# ESP vs Drone Scanner

The clearest difference is rating: ESP at 5.0 against Drone Scanner's 1.8. ESP also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 14.0). Drone Scanner's advantage is ratings volume (145 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

ESP holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drone Scanner has 145 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

ESP ships an update every 9 days, Drone Scanner every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ESP | Drone Scanner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esp-drone/id1522247884/reviews)** | [1.8 (145 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drone-scanner/id1644548782/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **145** |
| Positive reviews | — | 15.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 14 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ESPRESSIF SYSTEMS (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1071176699) | [Dronetag](https://appshunter.io/developer/1527565212) |

## What reviewers say

### ESP

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esp-drone/id1522247884)

This application provides real-time flight control for an open-source drone solution. Users can monitor flight status, adjust parameters, and pilot the drone using a virtual joystick. It's designed to work with drones based on the ESP32-S2/ESP32 Wi-Fi chip.

**Highlights:** Real-time flight status display, Virtual joystick control, Flight parameter adjustment, Supports multiple flight modes, Wi-Fi and UDP communication, Open-source solution

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Drone Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drone-scanner/id1644548782)

Transform your device into a drone scanner to track nearby flights in real-time. View detailed flight information, including pilot data and location history, on an interactive map. The app is updated to comply with current EU and US regulations.

**Highlights:** Real-time drone tracking, Detailed drone information, Interactive flight map, Support for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi broadcasts, Flying zone highlighting, Data export functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Works as advertised
- 🚀 Great app for Android
- 💡 Excellent Remote ID scanner

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Does not work on iOS
- 🐛 Unable to detect drones
- 🔒 Privacy concerns
- 🔒 Collects personal information

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on launch
- Unable to locate drones in proximity
- Inaccurate location tracking

**Requested features**

- Add support for WiFi-based Remote ID
- Add support for more drone models
- Allow changing units from metric to imperial


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ESP free?

ESP is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Drone Scanner free?

Drone Scanner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ESP or Drone Scanner?

ESP is rated higher. ESP averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Drone Scanner averages 1.8 from 145 ratings.

### Do ESP or Drone Scanner have ads?

Neither ESP nor Drone Scanner shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ESP or Drone Scanner?

ESP ships an update every 9 days, and Drone Scanner every 3 months. Most recently, ESP was updated on October 4, 2026 and Drone Scanner on October 15, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*