Comparison

Dronemaps24 vs What Plane?

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

Head to head
About

Dronemaps24

Features
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Quick, easy review of drone regulation on the map as well as country specific airspace and flight regulations. With more then 5 million location queries per day and 10,000+ active UAV pilots, Dronemaps24 is the leading drone map for drone flights and customer jobs in Europe. With the free Dronemaps24 app you can find out quickly if it is allowed to fly in a certain region or not. You simply determine your flight altitude and mark your location on the map. The app shows you all relevant and applicable regulations in a list. No registration, no advertising - pure service. Register at Dronemaps24 and become visible to receive customer jobs. With an account, you can manage your profile including pilot´s license, services you offer and drone types. If you have the drone pilot´s license according to EU-947 you can qualify for drone jobs in your region. Specify your circle of action, your half-day price and your hour rate to become visible to our clients with your drone services. ACCURACY: By integrating over 180 different data sources, Dronemaps24 has the highest accuracy available in Europe in terms of flight zones, regulation and geodata. TIME SAVINGS: The uncomplicated display of the applicable conditions at the selected location saves lengthy research and various e-mails and telephone calls. INDIVIDUALITY: Show or hide airspaces and areas. Use five different map modes and choose between your own location or any point on the map. APPLICABILITY: The app was developed for professional drone pilots, but also includes information and functions for hobbyist users. What is Dronemaps24? The most important thing in advance: The no-fly zones at Dronemaps24 are free for drone pilots. Dronemaps24 is an interactive map from pilots for pilots. It helps to maintain zones with legal restrictions, so that drone pilots at any location in Germany, Austria, Luxembourg and Switzerland know what they need to consider and – what makes Dronemaps24 unique – whom to contact, if you want to get a permission to fly in such a zone. We have created the foundation and deposited all the contacts we know so far. However, the card can only grow with your help. We are happy if you sign-up for free to help and edit the no-flight zones and contact persons as accurately as possible. If you also notice something else, we look forward to your feedback on each topic. Simply use the “Feedback” link at the bottom right. With Dronemaps24 we want to enable pilots: Where can I fly? Mark a point on the map where you as a drone pilot want to take aerial shots. In addition to the general permit, you may also need a special permit. In the sidebar, you’ll see all relevant contact information and the current forms for this location. What do I need to apply for where? You will immediately see all no-fly zones at the marked location, as well as contact details and forms from local authorities. With pre-formulated mails, you can, for example, apply for a certificate of safety from the responsible public order office for your flight. Once you’ve received all the permits, nothing stands in the way of your drone flight. In order for the contact information on Dronemaps24 to be up-to-date, we need your support. We have laid the foundation stone and deposited all the contacts we know so far. Now it’s up to you. Simply register and add zones or add additional contacts via the zone editor. Motivation: We want to make it easier for drone pilots to fly, rather than dealing with permits. With the new drone regulation, these are now also required for hobby istes with cameras in many cities and municipalities since April 2017. For many, this is still new. Who do I have to ask? Who is responsible for what? We want to help ensure that even a short commercial flight at the wedding is pre-approved by a friend’s friend – it should be as simple as that.

About

What Plane?

Instantly identify aircraft overhead with this app. It offers a widget for quick glances and a live map for exploring nearby air traffic. View detailed information for planes within 30 nautical miles, with a unique compass ring for direction.

Highlights
  • Instant aircraft identification
  • Home Screen widget for quick access
  • Live map of nearby air traffic
  • Detailed aircraft information
  • Compass Ring bearing indicator
  • Customizable aircraft icons
Features
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What Plane? was built to answer one question—fast: what’s that aircraft overhead? Everything is designed for instant glanceability, so you can get the answer without “using an app”. Add the widget to your Home Screen and tap to refresh. Tap the custom aircraft icon to jump straight into the live map. Inside the app, controls stay just as simple. Want different units? Tap any stat (altitude, speed, distance) to cycle through options. The default view lets you explore nearby air traffic, and with a single tap on any aircraft—or the menu button—you can browse rich details for every plane within 30 nautical miles. To keep the interface minimal while adding real information density, What Plane? uses the Compass Ring: the panel border doubles as a bearing indicator, showing the aircraft’s direction relative to you at a glance. And when an aircraft is overhead, the widget brings it to life with airline-specific liveries and aircraft models—so your Home Screen matches what’s in the sky. WHATPLANE PRO (OPTIONAL SUBSCRIPTION) Choose the aircraft you want to spot and get an alert when a match is nearby. Chat with Lookout to ask about aircraft recorded in your area while you were away, and prioritise your matches in Dynamic Island. Pro is a monthly auto-renewable subscription, purchased separately in the app, with a one-week free trial for eligible new subscribers. After the trial, the subscription renews at the displayed monthly price unless cancelled. The local price is shown before purchase. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. Your subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. Manage or cancel in your App Store account settings. Privacy: https://whatplane.org/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Dronemaps243 screens
What Plane?4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Dronemaps24 at Free against What Plane?'s $6.99. Dronemaps24 also leads on iOS requirement (13.4 vs 26.0). What Plane?'s advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 19 months). 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

Dronemaps24 is free to download; What Plane? costs $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dronemaps24 ships an update every 19 months, What Plane? weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Dronemaps24 versus What Plane?: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDronemaps24What Plane?
PriceFree — better$6.99
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 19 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.4 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNicopter GmbHDavid Wilkinson

In-app purchases

None

Dronemaps24

No in-app purchases

None

What Plane?

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dronemaps24 free?
Dronemaps24 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is What Plane? free?
What Plane? costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Dronemaps24 or What Plane? have ads?
Neither Dronemaps24 nor What Plane? shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dronemaps24 or What Plane??
Dronemaps24 ships an update every 19 months, and What Plane? weekly. Most recently, Dronemaps24 was updated on October 6, 2026 and What Plane? on October 18, 2026.

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