ArcGIS Flight vs HeadLight Smartforms
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ArcGIS Flight
Plan and execute drone flights for aerial mapping and 3D model creation. Features automated flight path generation, terrain following, and preflight checklists for efficient data collection. Seamlessly transfer images for cloud or desktop processing.
- Automated flight path generation
- Terrain Follow for enhanced imagery
- Customizable preflight checklists
- Automatic flight splitting for long flights
- Wireless image transfer
- Integration with Site Scan Manager, Drone2Map, and ArcGIS Pro
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ArcGIS Flight makes it easy to collect images to create accurate, high-resolution maps and 3D models using drones. Choose from a variety of flight modes tailored to the type of site being captured, and the app will automatically define the optimal flight path and allow you to preview it in 2D or 3D. Pilots can use Terrain Follow, which enhances imagery quality by adjusting the drone's height to follow the terrain. After completing your organization's custom preflight checklist, the app automatically conducts aircraft checks and performs the flight. Long flights are automatically split, allowing you to change your drone’s battery and resume where you left off. After completing the flight, wirelessly transfer the images to your iPad and upload them along with your Fleet Management information to Site Scan Manager for processing on the cloud. It is also possible to transfer the images captured during a flight for processing using ArcGIS Drone2Map or ArcGIS Pro using the ArcGIS Reality for ArcGIS Pro extension. Compatibility: - Requires an ArcGIS account with mobile worker or higher license or a Site Scan operator license. - Requires compatible drone, check the latest documented drone matrix for supported firmware versions: https://doc.arcgis.com/en/flight/latest/get-started/requirements.htm
HeadLight Smartforms
Streamline field data collection with a tool that lets you view, create, complete, and share forms. Project stakeholders gain real-time access to forms and powerful search capabilities for quick data retrieval.
- View, create, and complete forms
- Share forms with stakeholders
- Real-time access to project data
- Robust search functionality
- Simplified data collection
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HeadLight Smartforms simplifies data collection in the field, allowing the user to view, create, complete, and share forms. In addition, project stakeholders have real-time access to forms and robust search functionality to quickly find project data.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: ArcGIS Flight at 20 against HeadLight Smartforms's 5. HeadLight Smartforms's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for ArcGIS Flight against 4.8 for HeadLight Smartforms. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 5 respectively.
ArcGIS Flight ships an update every 4 months, HeadLight Smartforms every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ArcGIS Flight | HeadLight Smartforms |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (20 ratings) | 4.8 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 20 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 376 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ESRI | Pavia Systems Inc |
Customer experience
ArcGIS Flight
HeadLight Smartforms
In-app purchases
ArcGIS Flight
No in-app purchases
HeadLight Smartforms
No in-app purchases







