# Magic Hour vs Drone Buddy

The clearest difference is update cadence: Drone Buddy at weekly against Magic Hour's every 2 months. Magic Hour's advantage is review sentiment (77% vs 55%). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Magic Hour sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Drone Buddy sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Magic Hour against 4.7 for Drone Buddy. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5.2K and 8.4K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of Magic Hour's written reviews are positive against 55% of Drone Buddy's.

Magic Hour ships an update every 2 months, Drone Buddy weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Magic Hour | Drone Buddy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (5.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-hour/id482426006/reviews)** | [4.7 (8.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drone-buddy-fly-drone-safely/id992303145/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 5.2K | **8.4K** |
| Positive reviews | **76.8% of reviews** | 55.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 16 MB | 124 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Linda Byrket](https://appshunter.io/developer/482426309) | [Kirway LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1450953426) |

## What reviewers say

### Magic Hour

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-hour/id482426006)

This app helps photographers and cinematographers find the optimal times for shooting around sunrise and sunset. It provides precise calculations for 'magic hour' based on your location and offers moon phase information. Optional in-app purchases unlock advanced features like location selection and calendar integration.

**Highlights:** Magic hour time calculation, Sunrise and sunset times, Moonrise and full moon alerts, Weather forecast integration, Customizable notifications, Location-based planning

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Add Locations Ability | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great overview of the entire Magic Hour
- 👍 Fantastic in every way
- 👍 All the info you need to plan, especially for photographers
- 👍 Sleek and easy to use
- 👍 Perfect for photographers and cinematographers

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⏰ Time way off
- 🔍 Can't change location
- 🐛 Crashes all the time
- 💰 Forced in-app purchase
- 🔍 Can't see future dates anymore

**Reported bugs**

- 🐛 Time way off
- 🐛 Can't change location
- 🐛 Crashes all the time
- 🐛 Can't see future dates anymore
- 🐛 Widget doesn't update

**Requested features**

- 💡 Moonrise notification
- 💡 Notification when magic hour ends
- 💡 Blue hour option
- 💡 Allow users to set their own background photo
- 💡 Ability to plan shoots in different locations


### Drone Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drone-buddy-fly-drone-safely/id992303145)

This app provides drone pilots with essential flight data, including weather radar, wind maps, and no-fly zone information. It helps users plan safe flights, discover new flying locations, and stay updated on drone news. An optional subscription offers advanced features.

**Highlights:** Weather radar and wind maps, No-fly zone data, Best flying window forecasts, Crowd-sourced flying spot discovery, Drone news updates, Drone flying hub for jobs and business

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

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Upgrade to Pro Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Unlock Drone Buddy Pro Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Drone Buddy Pro Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Drone Buddy Pro 3 months | $12.99 | per 3 months |
| Unlock Drone Buddy Pro | $17.99 | per 6 months |
| Drone Buddy Pro Access Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Unlock Drone Buddy Pro Yearly | $34.99 | per year |
| Unlock Drone Buddy Pro Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| Unlock Drone Buddy Pro Yearly | $59.99 | per year |
| Unlock Pro Access Lifetime | $79.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Pro Lifetime | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Unique and outstanding design
- 👍 Correct and reliable data
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 👍 Helpful for drone flying

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Missing vital data and information
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🌍 Not accurate for non-US regions

**Reported bugs**

- Map crashes after populating airports
- Profile settings not saving
- Inconsistent wind speed data

**Requested features**

- Color-coded wind speed indicators
- Ability to report and verify no-fly zones
- Integration with air traffic control
- Metric units support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Magic Hour free?

Magic Hour is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Drone Buddy free?

Drone Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Magic Hour or Drone Buddy?

Magic Hour is rated higher. Magic Hour averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5.2K ratings, while Drone Buddy averages 4.7 from 8.4K ratings.

### Do Magic Hour or Drone Buddy have ads?

Neither Magic Hour nor Drone Buddy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Magic Hour or Drone Buddy?

Magic Hour ships an update every 2 months, and Drone Buddy weekly. Most recently, Magic Hour was updated on September 23, 2026 and Drone Buddy on September 24, 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.*