Comparison

DroneEar vs Remote ID Drone Radar

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

Head to head
About

DroneEar

Features
Read full description

DroneEar detects nearby drones using your smartphone's Bluetooth sensor and microphone. All processing happens on your device — no internet connection required, and no data ever leaves your phone. TIER 1 — Remote ID Detection - Detects BLE Remote ID broadcasts (ASTM F3411 standard) - Reads a broadcasting drone's serial number, GPS position, altitude, speed and heading - Shows the drone's real bearing and distance from your location - Shows the operator's location when the drone broadcasts it TIER 2 — Acoustic Detection (Beta) - Detects multirotor drone sound through the phone microphone - Matched against acoustic fingerprints built from real drone recordings - Acoustic detection only signals that a drone-like sound is nearby — it does not provide a position - Support for more aircraft types is planned for future updates MORE FEATURES - Real-time map showing the position of Remote ID drones - Detection history - Indoor/outdoor environment detection — flags conditions that affect detection accuracy - Three display themes: Day, Night, and AMOLED 15 LANGUAGES Korean, English, Ukrainian, Arabic, Gulf Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, Urdu, Filipino, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese PRIVACY - 100% on-device processing - No data collection of any kind - No analytics, no tracking - No internet required - No account required DISCLAIMER DroneEar is an awareness aid, not a security or safety system. Remote ID detection only works for drones that broadcast Remote ID, and many drones do not. Acoustic detection is a probabilistic estimate strongly affected by environment, distance, and background noise. Do not rely on DroneEar for safety-critical decisions or security purposes.

About

Remote ID Drone Radar

This app detects drones broadcasting Remote ID signals, showing their location, altitude, and operator information. It renders 3D flight paths and allows recording, playback, and export of flight data. Offline maps and alerts are also available.

Highlights
  • Drone location tracking
  • Operator location display
  • 3D flight path rendering
  • Flight data recording and playback
  • Offline map support
  • Detection alerts
Features
Read full description

Drones over 250g flying in U.S. airspace are required to broadcast a Remote ID signal for anyone to receive with their position, altitude, and in most cases, the operator's location or takeoff location. Remote ID Drone Radar listens for those broadcasts and renders their 3D flight path. WHAT YOU SEE • Drone location • Operator location - pilot location or take off location • Altitude, ground speed, vertical speed, and flight status (ground or airborne) • Distance from the drone to you, to its operator, and operator to you • Make and model, matched from the drone's serial number • 3D flight paths over standard, hybrid, satellite, or offline maps TWO WAYS TO RECEIVE • Bluetooth Remote ID works on your iPhone or iPad by itself, with no extra software. Range is roughly a quarter mile, and it's used mostly by add-on broadcast modules. • Wi-Fi Remote ID is what the vast majority of drones over 249g use, including DJI and Autel aircraft, and it reaches several miles in good conditions. The optional RID Radar Mac Helper turns a Mac into the receiver: download the free Mac helper, and your iPhone or iPad connects to it over Bluetooth or locally. Wi-Fi detection requires a Mac on macOS 26.4 or later — please read the Requirements section below before you subscribe. RECORD THE AIRSPACE • Tap Record and the app captures the whole picture: every drone, every track, timestamped. • Play it back at 1×, 3×, 5×, 10×, or 20×, scrub the timeline, and export the result as a flight file to share or as CSV to analyze. • Import flight files back in on any of your devices. ALERTS • Get a notification the moment a drone appears, with the app in the background and your phone locked. OFFLINE MAPS • Download a global base map plus the regions you fly in, and keep a working map with no cell service at all. PRIVACY • Recordings are stored on your device, or in your own iCloud and synced across your Apple devices — your choice. We never receive them either way. • There is no account, and no analytics pipeline pointed at you. TRY IT • A sample flight is built in, so you can explore recording, playback, and export. PLANS • Standard — live drone map, telemetry, 3D flight paths, make and model • Advanced — adds operator location, flight recording, detection alerts, offline maps, and flight file export and import • Pro — adds serial number decoding and CSV export and import • Lifetime — everything in Pro, one purchase REQUIREMENTS • iPhone, iPad, or Mac • Bluetooth Remote ID: no additional software • Wi-Fi Remote ID: a Mac running macOS 26.4 or later, with the free helper app from pxatech.com/mac. While scanning, the helper puts that Mac's Wi-Fi interface into monitor mode to listen for drone signals. Please note this means you will not be able to use WiFi internet on the Mac while this is active. RID Radar receives publicly broadcast Remote ID signals only. It does not intercept private communications, control any aircraft, or interfere with flight operations in any way. Not all drones are required to broadcast Remote ID, and reception depends on terrain, distance, and antenna placement.

Screenshots

DroneEar4 screens
Remote ID Drone Radar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Remote ID Drone Radar at Free against DroneEar's $9.99. DroneEar's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.4). On ads 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

Remote ID Drone Radar is free to download; DroneEar costs $9.99 up front. Remote ID Drone Radar sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per year. DroneEar asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
DroneEar versus Remote ID Drone Radar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDroneEarRemote ID Drone Radar
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.1 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerseungho kimPXA Tech LLC

In-app purchases

None

DroneEar

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Remote ID Drone Radar

Subscriptions3
  • Remote ID Drone Radar Standard7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Remote ID Drone Radar Advanced$69.991 Year
  • Remote ID Drone Radar Pro$299.991 Year
One-time1
  • Remote ID Drone Radar Lifetime$599.99

Questions

Is DroneEar free?
DroneEar costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Remote ID Drone Radar free?
Remote ID Drone Radar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do DroneEar or Remote ID Drone Radar have ads?
Neither DroneEar nor Remote ID Drone Radar shows ads.

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