Boeing 737 MAX vs 737-800: how to tell them apart

Over Ireland this is the comparison that matters most, because Ryanair flies hundreds of both [4]. The 737 MAX is essentially a Next Generation 737 with new engines [1]. It keeps the fuselage of the 737-800, so the middle of the aircraft tells you nothing. Look at the ends and the engines.

The engines first

The MAX's engines are much wider than a -800's and sit further forward of the wing [1]. They are CFM LEAP-1B engines [6], where the -800 has the CFM56-7 [7]. The FAA describes the MAX engines as larger and mounted higher and further forward than on the Next Generation 737 [10].

If you can see the back of the engine, look for chevrons: a row of small sawtooth ridges around the rear edge that reduce noise [1] [2]. The MAX has them; the -800 does not [1].

Then the wingtips

Both can carry a split winglet, a fin up and a smaller fin down, so do not stop at "it has two". On the MAX the top and bottom parts are roughly the same size [1] and the tips are flat and square [2]. On a -800 with split scimitars the tips are pointed [1] [2], and other -800s have a plain blended winglet instead, a single upward sweep [1].

The tail and the nose gear

At the back, the MAX's tail cone is pointed and extends further behind the tail, while the -800's is shorter and blunter [2]. At the front, the MAX sits on a longer nose gear, and there is a noticeable gap between the tops of the tyres and the gear doors [2].

Ryanair's own MAX

Ryanair's MAX is the 737-8200, a high-density 737-8 [5]. It is the same length as the 737-8, 39.5 m [3], but adds a pair of mid-exit doors [5], so count the exits behind the wing. The -800 has two cabin doors and two overwing exits a side [8]. Ryanair's first 737-8200 was delivered in Seattle and flew overnight to Dublin Airport in June 2021 [9].

A longer MAX is a 737-9, at 42.11 m against 39.5 m [3]. A tracker's type code is the easiest way to be sure.

What about the sound?

Ryanair's fleet page credits its 737-8200s with 40% less noise emissions, and says the MAX 10s it has on order will be 50% quieter than its Next Generation 737s [4]. Those are the airline's own figures. From a garden, the chevrons are the visible part of that story [1].

Which one will you see over Ireland?

As of 2 September 2026, Ryanair listed 411 Next Generation 737s, each with 189 seats, and 210 737-8200s with 197 seats [4]. So the -800 still outnumbers the MAX in Ryanair's fleet by about two to one, but the balance is shifting: Ryanair has 300 737 MAX 10s on order for delivery by 2034 [4].

If what you are looking at might be an Airbus instead, see Airbus A320 vs Boeing 737.

In photographs

Look closer at the shapes, details and liveries. Every photograph links to its original and credits its creator.

Drawings and original documents

Manufacturer planning drawings are linked below. Reproduction rights are retained by the publisher. Existing published drawings are credited below. These are reference illustrations, not manufacturing blueprints.

• 737 MAX airport planning drawings, July 2025

  Boeing’s airport planning manual covers MAX 7, 8, 9 and 10, with aircraft dimensions, servicing and manoeuvring information.

• The 737 MAX 8’s first flight, 29 January 2016

  Boeing’s contemporary first-flight report includes genuine photographs, the flight-test crew and the route between Renton and Boeing Field.

• 737 Next Generation airport planning drawings, October 2025

  Boeing’s dimensioned plans cover the 737-600 through 737-900, including the -800’s cabin, doors, ground clearances and turning geometry.

• The 737-800’s first flight, 31 July 1997

  Read Boeing’s original launch-era report, with its route, test crew, fleet position and the planned Next Generation test programme.