The best drone apps do five different jobs: control the aircraft, check airspace, forecast weather, plan photographs, and review flight logs. Start with the flight app that supports your exact drone. Then add the tools your shoots need.
Whatever new drone photography skill you want to learn, an app can help with the planning. Camera choices such as which ND filter to fit still need you to think about the light and your settings.
For a starting set, pair your drone's flight app with an airspace checker for the country where you fly. In the US, AutoPylot and Aloft provide FAA-approved B4UFLY services. Add UAV Forecast for weather, PhotoPills for light and composition, or Airdata UAV for flight records.
The ten apps below keep their separate roles. A map does not give you airspace authorization, and a mission planner does not necessarily connect to your drone. Check the model, controller, phone and app version together before you pay.
10. Airdata UAV
Airdata UAV is the flight-log choice on this list. Import logs from a supported flight app or set up a supported automatic sync, then review what happened in the air.
Its flight analysis includes map replays, battery data and signal information. Those records can help you investigate a warning or compare a battery's performance across flights. What appears depends on the data recorded by your aircraft and flight app.
It also keeps flight and equipment records together if you start a drone photography business. Start with the free plan, then check the storage and reporting limits before choosing a paid one.
9. Aloft Air Aware
Air Aware is the quick airspace check on this list. Search your location to see restrictions and advisories before you plan a flight.
Aloft is an FAA-approved B4UFLY provider. Air Aware uses FAA data and includes terrestrial rules, which cover restrictions on drone operation at ground locations. It also has a layer for FAA-Recognized Identification Areas, or FRIAs.
Use the map to identify what needs checking. It does not turn a planned flight into an authorized one. If your US flight requires controlled-airspace authorization, use a LAANC service such as AutoPylot or Air Control, or the FAA's DroneZone route. For a trip abroad, check the destination's aviation authority and site rules rather than assuming a worldwide map is complete.
8. AutoPylot
AutoPylot combines US airspace checks with requests through LAANC, the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability.
It is one of the providers on the FAA's B4UFLY list. Its free tools include airspace status, LAANC, checklists and mission planning. Advanced pre-flight weather and some reporting tools require AutoPylot+, so check which features you need before choosing a plan.
An airspace status check and an authorization are separate steps. Where authorization is required, submit the request and read the approval's limits before flying. The FAA also accepts requests through DroneZone, including flights where the LAANC route is not available.
AutoPylot is a US planning tool. For flights in another country, start with that country's official airspace and drone guidance.
7. Google Maps
As an obsessive photo-planner, I count Google Maps as one of my best friends.
It's useful for many tasks, including finding drone photo locations and working out the best places to launch from. It also measures distances and, of course, gets you there.
This is often the first place I go. Especially when I'm looking for compositions you would never be able to see from the ground. I spend hours scouring Google Maps and saving locations that have the potential for great drone landscape photos.
The topographical map in Terrain Mode is a great help for reading the contours of the landscape before you arrive.
Use Google Maps to scout the shot and the journey, then check a dedicated airspace service. A satellite image does not show whether your flight is authorized or whether you may launch from the land below it. The FAA makes the same distinction: airspace authorization does not give land-use approval.
6. UAV Forecast
UAV Forecast puts weather and satellite information on a dashboard built for flight planning. Its wind and gust forecasts include a selected altitude, rather than only conditions at ground level.
You can set thresholds and see a color-coded assessment against them. The app also reports GPS satellite data and the Kp index for geomagnetic activity.
Treat the assessment as a planning aid. A green result cannot inspect your launch site or decide whether the flight is within your skills and the aircraft's limits. Recheck conditions at the location.
The app is free to download. Check the subscription before relying on a forecast: its current iPhone listing offers 24-hour, 7-day and 15-day options. Confirm the forecast window before planning a shoot several days away.
5. Litchi
Litchi is worth considering for repeatable waypoint flights on a supported DJI drone. You can plan a route on a computer, sync it to the flight app and use it again when you return to the location.
There are now several Litchi tools, so the name alone is not enough to check compatibility:
- Litchi for DJI Drones is the established iPhone and Android app linked below. Supported models include the Mini 2, original Mini SE, Air 2S, Mavic Mini, Mavic Air 2, Mavic 2, Mavic Air, Mavic Pro, Phantom 3 and 4, Inspire 1 and 2, and Spark.
- Litchi Pilot is a separate beta flight app. Its supported consumer models include the Mini 3, Mini 3 Pro and Mini 4 Pro. Follow its own installation and device requirements.
- Litchi Hub also supports planning flights for DJI Fly on listed newer models, including the Air 3 series, Mavic 3 series, Mavic 4 Pro and Mini 5 Pro. That is a different workflow from connecting the original Litchi app to the aircraft.
Check Litchi's current model list before buying. The original app's waypoint, Orbit, Follow, Track and Panorama modes do not mean every Litchi product has identical features.
4. Aloft Air Control
Aloft Air Control brings airspace authorization, flight planning and records into one platform. It is the choice here for pilots who want more than a quick map check.
It offers LAANC requests, pre-flight checklists, flight logging, aircraft tracking and team tools. For a business with several pilots or drones, keeping these records together can make reviewing an operation easier.
Its flight-control and logging options depend on the supported hardware and workflow. Do not assume it will automatically record a flight made in any other app. Check the required setup and plan before using it as your only logbook.
AutoPylot also supports commercial pilots, so you do not need Air Control simply because you fly under Part 107. Choose it when its records and team features match the work you do.
3. Dronelink
Dronelink is a mission planner for photographers who need more control over a repeatable route. Its browser planner lets you build missions before reaching the location, but how you fly them depends on the drone.
Direct flight control: The Mini 3, Mini 3 Pro and Mini 4 Pro use the Android-only Dronelink DJI app. The Mini 4 Pro needs the correct APK and a supported controller; its support guide excludes iOS and the DJI RC 2. The general app-store downloads below are not the installation route for that model.
Waypoint export: For models listed as onboard-only, such as the Air 3 series and consumer Mavic 3 series, Dronelink converts a plan to a KMZ waypoint file for execution in the appropriate DJI app. Inspire 3 uses DJI Pilot 2, not DJI Fly.
Read the conversion limits before choosing this route. Not every action transfers, and the converted path can differ. It is not a way to add waypoint support to every DJI model. Dronelink requires an active plan to create and fly missions; check the model list and plan features before subscribing.
2. PhotoPills
If I could only use one photography app, it would be PhotoPills. It has far too many features to cover here, but a lot of them are made for drone work.
The Planner and Sun pills let you see the movement, direction, and angle of the sun at a chosen date and time. So you can plan a sunrise or sunset shot before you leave the house, then check the weather separately.
Drone View helps plan a photograph looking straight down. Select the drone camera, adjust the frame on the map and check the height needed for that framing. You can also use composition grids and shadow information. It is a map-based planning view, so do not expect a live view of the scene or a full preview of every camera angle.
PhotoPills is a paid photography app. Choose it to work out where the light and frame will be. Choose UAV Forecast when your immediate question is what the weather may do.
1. DJI Fly
1. DJI Fly
| App Store |
App Store
Apple, DJI.com for Android
|
| Price |
Price
Free
|
| Extra Features |
Extra Features
Live HD feed, manual camera control, QuickShots, GEO warnings, QuickTransfer
|
| Best For |
Best For
Supported DJI camera drones, using the app and controller named in the aircraft manual
|
DJI Fly is the starting point for supported DJI camera drones. It puts the live camera view, flight status and shooting controls together, with features that depend on the aircraft.
DJI lists models such as the Mini 3, Mini 4 Pro, Mini 5 Pro, Air 3S, Mavic 4 Pro, Flip and Neo among its supported aircraft. That does not mean every DJI drone uses it. Older aircraft can require DJI GO or GO 4, while professional models such as Inspire 3 use DJI Pilot 2.
Start with the app named in your drone's manual. Then check whether its built-in shooting modes already do the job you have in mind. If you need a third-party planner, use that planner's exact model and controller list. A flight planned elsewhere may still need DJI Fly to execute it.
DJI Fly is free. Use DJI's own download page for the Android installer, or its official App Store listing for iPhone. Keep airspace planning separate: a warning or an unlocked zone in a manufacturer's app is not an FAA authorization.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Need an App to Fly a Drone Legally?
No particular app makes a flight legal. In the US, a recreational flight in controlled airspace needs prior FAA authorization, which you can request through LAANC or DroneZone. B4UFLY services help you identify restrictions and authorization needs. You must also meet the other rules for your flight and check whether you may take off and land at the site.
Which Drone App Handles LAANC Authorization?
AutoPylot and Aloft Air Control both provide LAANC services. AutoPylot includes LAANC and airspace checks in its free tools. Air Control also brings flight records and team operations together. Check the service coverage and the limits in your authorization; a submitted request is not itself permission to fly.
Can I Use a Third-Party Flight App With a New DJI Drone?
Only if the app supports your exact model, controller and device. For example, Dronelink supports direct Mini 4 Pro control on compatible Android devices, but not iOS or the DJI RC 2. Some other drones use an exported waypoint file in a DJI app instead. Do not assume Flip or Neo gains waypoint missions through that export process.
Are Drone Apps Free?
Several have free tools, but the download price does not tell you which features are included. DJI Fly is free. AutoPylot has free airspace, LAANC and checklist tools, with advanced weather in AutoPylot+. UAV Forecast offers paid forecast options. Check the plan and compatibility together before paying for a flight planner.
What Are Your Favorite Drone Camera Apps?
Start with the aircraft, then the job. Use its supported flight app, check airspace and weather, and add a planner or logbook when you have a reason to use one.
For an automated shoot, confirm the complete workflow before leaving home: planning, file transfer if required, controller support and the app that will execute the flight. A mission that looks right on a computer still needs checking at the location.
For ideas about what to point your drone at, our roundup of influential aerial photographers is a good place to start.
Looking for a drone for photography? Check out our post on the 3 Best Drones for Photography next!
