DroneBlocks vs Academia @ SIMS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
DroneBlocks
Program drones using a block-based interface. Create custom flight paths, control camera functions, and execute missions with virtual joysticks. Supports various drone models and offers pre-flight checks for compliance.
- Block programming interface
- Virtual joysticks for control
- Pre-flight compliance checks
- Camera and photo blocks
- Telemetry data display
- Offline mission storage
- Support for Tello and DJI drones
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What's New in 4.1.1 - We've made improvements and fixed bugs for a smoother flight. What's New in 4.1 - Pre-flight checks to ensure your flight commands are compliant with the drone specs. - The validations include: curve range, flight distance ranges, arc radius curve checks - User messages indicate which values are problematic in metric and imperial units. New in DroneBlocks 4.0 - Control your drone with virtual joysticks now included in the app New in DroneBlocks 3.6 - Tries to load blocks from the cache if your device is offline. New in DroneBlocks 3.5 - Bug fix for Tello Talent scrolling text and space characters - Simplify the connection process by setting focus to the SSID field and forcing capitalization New in DroneBlocks 3.4 - Support for Robomaster TT (aka Tello Talent) LED block coding! New in DroneBlocks 3.3 - Watch your blocks highlight as Tello executes its mission New in DroneBlocks 3.0 - Video feed for Tello & Tello EDU - Camera blocks that include "photo" and "photo interval" New in DroneBlocks 2.6 - Telemetry for Tello & Tello EDU (Altitude, ToF, Pitch, Roll, Yaw) New in DroneBlocks 2.5 - Offline storage. Users can access and save missions after logging in, accessing "My Missions", and going offline. New in DroneBlocks 2.4 - Improved Tello connection process - Added better handling of Tello network display - Fixed blank screen issue when switching between DJI and Tello blocks New in DroneBlocks 2.3 - Tello users can now set the default units to metric New in DroneBlocks 2.2.1 - DJI SDK 4.10 with improved support for Spark - Remember Tello blocks selection - Bug fix for switching back to Tello from DJI blocks New in DroneBlocks 2.1.0 - Tello EDU support - Improved command handling - Abort mission New in DroneBlocks 2.0.0 - Curve flight block for Tello New in DroneBlocks 1.2.7 - Bug fix for iPhone X and safe area conflict with menu New in DroneBlocks 1.2.6 - Spark Support!!!! - DJI SDK 4.6.1 New in DroneBlocks 1.2.5 - DJI SDK 4.5 New in DroneBlocks 1.2.4 - Improved Tello connection process New in DroneBlocks 1.2.4 - Fix for navigation mode not open error - Fix to improve the success of subsequent missions while in the air New in DroneBlocks 1.2.2 - Tello support: tap on hambuger icon and then tap "Connect to Tello" - Be sure to follow the Tello connection instructions - Free programming with Tello course at https://learn.droneblocks.io - DJI SDK 4.4.0 - Better land block handling - Don't require map preview for basic blocks like photo, yaw, gimbal New in DroneBlocks 1.2.1 - Fix for Google logins - Ability to switch between Google accounts New in DroneBlocks 1.2.0: - Users can now execute missions in mid air without needing takeoff and land blocks - Added speed to fly forward block - Added speed to yaw block - New photo interval block to take X number of photos at Y interval - New record video duration block DroneBlocks allows users to easily program fun and useful missions using block programming with the DJI Phantom 3, DJI Phantom 4, Mavic Pro and Inspire 1. Users can drag and drop blocks onto the canvas to command their drone to follow a basic flight plan. Coupled with the DroneBlocks curriculum, educators can teach students about all aspects of STEM. For example, lesson plan #2 is a "Dronie" mission that teaches students about geometry and determining the best angle to tilt the camera for the perfect dronie shot. Other lessons include learning how to use loops, fly in a star pattern, shoot a panorama, and much more. You can access our curriculum bundle online for free. Just go here and enroll in the course and you'll get access to eight fun programming lessons: http://learn.droneblocks.io DroneBlocks is currently being used in several classrooms around the country and we're looking forward to see what exciting and interesting missions our users will create!
Academia @ SIMS
Access your academic information on the go. View course enrollments, timetables, attendance, homework, exams, and fees. Streamlines communication between students and institutions.
- Course enrollments
- Timetable access
- Daily attendance tracking
- Homework assignments
- Examination results
- Fees information
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Academia @ Stasy allows the students of ADvTECH Group of Schools to check their academic information like Course Enrolments, Timetable, Daily Attendance, Homework Assignments, Examination, and Fees on the move. The benefits for institutions and students include: 1. Accelerated communication: Quick sharing of assignments and notifications with students. 2. Ease of access: Handy access to academic information for students. 3. Enhanced operations: Sharing of fees details & mark-sheets with students. The app is available for all the students of ADvTECH Group of Schools. To enrol, please get in touch at info@advtech.co.za or visit https://www.advtech.co.za/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Academia @ SIMS at 4.5 against DroneBlocks's 3.4. Academia @ SIMS also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). DroneBlocks's advantage is review sentiment (49% vs 14%) and ratings volume (58 vs 8). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Academia @ SIMS holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DroneBlocks has 58 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 49% of DroneBlocks's written reviews are positive against 14% of Academia @ SIMS's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
DroneBlocks ships an update every 2 months, Academia @ SIMS monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DroneBlocks | Academia @ SIMS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.4 (58 ratings) | 4.5 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 48.9% of reviews — better | 13.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 58 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 85 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | DroneBlocks, LLC | Siddharth Badjatiya |
Customer experience
DroneBlocks
Academia @ SIMS
Bugs and requests
DroneBlocks
Reported bugs
16 issues- App keeps crashing
- App breaks when trying to flip
- Drone blew up and smashed window
- App doesn't execute code
- App crashes after app crash
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- UI mushes together on small phones
- Screen remains completely blank
- App is blank
- Doesn't size screen properly on iPhone SE
- App hangs after connecting
- Camera and 'Land at Home' features inactive
- Internal error when connecting to Tello
- App glitches so much
- Barely connects
- Move blocks don't work
- UI unstable, sometimes shows nothing connected
Requested features
7 requests- Add camera controls for Tello
- Allow local saving of missions
- Improve UI for smaller phones
- Add more login options for Chinese users
- Support for metric units
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- Longer distance control
- iPhone support
Academia @ SIMS
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
DroneBlocks
No in-app purchases
Academia @ SIMS
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is DroneBlocks free?
Is Academia @ SIMS free?
Which has better reviews, DroneBlocks or Academia @ SIMS?
Do DroneBlocks or Academia @ SIMS have ads?
Which is updated more often, DroneBlocks or Academia @ SIMS?
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