Comparison

Maven vs DIY Drone

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

Head to head
About

Maven

Enhance your DJI drone flights with advanced autonomous modes, immersive VR, and intuitive navigation. Plan complex waypoint missions, track subjects with GPS, and capture cinematic shots with ease. Offers features like geofencing, headless mode, and virtual copilot for an unparalleled flying experience.

Highlights
  • Autonomous waypoint missions
  • GPS subject tracking
  • Immersive VR mode
  • Custom geofencing
  • Headless and Cable Cam modes
  • Virtual Copilot camera control
Features
Read full description

Fly Your DJI™ Drone Like Never Before! Take full control of your DJI™ drone with powerful autonomous flight modes, immersive VR capabilities, and intuitive navigation tools. Whether you're planning complex waypoint missions, tracking subjects with GPS Follow Me, or capturing cinematic shots with Virtual Copilot, this app is packed with everything you need for an unparalleled flying experience. Key Features: - Waypoint Mission – Plan and execute fully autonomous flights - GPS Follow/Track Me – Intelligent subject tracking with real-time updates - VR Mode with Head Tracking – Full immersion for an incredible flying experience - Polygonal Geofence – Define custom flight zones for safe operations - Headless Mode – Course Lock and Home Lock for effortless control - Cable Cam – Smooth and precise cinematic movements - Automatic Orbit – Perfectly circular shots around a point of interest - Virtual Copilot – Unlock advanced camera control and dynamic movements - And much more Compatible with: - Mavic Air - Air 2 - Air 2S - Mavic Mini - Mini 2 - Mini SE - Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual - Mavic 2 Enterprise - Mavic 2 Pro - Mavic 2 Zoom - Mavic Pro Alpine -Mavic Pro Platinum - Mavic Pro - Spark Autonomous Waypoint Mission: - Full-featured waypoint navigation system - Easy and intuitive mission planning - Point of Interest (POI) support - Corner radius and above-ground altitude settings - Smooth rotation for both drone and gimbal - Autonomous and semi-autonomous flight modes - VR compatibility with waypoint missions - Save, browse, and manage missions easily - Support for up to 99 waypoints - Waypoint actions including auxiliary light control - Share and import missions, including CSV import from Litchi - Define missions “by flight” and search locations Follow Me: - Complete GPS-based follow mode - Track Me – Follow from any direction - Altitude Follow - Orbit while following - Automatic home point update - Live follow parameter adjustments - Requires a GPS-equipped device Virtual Polygonal Geofence: - Custom-defined flight boundaries beyond the default drone firmware limits - Prevents the drone from flying outside the set perimeter - Progressive slowdown near geofence barriers for added safety - Set custom minimum and maximum altitude and speed limits Virtual Copilot: - Ideal for drones without a native Point of Interest mode - Set a location on the map, and let the copilot control yaw and camera angle - Advanced skills including Orbit, Follow/Track Me, and Cable Cam - Unlocks new creative possibilities, even for inexperienced pilots Headless Mode: - Course Lock – Maintain fixed directional control - Home Lock – Fly relative to the home position VR Functionality: - Compatible with all major VR headsets - Fully customizable display settings - Adjustable position, size, and eye width Head Tracking: - Move the gimbal with your head - Up and down (all supported drones) - Left and right (Mavic 2 series, Mavic Air 2, Air 2S) Gimbal Modes: - Follow - FPV Augmented Reality Localizer: - AR indicators on the video feed for enhanced spatial awareness - Green locator – Home position - Red locator – Point of Interest (user-defined) - Blue locator – GPS position of the piloting device - Works in normal mode, full screen, and VR mode Camera Controls: -Full access to all camera settings FCC Mode Friendly: - The app does not automatically revert to CE mode on drones set to FCC Flight Modes: - Atti/GPS Mode - Tripod Mode - Sport Mode Sync flight logs to AirData UAV

About

DIY Drone

Features
Read full description

DIY Drone is a APP for the Drone's control via WiFi protocol 1.Remote control the Drone's by iPhone. 2.Display the real-time video which taken by the camera on the drone,video data transmitted via 2.4G WiFi protocol. 3.Take the photo and video record on iPhone.

Screenshots

Maven4 screens
DIY Drone3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: DIY Drone at Free against Maven's $27.99. DIY Drone also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 9 days) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.6). Maven's advantage is chart position (#171 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases 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

DIY Drone is free to download; Maven costs $27.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Maven ships an update every 9 days, DIY Drone every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Maven versus DIY Drone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMavenDIY Drone
Price$27.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (112 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews71.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings112 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#171 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.68.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size173 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichele Vagnetti连咏 刘

Bugs and requests

Maven

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Copilot mode losing target
  • Drone getting stuck in the air after Copilot mode
  • Sudden app crashes
  • Video feed issues and image quality problems
  • Difficulty connecting to DJI Mini 2 SE
Show 4 more
  • Waypoint missions causing unstable flight
  • Inability to disable tripod mode
  • Sporadic photo saving
  • Inability to switch to manual camera mode

Requested features

23 requests
  • Support for DJI Mini 3 Pro
  • Support for DJI Mini 2 SE
  • Ability to import/export waypoint missions
  • Adjustable hard deck for FPV flying
  • Panorama and AEB shooting capabilities
Show 18 more
  • Ability to select return-to-home location
  • Curved waypoint lines
  • Grid wizard for photogrammetry
  • Ability to pause and resume missions
  • Camera settings control
  • Histogram and grid display
  • Obstacle avoidance
  • Quest 3 VR version
  • Ability to hide telemetry data in VR mode
  • Automatic focus control in VR mode
  • Ability to update home point in VR mode
  • Ability to control camera tilt in VR mode
  • Support for DJI Goggles
  • Support for DJI Air 2S
  • Ability to trigger photos automatically with a timer
  • Ability to curve waypoint lines
  • Pre-set grid patterns for mapping
  • Ability to continue mission from last waypoint after connection loss

DIY Drone

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Maven

No in-app purchases

None

DIY Drone

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Maven free?
Maven costs $27.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is DIY Drone free?
DIY Drone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Maven or DIY Drone have ads?
Neither Maven nor DIY Drone shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Maven or DIY Drone?
Maven ships an update every 9 days, and DIY Drone every 2 days. Most recently, Maven was updated on November 6, 2026 and DIY Drone on November 2, 2026.

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