DroneXR vs PLAY'A
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
DroneXR
Experience your drone flights in immersive virtual reality. This app streams live video from your drone directly to your phone, rendering it in stereo for VR headsets with advanced lens distortion correction. Control your drone and camera settings with intuitive head-tracking and voice commands.
- Stereo VR video streaming
- High-quality lens distortion correction
- Head-tracking camera control
- On-screen telemetry data
- Voice control for hands-free operation
- Flight logging and synchronization
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With DroneXR (former DroneVR ;-) you can take a seat in your drone and fly like a bird. DroneXR connects your phone with the drone and renders the live video stream in stereo with high-quality lens distortion correction, so that it can be viewed with a virtual reality headset. Important: The free version of DroneXR supports the Ryze Tello drone. Support for DJI drones can be activated via in-app purchase. See below for a list of supported drones. DroneXR's features: ============== * Beautiful, configurable user interface supporting dark and light mode. * Two different head-up displays to overlay telemetry data such as heading, speed and altitude onto the camera view in real time. * Comprehensive head-up menu to control all drone and camera settings while flying. * Phone camera view and mini-map to see what's happening around you and stay oriented. * Head tracking to control the orientation of the drone camera by moving your head! With the DJI Mavic/Phantom/Spark series, head tracking controls the camera pitch. With the DJI Inspire 1/Mavic 2/Mavic Air 2, head tracking works across all three axes. * Detailed flight logging of flight path, telemetry data and events. Flight logs can be synchronized with your Mac via iCloud or file sharing. * Spectator mode to link multiple phones and fly together with friends. * Mono or stereo rendering of the drone video. Stereo rendering uses advanced lens distortion correction for high image quality. * Highly adjustable to different VR headsets. * High-definition video: 720p at 30 frames per second with Spark/Phantom 3/Phantom 4/Inspire 1, and up to 1080p with Mavic Pro/Mavic 2. * Voice control for hands-free operation. * Supported drones: Ryze Tello (free); via in-app purchase: Mavic Pro, Mavic 2 Pro/Zoom, DJI Mini/Mini 2/Mini SE, Mavic Air/Air 2/Air 2S, Spark, Phantom 4/4 Pro/4 Advanced, Phantom 3 Professional/Advanced/Standard/4K, Inspire 1. Important notes: ============ * To use DroneXR you need one of the drones listed above. * To control the Ryze Tello drone you need to connect a gamepad to your phone. * To use DroneXR in stereo mode you need a virtual reality headset that holds your iPhone (e.g. Homido, FreeFly VR, Zeiss VR One, Cardboard). A high-resolution iPhone with a screen size of at least 5.5 inches is recommended. More information about recommended headsets can be found on our website: https://dronexr.de
PLAY'A
This app is a versatile VR video player and viewer designed for ease of use. It supports a wide range of video formats and offers intuitive navigation for an immersive viewing experience. Enjoy playback from local files or network streams with customizable settings.
- Supports 2D, 3D, 180°, and 360° videos
- Plays 4K and MP4 formats
- Intuitive user interface
- Hands-free and privacy modes
- Adjustable playback settings
- Automatic pause on headset removal
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Exclusive to users that don’t like complications - Play’a is the versatile Video VR Player and Viewer created to match a busy lifestyle. Whether it’s a Simple and Intuitive Interface, a very Hip Contemporary Design of the app, Playback of the downloads from the Local File Storage or Streaming Online from the Network Connected Servers, Play’a does it right and it does it with style! Navigation is the best and easy in and out of VR. Just jump on a couch and turn it on - you are ready to watch! At their fingertips, the users like you will find: 2D, 3D, flat, fisheye, 180° and 360° Videos automatically recognized 4K, mp4 playback All Video Formats Supported Intuitive user interface Shake smoothing Cinematic mode Privacy modes Hands-free mode Convenient folder navigation Picture adjustments: brightness, contrast, saturation VR Video adjustments: tilt, height, zoom, playback speed Automatic pause if the headset is removed For your ultimate convenience, PLAY’A VR supports all stereo video formats including 3D side-by-side and 3D top-bottom frame packing, as well as all the traditional video formats. Just download the app and see it for yourself ! ;)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PLAY'A at none against DroneXR's 13. PLAY'A also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). DroneXR's advantage is rating (3.8 vs 3.6) and ratings volume (230 vs 55). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. DroneXR sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. PLAY'A asks for nothing beyond the download.
DroneXR holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 230 and 55 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of DroneXR's written reviews are positive against 36% of PLAY'A's.
DroneXR ships an update every 3 months, PLAY'A fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DroneXR | PLAY'A |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (230 ratings) — better | 3.6 (55 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 39.9% of reviews — better | 36.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 230 — better | 55 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 162 MB | 360 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Appologics UG (haftungsbeschrankt) | Swearl, LLC |
Customer experience
DroneXR
PLAY'A
User reviews
DroneXR
From 230 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎮 Immersive VR flying experience
- 💰 Affordable alternative to expensive FPV goggles
- 🎯 Responsive head tracking and gimbal control
- 📱 Works well with compatible drone models
- 🔌 Easy setup with USB connection
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and disconnections
- 📹 No video feed or black screen issues
- 🎮 Gimbal stuck pointing downward
- 🔗 Connection failures and timeouts
- 💸 Requires separate in-app purchases per drone model
PLAY'A
From 55 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Amazing functionality
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 🚀 Smooth performance
- 💡 Innovative features
- 👍 Great for VR videos
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🐛 Compatibility issues on newer devices
- 🐛 Duplicate screen display
- 🐛 Video playback problems
- 🐛 Keyboard issues
Bugs and requests
DroneXR
Reported bugs
12 issues- App crashes on iOS 15+ with controller not working
- Video feed drops repeatedly despite settings adjustments
- QR code scanner not recognizing codes
- Screen freezes when taking photos/video with DJI Fly app
- Recording indicator not visible in VR headsets
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- Stereo view switching involuntarily
- Compass reporting incorrect north direction
- Flight log not syncing with DJI Go app
- App crashes after in-app purchase retrieval
- Connection loops back to support page
- Gimbal control unresponsive or stuck
- Timeout errors on connection attempts
Requested features
12 requests- Support for newer drone models (Mavic Air 2, Mini 2, Mini SE)
- Longer trial period before purchase
- Extended flight range capabilities
- Horizontal head tracking
- Map view with satellite/street options
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- More customizable HUD options
- Support for Tello drone
- QR code scanning for headset calibration
- Ability to cancel RTH from app
- Manual radio channel selection
- HD quality settings control
- Barcode reading for VR headset auto-calibration
PLAY'A
Reported bugs
6 issues- App crashes on launch
- Shaking/spinning screen
- Inability to add websites
- No sound in certain scenarios
- Playback issues with high-resolution videos
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- Unreliable DLNA/SMB connectivity
Requested features
6 requests- Multi-tasking support
- Improved SMB/network file support
- Customizable text/cursor size
- YouTube integration
- Passthrough mode for mixed reality
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- Ability to adjust VR screen size
In-app purchases
DroneXR
- DJI Phantom3 Professional$8.99
- DJI Phantom3 Advanced$8.99
- DJI Phantom 3 Standard$8.99
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- DJI Phantom 4$8.99
- DJI Phantom 4 Pro$8.99
- DJI Mavic Pro$8.99
- DJI Spark$8.99
- DJI Mavic Mini$8.99
- DJI Mavic Air 2$8.99
- DJI Mavic 2$8.99
- DJI Mavic Air$8.99
- DJI Mini 2$9.99
- All in one$17.99
PLAY'A
No in-app purchases









