# Drone Buddy vs OpenAthena

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OpenAthena at none against Drone Buddy's 11. Drone Buddy's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Drone Buddy sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. OpenAthena asks for nothing beyond the download.

Drone Buddy ships an update weekly, OpenAthena every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Drone Buddy | OpenAthena |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (8.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drone-buddy-fly-drone-safely/id992303145/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **8.4K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 55.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 124 MB | 74 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kirway LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1450953426) | [Robert Krupczak](https://appshunter.io/developer/1686231817) |

## 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 (11)**

| 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 |
| Drone Buddy Pro Access Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| 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


### OpenAthena

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/openathena/id6448763554)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Drone Buddy free?

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

### Is OpenAthena free?

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

### Do Drone Buddy or OpenAthena have ads?

Neither Drone Buddy nor OpenAthena shows ads.

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

Drone Buddy ships an update weekly, and OpenAthena every 2 months. Most recently, Drone Buddy was updated on September 24, 2026 and OpenAthena on September 20, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*