Drone Buddy vs Bolt Hunter
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
Bolt Hunter
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Bolt Hunter is a companion app for the Bolt Hunter lightning camera trigger. This app is used to configure and control your Bolt Hunter, allowing you to capture lightning with precise timing and improved reliability. Key Features: - Connect to your Bolt Hunter device via Bluetooth - Adjust sensitivity and trigger settings - Control interval shooting modes - Configure Night Mode and exposure behavior - Calibrate camera shutter lag - Monitor device status and settings in real time - View real-time lightning data to improve your settings Important: This app requires a Bolt Hunter device to function. Hardware is sold separately. Bolt Hunter is designed for photographers who want consistent lightning captures without missed shots, in both daytime and nighttime conditions.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bolt Hunter at none against Drone Buddy's 10. 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.
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 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Bolt Hunter asks for nothing beyond the download.
Drone Buddy ships an update weekly, Bolt Hunter every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Drone Buddy | Bolt Hunter |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (8.4K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 54.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 8.4K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 127 MB | 116 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kirway LLC | Motion Horizons LLC |
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
Bolt Hunter
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
- 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
Bolt Hunter
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Drone Buddy free?
Is Bolt Hunter free?
Do Drone Buddy or Bolt Hunter have ads?
Which is updated more often, Drone Buddy or Bolt Hunter?
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