Drone Buddy vs Ballasted
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Drone Buddy
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.
- 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
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Don’t waste a trip. Check wind, weather, and airspace before you take off — then find nearby flying sites shared by other pilots. Trusted by over 1 million pilots. 4.7 stars from 8.4K App Store ratings. WHAT YOU GET • Go / no-go — a clear fly check for your pin from weather, TFRs, and U.S. Class B/C/D/E • Wind and weather — live wind, gusts, rain radar, and visibility so you know if it’s actually flyable • Best flying windows — the calmest daylight slots, scored for wind, rain, cloud, visibility, and daylight • No-fly reference maps — global airports, U.S. Class B/C/D/E, US / UK / Canada national parks, TFRs, stadium events, and FAA UAS restricted areas. Adjust airport circle range for your certification. These are planning tools, not official clearance, and not a LAANC filing. • Where to fly — crowd-sourced sites with photos and notes from other pilots • Flying Hub — save favorite spots; businesses can post jobs, inspections, surveys, and training • Drone news — regulations, gear, and industry updates DRONE BUDDY PRO Check any pin first: go / no-go on a searched site, hourly wind, calm flying windows for 10 days, and TFR alerts on the pin you care about. 3-day free trial on the annual plan, then the yearly price shown in-app. Cancel anytime in Apple ID settings. Also available as a 3-month plan or a one-time lifetime purchase. Subscriptions auto-renew unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the period ends. Payment is charged to your Apple ID. Manage or cancel in Account Settings. Please cross-check local laws and airspace before every flight. Drone Buddy is not affiliated with the FAA and does not replace B4UFLY or an FAA-listed LAANC app. Maps and community sites can be incomplete — you are responsible for a legal, safe flight. Privacy: https://dronebuddy.io/privacy Terms: https://dronebuddy.io/terms Support: sayhi@dronebuddy.io Web: https://dronebuddy.io
Ballasted
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Ballasted is a companion for neutral-buoyancy research, guiding you through every step of underwater gravity simulation. Simply enter a subject’s mass and select the target gravity, and the app: 1. Computes segment-wise ballast weights based on anthropometric models 2. Adjusts for material specific gravity to ensure accurate in-water loading 3. Outputs segmented totals for the torso, per-thigh, and per-ankle Ideal for researchers and trainers in neutral buoyancy facilities this tool cuts setup time and helps you focus on testing EVA procedures and equipment under realistic partial-gravity conditions.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ballasted at none against Drone Buddy's 11. Drone Buddy's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (15 vs 18.0). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Drone Buddy sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Ballasted asks for nothing beyond the download.
Drone Buddy ships an update every 10 days, Ballasted every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Drone Buddy | Ballasted |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (8.4K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 54.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 8.4K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 127 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kirway LLC | Charles Hanner |
Bugs and requests
Drone Buddy
Reported bugs
3 issues- Map crashes after populating airports
- Profile settings not saving
- Inconsistent wind speed data
Requested features
4 requests- Color-coded wind speed indicators
- Ability to report and verify no-fly zones
- Integration with air traffic control
- Metric units support
Ballasted
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Drone Buddy
- Upgrade to Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
- Unlock Drone Buddy Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
- Drone Buddy Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
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- Drone Buddy Pro 3 months$12.993 Months
- Unlock Drone Buddy Pro$17.996 Months
- Drone Buddy Pro Access Yearly$19.991 Year
- Unlock Drone Buddy Pro Yearly3 Days trial$34.991 Year
- Unlock Drone Buddy Pro Yearly$39.991 Year
- Unlock Drone Buddy Pro Yearly3 Days trial$59.991 Year
- Unlock Pro Access Lifetime$79.99
- Unlock Pro Lifetime$99.99
Ballasted
No in-app purchases









