Comparison

HeliPlates vs DroneSense

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

Head to head
About

HeliPlates

This app provides detailed information on hospital heliports across California, including navigation coordinates, dimensions, and facility details. Users can view heliports on an interactive map or by hospital name, with aerial photos and approach paths included. Data can be saved for offline access.

Highlights
  • Interactive map of California hospital heliports
  • Detailed heliport information
  • Navigational coordinates
  • Aerial photos with approach paths
  • Offline data saving
  • Search by region, county, or hospital name
Read full description

Caltrans has developed informational dataplates, or "HeliPlates," that provide permitted approach paths and other information for all the permitted Hospital Heliports in California. We hope this information will be helpful to emergency planners, helicopter operators, and other users. The Caltrans HeliPlates app displays a map of Hospital Heliports in California that you can view by Geographic Region or County. You can select a HeliPlate for a specific Hospital Heliport using either the interactive map or by directly choosing the Hospital Name. The HeliPlates include: - Hospital Name - Hospital Heliport Geographic “Nav” Coordinates - Heliport Info and Dimensions - Hospital Facility and FAA Information - Regional Map showing the location of the heliport - Aerial Photo showing the heliport and Permitted Approach Paths Additionally, HeliPlates can be saved for offline use.

About

DroneSense

This platform enables public safety agencies to manage drone operations, from pilot control and asset management to real-time situational awareness for incident commanders. It offers automated flight logging and a centralized system for organizing personnel, hardware, and flight history.

Highlights
  • Professional drone piloting
  • Live video streaming
  • Automated flight logging
  • Asset and risk management
  • Real-time situational awareness
  • Collaborative operations hub
Read full description

For UAS Pilots - Fly a wide range of professional drones with DroneSense! Simply download this app directly onto your iPad and plug directly into any drone remote. Incorporating the latest and greatest drone is easy; there is no new training as the pilot will always fly with our app and have the same experience, no matter what drone is chosen. Share your live video stream with incident commanders easily to enable increased situational awareness on-scene. Automated flight logging ensures all data from all flights are available at any time. For Program Administrators - DroneSense is your complete system of record. It is a complete asset and risk management tool that provides accountability and transparency across your organization. Organize your people, hardware, and flight history in a powerful but intuitive interface. Whether it is automatically logging flight hours, filing NOTAMs, or managing personnel, DroneSense is your one-stop solution. Our software lets you quickly leverage all your resources so you can spend more time focused on the mission at hand. For Incident Commanders - DroneSense gives incident commanders and remote stakeholders the power to strategize and tactically collaborate. Our Operations Hub enables you to share real-time, low-latency, high definition views of a scene and plan dynamically. Anyone with a connected device can see a live pilot session, and multiple drone pilots can work together seamlessly. Please note that usage of the DroneSense Platform requires user registration and authorization from accredited public safety agencies.

Screenshots

HeliPlates2 screens
DroneSense2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: DroneSense at monthly against HeliPlates's every 21 months. DroneSense also leads on ratings volume (32 vs 3). HeliPlates's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HeliPlates holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DroneSense has 32 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HeliPlates ships an update every 21 months, DroneSense monthly. The most recent releases landed on June 4, 2026 and June 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
HeliPlates versus DroneSense: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHeliPlatesDroneSense
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better4.6 (32 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings332 — better
Update frequencyEvery 21 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size0 MB375 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCalifornia Department of TransportationDroneSense INC

Customer experience

HeliPlates

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

DroneSense

All ratings32 ratings
Positive90.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.4%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

HeliPlates

No in-app purchases

None

DroneSense

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HeliPlates free?
HeliPlates is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is DroneSense free?
DroneSense is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HeliPlates or DroneSense?
HeliPlates is rated higher. HeliPlates averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while DroneSense averages 4.6 from 32 ratings.
Do HeliPlates or DroneSense have ads?
Neither HeliPlates nor DroneSense shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HeliPlates or DroneSense?
HeliPlates ships an update every 21 months, and DroneSense monthly. Most recently, HeliPlates was updated on June 4, 2026 and DroneSense on June 11, 2026.

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