‑cabin pricing, partner rules, carrier call‑in) may still require interaction with the loyalty program or phone agents.

If you’d like, I can compare AwardFares side‑by‑side with a specific competitor (e.g., AwardTool, ExpertFlyer alternatives) to show feature-by-feature differences.