# Drone Buddy vs Drone Scanner

The clearest difference is rating: Drone Buddy at 4.7 against Drone Scanner's 1.9. Drone Buddy also leads on review sentiment (55% vs 16%) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 months). Drone Scanner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Drone Buddy sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Drone Scanner asks for nothing beyond the download.

Drone Buddy holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drone Buddy has 8.4K ratings behind it against 147, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of Drone Buddy's written reviews are positive against 16% of Drone Scanner's.

Drone Buddy ships an update every 10 days, Drone Scanner every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Drone Buddy | Drone Scanner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (8.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drone-buddy-fly-drone-safely/id992303145/reviews)** | [1.9 (147 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drone-scanner/id1644548782/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **8.4K** | 147 |
| Positive reviews | **54.8% of reviews** | 15.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 127 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kirway LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1450953426) | [Dronetag](https://appshunter.io/developer/1527565212) |

## What reviewers say

### 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 (10)**

| 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 |
| 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


### Drone Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drone-scanner/id1644548782)

Transform your device into a drone scanner to track nearby flights in real-time. View detailed flight information, including pilot data and location history, on an interactive map. The app is updated to comply with current EU and US regulations.

**Highlights:** Real-time drone tracking, Detailed drone information, Interactive flight map, Support for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi broadcasts, Flying zone highlighting, Data export functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Works as advertised
- 🚀 Great app for Android
- 💡 Excellent Remote ID scanner

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Does not work on iOS
- 🐛 Unable to detect drones
- 🔒 Privacy concerns
- 🔒 Collects personal information

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on launch
- Unable to locate drones in proximity
- Inaccurate location tracking

**Requested features**

- Add support for WiFi-based Remote ID
- Add support for more drone models
- Allow changing units from metric to imperial


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Drone Buddy free?

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

### Is Drone Scanner free?

Drone Scanner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Drone Buddy or Drone Scanner?

Drone Buddy is rated higher. Drone Buddy averages 4.7 out of 5 from 8.4K ratings, while Drone Scanner averages 1.9 from 147 ratings.

### Do Drone Buddy or Drone Scanner have ads?

Neither Drone Buddy nor Drone Scanner shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Drone Buddy or Drone Scanner?

Drone Buddy ships an update every 10 days, and Drone Scanner every 3 months. Most recently, Drone Buddy was updated on November 1, 2026 and Drone Scanner on November 3, 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.*