RID Scanner vs DroneScout pro
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
RID Scanner
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Accurate Detection: Based on WiFi Remote ID technology, it can quickly and accurately detect surrounding drones equipped with Remote ID function. Bluetooth Connection: Connect to professional detection devices via Bluetooth to enhance detection distance and sensitivity. Real-time monitoring: Real-time display of detected drone information, including location, speed, return point, altitude and more. Privacy Protection: Effectively identify potential privacy risks and protect your personal space. Security Alert: Detect abnormal drone activities in time to enhance security prevention capability. Easy to operate: Friendly interface, easy to operate, no need for specialized knowledge to use.
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 in-app purchases: RID Scanner at none against DroneScout pro's 3. DroneScout pro's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.2). On price, 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
Both are free to download. DroneScout pro sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. RID Scanner asks for nothing beyond the download.
RID Scanner ships an update every 9 days, DroneScout pro fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 6, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RID Scanner | 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 9 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 62 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Changsha Raspberry Information Technology Limited Co., Ltd. | BlueMark Innovations BV |
In-app purchases
RID Scanner
No in-app purchases
DroneScout pro
- Silver package monthly$2.991 Month
- Gold package$5.991 Month
- Platinum package$9.991 Month
Questions
Is RID Scanner free?
Is DroneScout pro free?
Do RID Scanner or DroneScout pro have ads?
Which is updated more often, RID Scanner or DroneScout pro?
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