BFA Wind Explorer vs DroneScout pro
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BFA Wind Explorer
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BFA Wind Explorer is a powerful tool for balloon pilots and weather enthusiasts, designed to provide detailed wind data across different altitudes using a helium balloon. This innovative app helps you make informed decisions for flight planning and safety. Key Features: • Helium Balloon Wind Profiling: Measure real-time wind speed and direction at multiple altitudes using a helium balloon. • Data Table Visualization: View detailed wind measurements in an easy-to-read data table. • Hodograph Display: Analyze wind patterns visually with a dynamic hodograph image, perfect for assessing vertical wind shifts. • User-Friendly Interface: Quickly access and interpret wind data for better planning and situational awareness. Whether you’re a hot air balloon pilot or simply fascinated by wind dynamics, BFA Wind Explorer offers precise and actionable insights to enhance your understanding of the skies. By using this app, you agree to the Apple Terms of Use that is located at https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
DroneScout pro
Transform your phone into a drone radar to detect nearby drones using RemoteID/DRI technology. View drone details, save flight paths, and get enhanced airspace awareness. Premium features offer notifications, historical data, and advanced map options.
- Drone detection via Bluetooth/WLAN
- Map display of drone locations
- View drone details and flight paths
- Save flight paths to GPX
- Notifications for detected drones (premium)
- Historical detection data (premium)
- Multiple map providers and layers (premium)
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See which drones are flying around you. DroneScout detects drones that broadcast Remote ID — also known as OpenDroneID or DRI — over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and shows them live on a map. For each detected drone you get its position and flight path, altitude and height, speed and direction, serial number, operator ID, UAS type and operation description, plus the pilot's location whenever the drone broadcasts it. REMOTE ID, IN SHORT Remote ID is a digital licence plate for drones: the aircraft broadcasts who and where it is, directly over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. It is mandatory for most new drones above 250 g in the United States (FAA) and the European Union (EASA), with comparable rules in Japan, Singapore and China. DroneScout implements the open OpenDroneID standards ASTM F3411 and ASD-STAN EN 4709-002 over Bluetooth Legacy, Bluetooth Long Range S8, Wi-Fi Beacon and Wi-Fi NaN. It also receives China's national Remote ID standard GB 46750-2025. FREE • Live detection and tracking of nearby drones • Live map with drone and pilot position • Full broadcast detail: serial number, operator, altitude, speed, direction • Brand identification • Export a flight track to GPX SILVER • Notification when a new drone is detected nearby • Flight history, stored on your phone and searchable later • Model identification: over 300 brands and over 400 drone models recognised • Detailed drone info tab, no banner GOLD — everything in Silver, plus • Extra map providers and layers: normal, satellite, terrain • Offline maps (MBTiles) • Label drones with your own names • Group drones and write notes per drone PLATINUM — everything in Gold, plus • Push detections to your own server, to CalTopo, or to the Drone Radar network • ADS-B: nearby manned aircraft alongside drones, via a local stratux.me receiver or our network ADS-B service PLEASE READ BEFORE BUYING Remote ID was designed on the assumption that an ordinary smartphone could receive it. On Apple hardware, that assumption fails outright: no iPhone or iPad, on any model, can receive Bluetooth Long Range S8, and iOS does not let any app — ours or anyone else's — scan for Wi-Fi Beacon frames at all. This is a platform restriction, not a defect in the app: without an accessory, an iPhone's realistic ceiling is Bluetooth Legacy, a small minority of real-world Remote ID broadcasts. China's GB 46750-2025 standard mandates exactly the two transports Apple blocks — Bluetooth Long Range S8 and Wi-Fi Beacon — while leaving Bluetooth Legacy optional. Many GB 46750 drones transmit Bluetooth Legacy anyway, so an iPhone or iPad without Bridge can often still see a good share of them — just not a guaranteed one. Our affordable optional DroneScout Bridge receiver sidesteps all of that: it listens on Bluetooth Legacy, Bluetooth Long Range S8, Wi-Fi Beacon and Wi-Fi NaN on 2.4 GHz, and on 5 GHz too on the higher Bridge models — including drones that broadcast Remote ID only on 5 GHz, such as Skydio — then rebroadcasts everything as plain Bluetooth Legacy, which your iPhone and iPad receive normally, no Wi-Fi radio required on the phone's side. Range up to 2 km. PRIVACY Detections stay on your device. Nothing is uploaded unless you enable a server integration yourself. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. Privacy policy: https://dronescout.co/privacy-policy-dronescout-pro-app/ Website: https://dronescout.co/app
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: DroneScout pro at fortnightly against BFA Wind Explorer's every 5 months. DroneScout pro also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, 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
Both are free to download. BFA Wind Explorer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and DroneScout pro sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
BFA Wind Explorer ships an update every 5 months, DroneScout pro fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BFA Wind Explorer | DroneScout pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 4.2 (10 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 10 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 50 MB | 62 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Balloon Federation of America, Inc | BlueMark Innovations BV |
In-app purchases
BFA Wind Explorer
- Monthly Pro Membership$2.991 Month
- Yearly Pro Membership$24.991 Year
DroneScout pro
- Silver package monthly$2.991 Month
- Gold package$5.991 Month
- Platinum package$9.991 Month
Questions
Is BFA Wind Explorer free?
Is DroneScout pro free?
Do BFA Wind Explorer or DroneScout pro have ads?
Which is updated more often, BFA Wind Explorer or DroneScout pro?
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