7 Best MSFS 2024 Tools/Addon to Use for Better Experience [Free]

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (MSFS 2024) changed the simulation landscape with beautiful graphics, lifelike physics, and great systems depth in aircraft modeling.

But in order to fulfill the emotion, a greater number of simmers rely on free third-party programs and add-ons that provide more functions, authenticity, and immersion.

In this article, I’m going to discuss the 7 best FREE tools and add-ons that every MSFS 2024 user should be using to improve their simming experience.

These utilities are made for beginners; they are still maintained by the community, and they make it easier to integrate into your sim setup.

Best MSFS 2024 Tools/Add-on

1. MSFS Addons Linker

If you’ve ever been suffocated under an avalanche of liveries, scenery packs, or aircraft mods, MSFS Addons Linker is your friend.

This helper utility allows you to arrange and easily enable or disable add-ons without any of the related clutter in your official Community folder.

Features:

• Create profiles for specific kinds of flying, like VFR, IFR, and regions.
• Quickly enable or disable add-ons with one click.
• Maps are color-coded to indicate where a scene is located in the world.
• Helps reduce load times and prevents unwanted memory usage.

Use Case:

Need a little time to plan that bush flight in Alaska? Add only your bush planes and Alaskan scenery. There’s no need to stress European airports or oversized commercial jets.

2. Toolbar Pushback

The default pushback in MSFS is honestly just kind of clunky. Toolbar Pushback gives you full control over your airplane’s pushes, resulting in immersive and smooth changes in your ramp setups.

Features:

• In-sim toolbar integration.
• Manual or pre-planned pushback route.
• Automatic parking-brake release feature.
• Support for voice and keyboard commands.

Use Case:

To fly a PMDG 737 on a flight out of Heathrow? Carefully plan your pushback or take manual control as in real ground operations.

3. MSFS Map Enhancement

MSFS comes with an adequate set of satellite data out of the box; however, it can often be lacking in sharpness and real-world correctness.

You can replace Bing Maps with Google Maps, ArcGIS, or other paid providers for crisper images and improved color tones using MSFS Map Enhancement.

Features:

• Choose 6 different map services.
• Simple launcher to switch between map types.
• Updates terrain textures in real-time.
• Greatly enhances city detail, coastlines, and terrains with mountains.

Use Case:

To fly over cities like Tokyo or New York? Right away, you’ll see clearer roads, buildings, and natural terrain.

4. Flight Recorder

MSFS 2024 does not have a built-in flight replay capability, so content creators and people looking to analyze their landings are out of luck.

The time has come to close that gap, and Flight Recorder does so in a beautiful way.

Features:

• Records every second of your flight.
• Replay takeoffs, landings, or crashes.
• Time skip, pause, reverse, and fast-forward.
• Save and load flight logs.

Use Case:

Practice your landings or fly through scenic cinematic views for YouTube or personal enjoyment.

5. SimBrief Dispatch

Pilots never leave the ground without a flight plan. Navigraph: SimBrief is the industry standard for virtual flight planning. It’s enjoyed by both beginners and veterans alike.

Features:

• Generate accurate IFR and VFR flight plans.
• Integrated with airplanes such as PMDG, Fenix, and FBW A32NX.
• Auto-load weather, fuel calculations, and ETAs.
• Dispatch briefing including OFP, NOTAMs, METARs, and so on.

Use Case:

Taking an A320 from Delhi to Dubai? SimBrief produces a full dispatch package, including SID, STAR, alternate airfields, fuel load and more.

6. FSLTL (FS Live Traffic Liveries)

MSFS doesn’t feel very alive in the sky with no realistic AI traffic. FSLTL fills the active traffic with real liveries and truly brings empty airports to life when you pull in with many real-world aircraft.

Features:

• Live traffic matching real-world schedules.
• High-quality airline liveries and models.
• Integration with VATSIM for multiplayer.
• Manage traffic for maximum performance.

Use Case:

Land at JFK during rush hour and sense the hustle and bustle of American Airlines, Delta, and JetBlue traffic around you.

7. CabinSim Airline Announcements

Flight simming is not just about the flying experience but the whole ​immersive experience.

CabinSim takes that immersion one step further by using actual airline cabin announcements for your flight phase and aircraft type.

Features:

• Remember to include airline announcements of particular airlines (Emirates, Lufthansa, IndiGo, etc.).
• Initiated by phases of flight: boarding, takeoff, cruise, and descent.
• Cabin crew speak in multiple languages.
• Realistic cabin environment sounds.

Use Case:

Begin boarding in Frankfurt with Lufthansa’s boarding music and conclude with landing announcements in Delhi. It’s a treat, more so for passengers than for pilots.

Installation Tips for New Users

To get the most from these tools:

1. Everything should be managed via the MSFS Addons Linker.
2. Set up different profiles for VATSIM, practice, and those casual flights.
3. Always read documentation on Flightsim.to or GitHub before installing.
4. Join the owner’s page in Discord for fast help and updates.
5. Monitor and manage performance impact while using traffic or map add-ons.

Final Thoughts

Flight simming is about more than flying from A to B—it’s about realism, immersion, and control. With these 7 tools, MSFS 2024 becomes an accurate, real-world aviation sandbox.

Here, Life in the Sim is all about fun, and the best way to have fun is to get your simulation to look like something, the real thing.

So you can fire up that sim, plan your departure with SimBrief, push back with Toolbar Pushback, watch live traffic with FSLTL, and sit in a realistic cabin with CabinSim. The sky is not the limit—it’s your playground.