Comparison

SidePilot vs Epoch X

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

SidePilot

This portable ground station app connects to ArduPilot drones via WiFi, Bluetooth, or cellular. It provides real-time drone data, waypoint management, and advanced flight modes like Follow Me and Orbit. It also includes ADSB integration and live video streaming capabilities.

Highlights
  • Real-time drone telemetry display
  • Waypoint and geofence creation
  • ADSB aircraft integration
  • Follow Me and Orbit flight modes
  • Live video streaming
  • Parameter editing and calibration
Features
Read full description

This is the BEST ardupilot companion app. Works with ArduPilot autopilot via WiFi, Bluetooth Low Energy or Cellular connection, including 3DR Solo. Supports ExpressLRS MAVLink telemetry. NOTE: You must have either WiFi, Cellular or Serial Bluetooth connection to your drone. User Manual is available at https://sidepilot.net Features: • Supports ArduCopter, ArduPlane and ArduRover via ELRS, WiFi or Bluetooth. • Displays current drone location, with information such as altitude, yaw, pitch and roll. • Internet ADSB to display nearby aircraft and provide warnings. • Create, edit and delete waypoints and geofences. • Audible alerts for important information. • Edit, save and load parameters. • Perform a Pre-Flight checklist with live weather information. • Low battery warnings and alerts. • View onboard video, and live stream it to YouTube. • Record telemetry logs and export for sharing. • Follow Me - Have your drone follow you using your devices GPS location, or visually with Object Tracking. • Orbit mode - Automatically orbit an object for a fantastic cinematic shots! • Grid Waypoints - Create a survey grid to fly. • Tap to fly - Tap a location on the map to send your drone there! • Perform calibrations at the field. • DroneCAN Viewer and parameter editor. • And many, many more... Quick-start guide (Using a WiFi connection): 1. Turn on drone and connect using WiFi. 2. Start SidePilot, navigate to settings and select either WiFi UDP, TCP or 3DR Solo (as applicable). 3. If setting up WiFi manually, click on WiFi Settings and input the correct IP address and port that the MAVLink protocol is running over. 4. Go back to the main screen and press the connect button on the top right. The app will begin displaying information about the drone. If not, double check your WiFi settings. Please post suggestions and bug reports on the SidePilot Facebook page or via email to tom@sidepilot.net WARNING: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. Note: iPads without cellular do not have GPS capability unless tethered to a iOS Device with cellular, and even then it is poor and not suitable for navigation.

About

Epoch X

This app helps you visualize and manage your time with precision. Track your progress through the year, fiscal periods, and countdown to important events. It offers tools for planning, collaboration, and understanding dates.

Highlights
  • Yearly day and week tracking
  • Fiscal quarter management
  • Event countdowns
  • Date calculator
  • Team collaboration features
  • Home and lock screen widgets
Features
Read full description

Today is the day to start seeing time clearly!  Stop losing track of where you are in the year.   Get Epoch X and improve your time and life. Epoch X transforms how you track time by showing you exactly where you stand—whether that's Day 156 of the year, Week 22, Q2 of your fiscal year, or 47 days until deployment.   Built for military personnel, government contractors, business professionals, and everyone else who needs precision time tracking to help their life and business. MAIN CARD - Your Year Command Center Track the current day (1-365) and week (1-52) in multiple formats: ordinal, simple numbers, or custom views. Split your year into four calendar quarters with powerful tools: Create deadlines with start and due dates Add notes for each quarter and share with teams Track progress with visual indicators Get smart notifications for upcoming deadlines Auto-populate your calendar with day/week numbers Widgets for home screen and lock screen FISCAL CARD - Federal Fiscal Year (Oct 1 - Sep 30) Track the government fiscal calendar with four fiscal quarters, deadline management, team collaboration notes, progress tracking, calendar integration, and widgets. Perfect for federal contracts, budget cycles, and multi-agency projects. COUNTDOWN CARD - Track What Matters Most Count down to deployments, contract deadlines, project milestones, certifications, vacations, school exams, Christmas, birthdays, and special events. Unlimited events with widget support. Great for professionals and kids counting down to Santa. TIME TRAVEL CARD - Navigate Any Date Jump to any date past or future. See what day/week it falls on. Essential for multi-year planning and historical reference. CALCULATOR CARD - Instant Date Intelligence Convert between dates and day numbers instantly. What date is Day 222? What day is November 15th? No more counting on calendars. WHO USES EPOCH X MILITARY & VETERANS - Deployment cycles, training schedules, fiscal years, operational timelines GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS - Federal fiscal alignment, contract periods, multi-agency coordination BUSINESS LEADERS - Fiscal quarters, strategic initiatives, team deadline management PROJECT MANAGERS - Timeline visualization, milestone tracking, team synchronization STUDENTS & FAMILIES - School semesters, exam schedules, holiday countdowns, break planning DAILY READERS - 365-day reading programs without losing your place PRECISION SEEKERS - Anyone who thinks in day numbers, weeks, or quarters PRO FEATURES (7-Day Free Trial) Fiscal Quarter Tracking Unlimited Countdowns Time Travel & Calculator Cards Deadline Management & Sharing Team Collaboration Notes Custom Colors & Themes Advanced Widgets Calendar Integration Smart Notifications Siri Shortcuts FREE: Main Card tracking, basic quarters, year progress, notifications WHY EPOCH X ONE-TIME PURCHASE - $3.99 once. No subscriptions. Own it forever. PRIVACY FIRST - All data stays on your device. No cloud required. VETERAN OWNED & OPERATED - Built for precision, reliability, and mission success. WHAT MAKES IT UNIQUE No other app gives you this perspective—seeing your year as Day 1 to Day 365. This transforms how military personnel, business planners, students, and families track time. Download free.  Try all Pro features for 7 days.  Unlock lifetime access for $1.99.

Screenshots

SidePilot4 screens
Epoch X4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Epoch X at Free against SidePilot's $13.99. Epoch X also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 57%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks). SidePilot's advantage is rating (4.0 vs 3.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Epoch X is free to download; SidePilot costs $13.99 up front. Epoch X sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. SidePilot asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SidePilot holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SidePilot has 98 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 57% of SidePilot's written reviews are positive against 100% of Epoch X's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SidePilot ships an update every 6 weeks, Epoch X every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
SidePilot versus Epoch X: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSidePilotEpoch X
Price$13.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (98 ratings) — better3.0 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings98 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size117 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTom BreretonKenneth W Anderson

Customer experience

SidePilot

All ratings98 ratings
Positive70.4%
Neutral10.2%
Negative19.4%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral12.5%
Negative30.4%

Epoch X

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

SidePilot

Reported bugs

51 issues
  • App does not connect to drone
  • No video feed from GoPro
  • Firmware update failures
  • Controller not pairing
  • Drone stuck in 'waiting for Solo' state
Show 46 more
  • App freezes or crashes during operation
  • Drone becomes unstable during landing
  • GoPro recording not triggered
  • Parameter changes not syncing
  • Inaccurate battery level warnings
  • Compass calibration errors
  • Map not loading
  • Laggy video feed
  • App crashes when pressing record button
  • App closes constantly
  • Drone crashes due to app malfunction
  • Camera disconnects during flight
  • Lost connectivity during flight
  • Drone stuck in 'Preflight Update' mode
  • WiFi connection alert 'No internet connection'
  • Gimbal left-right movement not working
  • GoPro Hero 4 Black control issues
  • Drone gets squirrely and throttles up during landing
  • Drone flips over and destroys props
  • Drone does not shut off
  • Issues with controller setup (A/B buttons)
  • App freezes or shuts down when changing button configurations
  • Functions showing as 'unsupported'
  • Parameters not loading from vehicle
  • Calibrations not functioning
  • Laggy live feed
  • Live feed shows drone in air after landing
  • GPS position does not match map in PRC
  • App crashes when trying to connect Solo to app
  • Live feed freezes during flight
  • Switching from video to photo freezes app
  • App closes constantly
  • Camera disconnected and lost connectivity
  • Pop-up 'swipe to arm' cannot be dismissed
  • Drone crashes into water
  • Lags horribly
  • Feed completely freezes
  • App is useless
  • Almost caused loss of drone
  • Lag and photo function issues
  • Video lags
  • Freezes mid-flight when switching modes
  • Awful lag issues with live feed
  • Developer stopped responding to questions
  • GPS position does not match map
  • App crashes every time to connect Solo to app

Requested features

11 requests
  • French language option
  • Ability to update Solo 3DR
  • Fix GoPro control issues
  • Fix compass calibration errors
  • Add support for GoPro video settings in air
Show 6 more
  • Add imperial measurements
  • Improve waypoint setup practicality
  • Fix GPS position matching map in PRC
  • Add lighting configuration options
  • Add smart shots functionality
  • Add A/B button functionality

Epoch X

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

SidePilot

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Epoch X

One-time2
  • Epoch X Pro Lifetime$1.99
  • Epoch X Pro Lifetime$3.99

Questions

Is SidePilot free?
SidePilot costs $13.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Epoch X free?
Epoch X is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SidePilot or Epoch X?
SidePilot is rated higher. SidePilot averages 4.0 out of 5 from 98 ratings, while Epoch X averages 3.0 from 5 ratings.
Do SidePilot or Epoch X have ads?
Neither SidePilot nor Epoch X shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SidePilot or Epoch X?
SidePilot ships an update every 6 weeks, and Epoch X every 3 weeks. Most recently, SidePilot was updated on September 20, 2026 and Epoch X on September 14, 2026.

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