Comparison

Autodesk Forma vs DroneDeploy Ground App

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

Head to head
About

Autodesk Forma

This app provides construction professionals with essential tools for jobsite management. Capture punch lists, log daily reports, and access the latest project documents and 3D models directly from the field. Stay connected to your team and keep projects moving forward efficiently.

Highlights
  • Capture punch list items
  • Log daily reports and forms
  • View and markup drawings
  • Review 3D models
  • Track issues and quality concerns
  • Access project schedules
  • Manage RFIs and submittals
Features
Read full description

Autodesk Inc. Capture punch list items, markup drawings, log daily reports, view the latest sheets, and review 3D models from the jobsite with the Forma mobile construction app. The Forma mobile app puts the tools and project information you rely on in your hands. Stay connected to your crews on site, manage projects, and keep work moving. Make critical decisions faster with the Forma mobile construction app: • Forma Build Essentials for efficient, focused field execution • Forma Build for connecting field execution and project management Forma Build Essentials: Built for lean crews and growing jobs. Projects are quick to set up, easy to access, and designed for everyday work on site. • Capture punch list items and issues from the field • Complete daily reports, logs, and forms • View current construction sheets, drawings, files, and models • Open project files and documentation Latest sheets, files, and models View and mark up sheets directly from the jobsite. Access project files and review 3D models to understand design intent and context. Confirm the latest versions before work begins. • View and mark up drawings • Open project files, sheets, and construction documents • Review 3D models Punch list and issue tracking Capture punch list items and issues as you walk the jobsite. Track quality concerns. Log safety observations, near misses, and good catches. Assign responsibility and track work from open to closed. • Log issues with photos, locations, and references • Assign owners and due dates • Track progress from open to closed Daily reports, checklists, and forms Capture daily activity and site conditions, complete quality or safety inspections, and attach photos, signatures, and supporting files. • Complete daily reports and logs • Record site conditions and project information • Attach photos and signatures Fast mobile workflows Open a project and jump straight into work. • Access sheets, issues, forms, photos, and models quickly • Use shortcuts for common field actions • Keep project information accessible as connectivity changes Forma Build: With Forma Build, bring the office and field together to keep projects aligned and on track with connected project management workflows. • Includes core field capabilities • Review project schedules and work plans • Manage RFIs and track responses • Access approved submittals • Capture meeting notes and manage correspondence • Track project assets • Manage document and package reviews Connected across Forma: The Forma mobile app connects you to your Forma project information, construction documents, files, and 3D models across Forma Build Essentials, Forma Build, PlanGrid, Forma Design Collaboration, and Forma Data Management, while providing access to files created in Autodesk tools like Revit, Navisworks, and AutoCAD. See what our customers have to say: "The ability to access 3D models from the field eliminates confusion and allows us to come to a real-time resolution for any issues onsite. This capability reduces risk and provides cost and time savings while ensuring we deliver high-quality projects to our clients." Briana Mitchell, Project Manager, Boldt Company "We have about 460 field employees and for them to access documents in real-time directly on their iPhone or their iPad is priceless." Ken Mabe, Director of Field Operations, Eckardt Group

About

DroneDeploy Ground App

Capture and manage ground-level project data for construction and industrial sectors. Document job sites with 360° photos and standard images, then sync to a platform for analysis and collaboration.

Highlights
  • 360° photo and walkthrough capture
  • Standard photo capture
  • Sync to DroneDeploy platform
  • Project data analysis and annotation
  • Team collaboration tools
  • Integration with industry tools
Features
Read full description

The DroneDeploy Ground app empowers businesses in construction, engineering, and other industrial sectors to efficiently document and manage ground-level data, providing a powerful complement to drone-based insights. DroneDeploy Ground is the next-generation ground capture app for project teams, including former StructionSite users. Note: This app is intended for enterprise users with an active DroneDeploy license. Simplify Ground-Level Data Capture in 3 Easy Steps: 1. Log in to your DroneDeploy account (trial or active license required). 2. Connect your 360 camera to capture 360° panoramas and 360° Walkthroughs, or use your device's camera to capture standard photos. 3. Sync your captures to the DroneDeploy platform for processing, sharing, and analysis. Once uploaded, your captures are processed and accessible through the DroneDeploy platform, where you can: • Collaborate with your team and stakeholders. • Inspect, compare, and annotate project data over time. • Integrate seamlessly with leading industry tools like Procore, Autodesk Build, and more. Supported Hardware: • Insta360 X5 • Insta360 X4 • Insta360 RS 1-inch • Ricoh Theta X • Ricoh Theta Z1 Visit our website for a complete list of supported hardware and to learn more about the DroneDeploy ecosystem. For Business and Professional Use: The DroneDeploy Ground app is a free companion tool for licensed DroneDeploy enterprise customers. A valid enterprise account is required for uploading and processing captures

Screenshots

Autodesk Forma4 screens
DroneDeploy Ground App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: DroneDeploy Ground App at none against Autodesk Forma's 7. Autodesk Forma's advantage is ratings volume (22K vs 33) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. Autodesk Forma sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. DroneDeploy Ground App asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Autodesk Forma holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Autodesk Forma has 22K ratings behind it against 33, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 41% and 41% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Autodesk Forma ships an update every 8 days, DroneDeploy Ground App weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Autodesk Forma versus DroneDeploy Ground App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAutodesk FormaDroneDeploy Ground App
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (22K ratings) — better4.5 (33 ratings)
Positive reviews41.1% of reviews41.1% of reviews
Number of ratings22K — better33
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size696 MB434 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAutodesk Inc.DroneDeploy

Customer experience

Autodesk Forma

All ratings21,545 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral2.8%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews214 reviews
Positive41.1%
Neutral7.9%
Negative50.9%

DroneDeploy Ground App

All ratings33 ratings
Positive87.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.1%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive41.1%
Neutral5.4%
Negative53.6%

User reviews

Autodesk Forma

From 22K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Helpful for project management
  • 🚀 Great for viewing and annotating plans
  • 🚀 Useful for field work and collaboration

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sync and syncing issues
  • 🔋 High battery usage
  • 🔒 Difficult to cancel subscription
  • 🔒 Aggressive billing practices
  • 🔒 Poor customer support

DroneDeploy Ground App

From 33 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 👍 Makes life easy
  • 👍 Functional and quick uploads
  • 👍 Smooth capture process
  • 👍 Responsive and snappy

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Freezes, lags, slow
  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
  • 🐛 Extremely hard to login
  • 🐛 Glitchy
  • 🐛 App doesn't work on new iPhone

Bugs and requests

Autodesk Forma

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to rotate photos
  • Issues with loading and viewing documents
  • Problems with task report formatting
  • Inconsistencies between mobile and desktop apps

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add a to-do list feature
  • Improve report editing and customization
  • Allow selective project/document downloads
  • Enhance photo management and organization

DroneDeploy Ground App

Reported bugs

68 issues
  • Spam email
  • Freezes, lags, slow
  • Constantly have to fight to log in
  • Processing walks takes forever and is unreliable
  • Fails to process a walk
Show 63 more
  • Extremely hard to login into
  • Lots of errors
  • Reset password and still 50/50 shot
  • Massive pain to get back into the app
  • Have to redownload the app
  • Glichy
  • App doesn’t work on the new iPhone
  • Won’t even open
  • Very difficult if not impossible to use at times
  • Won’t select the correct icon
  • Can’t zoom in anymore
  • Selection something approx an inch up and left from where clicking
  • App constantly crashes
  • Won’t load selected items
  • Still feels like a beta version
  • App often crashes and becomes unusable
  • Disconnects from the camera
  • States universal link is not recognized
  • Does not upload
  • Footage is sped up and unusable
  • Only works on apple devices
  • Does not stay connected to camera
  • Cannot get any walks to stay active
  • Camera has disconnected from the app automatically
  • Cannot sync walks unless iPad is connected to WiFi
  • Drawings need more than two supported file formats
  • Need to upload drawing in advance
  • No photos of the drawing supported
  • New interface is glitchy and does not work well
  • Crashes constantly
  • Will not let you upload photos
  • Does not allow you to sync
  • Error message saying there’s no space on the device
  • Force closes
  • Never works
  • Fails constantly
  • Can’t login half the time
  • App crashes a lot
  • Crosshairs misalign all the time
  • When clicking an existing pin, crosshairs put you way below the pin and create a new pin
  • Very high chance of having to do a 360 walk again because of an error
  • Difficult to upload in the background
  • App needs to be open to upload
  • Takes a long time to upload
  • App and website are always crashing
  • App doesn’t stay connected to the camera
  • Icons don’t show up after you’ve taken photos
  • App crashes frequently
  • Takes 30 + seconds between photos
  • Takes a good 10+ seconds to take your next photo
  • Persistent bugs
  • Frustrating user interface
  • Logging points takes almost twice as long
  • Deleting images or removing false points is unnecessarily complicated
  • App freezes while a photo uploads
  • Missing folders on ground app
  • Cannot upload any photos because folders are missing
  • Issues with the app not uploading data
  • Occasionally completely loses photos
  • Cannot delete anything on the app
  • Have to delete the app to redownload
  • Won’t save good uploads
  • Not optimized for iPad

Requested features

8 requests
  • New update for Insta X4 air compatibility
  • Android app support
  • Downloadable PDF with active 360 photos
  • Support for Insta360 One R camera
  • iPad optimization
Show 3 more
  • Ability to add pins to drawings in the app without internet
  • Support for more than two drawing file formats
  • Background uploads

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Autodesk Forma

One-time7
  • Nailgun$49.99
  • Autodesk Build 550$55.00
  • Dozer$69.99
Show 4 more
  • Autodesk Build 5000$85.00
  • Forma Build Essentials$99.99
  • Crane$139.99
  • Autodesk Build Unlimited$174.99
None

DroneDeploy Ground App

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Autodesk Forma free?
Autodesk Forma is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DroneDeploy Ground App free?
DroneDeploy Ground App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Autodesk Forma or DroneDeploy Ground App?
Autodesk Forma is rated higher. Autodesk Forma averages 4.7 out of 5 from 22K ratings, while DroneDeploy Ground App averages 4.5 from 33 ratings.
Do Autodesk Forma or DroneDeploy Ground App have ads?
Neither Autodesk Forma nor DroneDeploy Ground App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Autodesk Forma or DroneDeploy Ground App?
Autodesk Forma ships an update every 8 days, and DroneDeploy Ground App weekly. Most recently, Autodesk Forma was updated on September 24, 2026 and DroneDeploy Ground App on September 22, 2026.

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