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DroneDeploy

By DroneDeploy

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DroneDeploy Pros and Cons: Top 5 Advantages and Disadvantages

Quick AI Summary Based on G2 Reviews

Generated from real user reviews

Users highlight the ease of use of DroneDeploy, appreciating its simplicity and effective support for mapping tasks. (35 mentions)
Users appreciate the excellent iOS app which aids in mission planning and offers offline flight plan saving. (21 mentions)
Users highly value the responsive customer support of DroneDeploy, which enhances their overall experience and productivity. (19 mentions)
Users value the easy sharing capabilities of DroneDeploy, enhancing collaboration and data distribution for various projects. (9 mentions)
Users appreciate the daily usability of DroneDeploy, benefiting from its seamless data collection and project management features. (7 mentions)
Users find the software expensive and note that pricing plans can be quite confusing for their needs. (13 mentions)
Users note the missing features in DroneDeploy, including difficulties with default settings and tedious mapping tasks. (8 mentions)
Users find the slow processing times frustrating, significantly delaying their business operations and workflow efficiency. (7 mentions)
Users experience issues with upload times that slow down their workflow, especially when processing large data sets. (5 mentions)
Users face 3D integration issues, particularly with limited 2D capabilities and challenges in handling CAD files. (4 mentions)

5 Pros or Advantages of DroneDeploy

1. Ease of Use
Users highlight the ease of use of DroneDeploy, appreciating its simplicity and effective support for mapping tasks.
See 35 mentions

See Related User Reviews

CW

Charles W.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Life made easier"

What do you like about DroneDeploy?

I have started my drone business and DroneDeploy has made the work flow super simple. I am able to generate flight plans and areas for the General Con

Anthony F.
AF

Anthony F.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.5/5

"Using Drone Deploy for Post-Tension Decked High Rise Construction"

What do you like about DroneDeploy?

I love how easy it is to export, how i can overlay easily, how i never have issues with maps coming out well, and the speedy customer service.

2. Features
Users appreciate the excellent iOS app which aids in mission planning and offers offline flight plan saving.
See 21 mentions

See Related User Reviews

ML

Manuel L.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

3.5/5

"Good for flight plans. Post processing could be better."

What do you like about DroneDeploy?

The iOS app is excellent for planning missions. The app is free and easy to use, and you can save flight plans offline. I especially like the terrain

Verified User
U

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

2.5/5

"DroneDeploy is Functional"

What do you like about DroneDeploy?

I can easily upload AutoCAD files to create flight plans.

3. Customer Support
Users highly value the responsive customer support of DroneDeploy, which enhances their overall experience and productivity.
See 19 mentions

See Related User Reviews

CW

Charles W.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Life made easier"

What do you like about DroneDeploy?

I have started my drone business and DroneDeploy has made the work flow super simple. I am able to generate flight plans and areas for the General Con

Anthony F.
AF

Anthony F.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.5/5

"Using Drone Deploy for Post-Tension Decked High Rise Construction"

What do you like about DroneDeploy?

I love how easy it is to export, how i can overlay easily, how i never have issues with maps coming out well, and the speedy customer service.

4. Easy Sharing
Users value the easy sharing capabilities of DroneDeploy, enhancing collaboration and data distribution for various projects.
See 9 mentions

See Related User Reviews

PK

Patrick K.

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

4.5/5

"Drone deploy is a complete system for your drone construction needs"

What do you like about DroneDeploy?

The images that are produced and the ease in sharing the data.

Hayden M.
HM

Hayden M.

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

4.5/5

"Practical, Usefull, and Downright Exciting"

What do you like about DroneDeploy?

DroneDeploy enables our company to gather valuable and actionable data. The platform also facilitates seamless distribution of this data to field user

5. Daily Use
Users appreciate the daily usability of DroneDeploy, benefiting from its seamless data collection and project management features.
See 7 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Hayden M.
HM

Hayden M.

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

4.5/5

"Practical, Usefull, and Downright Exciting"

What do you like about DroneDeploy?

DroneDeploy enables our company to gather valuable and actionable data. The platform also facilitates seamless distribution of this data to field user

Robert M.
RM

Robert M.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"great program little drawbacks"

What do you like about DroneDeploy?

The maps that it creates. I recently had to use support, and they were excellent. They worked to try and solve the issue that we had with a map, which

5 Cons or Disadvantages of DroneDeploy

1. Expensive
Users find the software expensive and note that pricing plans can be quite confusing for their needs.
See 13 mentions

See Related User Reviews

SM

Stephan M.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.5/5

"Great software, high price."

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

The price is very high for software, but as my business grows, this has been some thing that gets built into the pricing towards my Clients.

Verified User
U

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Great customer service and exciting features."

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

Pricing plans and levels confusing. No 3D feature on mobile

2. Missing Features
Users note the missing features in DroneDeploy, including difficulties with default settings and tedious mapping tasks.
See 8 mentions

See Related User Reviews

CW

Christopher W.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"DroneDeploy by Aerial Drone Solutions"

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

I would like a couple of different types of secenarious added. I know they have serveral, but I feel the key 2 are Standard and Corridor. It would b

Verified User
A

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.0/5

"Its hands down the best platform out there, even with all its quirks"

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

One major drawback of the platform is the amount of time required for tedious tasks. For instance, setting the crop area of a map over 3,000 images is

3. Slow Processing
Users find the slow processing times frustrating, significantly delaying their business operations and workflow efficiency.
See 7 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User
U

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.0/5

"Excellent software"

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

The processing times are very slow causing a delay to business. Also the agricultural component is a little limited.

Jake W.
JW

Jake W.

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"Drone Pilot - Construction Mapping"

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

Support for new Mavic 3E controllers. We had two weeks of support and updates before our new drone worked. Upload time - it would be nice to have

4. Upload Issues
Users experience issues with upload times that slow down their workflow, especially when processing large data sets.
See 5 mentions

See Related User Reviews

MR

Mark R.

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"Surveyor, Field Engineer, Drone Pilot, Laser Scanner"

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

Not much bad to say. Sometimes we are in a 400' controlled airspace and get the DJI unlock because DJI thinks it is a 200'. Get the unlock from DJI an

Jake W.
JW

Jake W.

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"Drone Pilot - Construction Mapping"

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

Support for new Mavic 3E controllers. We had two weeks of support and updates before our new drone worked. Upload time - it would be nice to have

5. 3D Integration Issues
Users face 3D integration issues, particularly with limited 2D capabilities and challenges in handling CAD files.
See 4 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User
U

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Great customer service and exciting features."

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

Pricing plans and levels confusing. No 3D feature on mobile

Frank H.
FH

Frank H.

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"No going back! DD is the ultimate visual aid for subcontractor meetings and much more!"

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

Would like to have more ability to upload CAD files directly, and less manual alignment of PDFs. The recent 3D IFC and DXF ability in 3D view is amazi

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DroneDeploy Reviews (97)

Reviews

DroneDeploy Reviews (97)

4.5
97 reviews
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DS
QAQC coordinator
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Drone Deploy"
What do you like best about DroneDeploy?

Integration of drone with model ,360 camera , drawings and inspections and issues with BIM 360 Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

We should use this combination from start of the project Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

MR
Junior Specialist
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Always happy using the Industry Standard, Pre and Post Flight, Cloudbased, Reality Capture Software"
What do you like best about DroneDeploy?

DroneDeploy is like an iPhone, Macbook, or iPad; it is a polished and refined tool that centers the user in an ease-of-use, ready-to-go environment. The user interface is very intuitive, and Pilots can easily create and share plans, progress, and rough products. There have been a few minimal issues when we have used DroneDeploy, but those are likely related to user error.

The support team is top-notch and responsive. Andrea Ku from the support team was very helpful, very patient, and very understanding. Andrea even recorded a step-by-step video to demonstrate my mistakes and the solution and then directed me to resources that would ensure other issues wouldn't arise in the future. I don't remember another support experience that was as pleasant and helpful. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

In another similar aspect of Apple products, DroneDeploy costs an arm and a leg. Remote pilots or their companies have to invest heavily to enter the DroneDeploy ecosystem. Customization is also limited to what DroneDeploy permits. While the cost and limitations ensure that the product is stable and users don't have constant issues, it really does limit DroneDeploy to large corporations, institutions, or already cemented remote pilots. Developing companies or new pilots will not be able to afford entry into this ecosystem. New pilots will likely use Litchi, Drone Link, or some other reality capture software that is more affordable. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Construction
AC
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Its hands down the best platform out there, even with all its quirks"
What do you like best about DroneDeploy?

The platform offers a single pricing structure, eliminating unexpected charges at the end of the month. It features fast processing and a user-friendly interface, making it straightforward to use in most scenarios. With a solid range of features, it stands out as a reliable product. Moreover, the customer service team is exceptional—knowledgeable, responsive, and genuinely committed to resolving issues with personalized assistance, not just generic cookie cutter responses. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

One major drawback of the platform is the amount of time required for tedious tasks. For instance, setting the crop area of a map over 3,000 images is incredibly time-consuming, with each vertex taking over 30 seconds to adjust. If a map has 100 vertices, that amounts to nearly an hour spent just moving points. This issue could be easily resolved with an 'upload/download/save KML' option, allowing users to avoid repetitive manual adjustments.

Additionally, every time a job needs to be retried due to potentially misaligned GCPs (Ground Control Points), the entire dataset must be reuploaded, wasting both bandwidth and time. A more efficient solution would be allowing users to reprocess the same map while redoing only the GCP process. The GCP workflow itself could also be improved significantly by enabling users to save sessions, so they can correct issues and reprocess without starting from scratch. At present, marking each GCP takes over a minute—marking 50 GCPs can take 1–2 hours.

An option to automatically exclude GCP images that don’t align properly within the selection box would also be a valuable addition. Often, these images are located on the edges and are prone to lens distortion, making them unreliable for marking. the same goes for blurry ones, Ignoring these in favor of better-quality images would streamline the process and improve accuracy.

Another critical improvement would be a feature to flag blurry images and suggest processing the map using the side overlap images to avoid incorporating poor-quality data into the orthomap. This would help prevent entire flight lines or even singles of blurry images from compromising the final product.

Lastly, one of the most frustrating aspects is that customers cannot use the measuring and volume calculation tools without a DroneDeploy account. Most of our customers only need to draw basic lines, measure polygons, or perform very basic volume calculations. They don’t require that the data be saved—just quick measurements. Requiring an account for this functionality is prohibitive, as accounts are expensive, and most customers aren’t willing to spend $1,000+ annually just to measure a line on their land a handful of times. Removing this restriction would greatly enhance usability and accessibility Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Danielle W.
DW
Virtual Construction Manager
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"DroneDeploy is an exceptional reality capture tool"
What do you like best about DroneDeploy?

DroneDeploy is an exceptional reality capture tool that integrates drone flight planning, map processing, tangible data collection, and 360-degree photography all in one platform. Its user-friendly interface makes flight planning intuitive, allowing for quick adjustments to cover any site effectively. The map processing delivers high-quality orthomosaics and 3D models rapidly, which is invaluable for project management. The ability to measure volumetrics and track progress visually enhances decision-making, while 360-degree photos provide immersive documentation. Overall, DroneDeploy has significantly streamlined our reality capture workflow and is a must-have for anyone in the construction industry. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

I don't love the administrative interface to manage users and their permissions. I wish permissions were more granular. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

WT
GIS ANALYST
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Drone Deploy very fine product for all needs"
What do you like best about DroneDeploy?

Drone Deploy is extremely easy to use and learn for newcomers. It has a lot of extra capabilities and abilities to connect to various GIS systems which is a plus. The website is easy to manage as well and keep track of all projects. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

The live streaming capabilites could be easier to implement for drones. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

GP
Technical Production Specialist
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Easy to Use, unmatched support!"
What do you like best about DroneDeploy?

Drone deploy is a great tool for managing flights and mapping. Offering the ability to preplan flights and launch from within the app, or fly and upload at a later time. It's also easy to collaborate and share projects with my team/clients. Accurate measurement tools and volume calculations are intuitive and simple to use. Whenever we need help, the chat feature and phone support are quick and excellent! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

Cannot think of any downsides. Not all drones are supported but they seem to add continously and update. LiDAR processing is in the works as well and I am hoping to see more from that as it develops. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

MR
Senior Field Engineer/Surveyor
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"Surveyor, Field Engineer, Drone Pilot, Laser Scanner"
What do you like best about DroneDeploy?

Team collaboration, site logistical analysis with overlays, archiving crucial data, being known for being forward thinking and innovative. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

Not much bad to say. Sometimes we are in a 400' controlled airspace and get the DJI unlock because DJI thinks it is a 200'. Get the unlock from DJI and can fly 400' in the Pilot 2 app in the smart controller but Drone Deploy will not allow missions to be conducted because of the elevation exceeding 200' (even though we have the unlock for 400'). Mission chaining could be more efficient if it moved the starting point based off of your location on large scale projects. It would be nice if when using GCP's, I could simply upload a txt or csv file and choose each coordinate to the GCP manually (as opposed to having to figure out scale factors and datum's). Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

CW
Owner/Pilot
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"DroneDeploy by Aerial Drone Solutions"
What do you like best about DroneDeploy?

I like how user friendly DroneDeploy is. They make it very easy to navigate. I also have great response times from the Customer Support. The major factors that helped me decide to go with DroneDeploy were Customer Support, they were there helping me get through a couple of pretty technical issues, I like the fact they seem to always be trying to make their product better and suit the many needs of the customer. The reporting on many of these post processing software platforms is lacking, but I like the fact that DroneDeploy has implimented something. I hope that they continue to develop this. I also like the fact that they are trying to be well rounded with not only doing aerial shots, but have put in ground walks, indoor walks, 360 views, etc. From what I see, these guys are standing right beside you with Customer Support. This is HUGE for me because if I can't get something to work I am at a standstill. I also like the fact that they seem to be continually evolving for what the future demands and current demands are. This means I feel I have a long future with them. The appear not just trying to make a buck but really be a current and future platform for their customers. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

I would like a couple of different types of secenarious added. I know they have serveral, but I feel the key 2 are Standard and Corridor. It would be cool if I could add some type of "no fly hole" in a flight path to avoid things such as towers in a standard flight path. I also need them to add my Matrice 350 RTK to their software. It is so convinient to create a flight path for my Mavic 3 Enterprise. I need this for my Matrice 350 RTK. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Bill H.
BH
Owner & President
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"I have been with Drone Deploy since 2017"
What do you like best about DroneDeploy?

I have to say the the most important reasons for me staying with Drone Deploy is becuase they are constantly innovating and growing as a company. I use to understand everything they offered, and then they just kept growing. As a small drone service company I have been very successful and use their ortho planning and processing platform extensively. I have enjoyed watching them grow, and even beyond my needs focused on their enterprise clients.

I will never use all they have to offer, but the mere fact that they have never stopped growing and sharing with their customers is a ture testament that they do not rest, they keep moving forward. The training materials and webinars are also something to be proud of. Their forums where people can post and ask questions is also a plus. So I would recommend without hesitation Drone Deploy. I love planning mission in their cloud software too. On a big screen makes it simple and easy to do. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

The down sides are things like we cannot set a default drone for our planning missions, I always have to change it to Mavic 3 Enterprise. Also when you open the App on the phone, pad, controller or online, the most recent missions are never the most recent missions. I have to always put Organization projects in alphabetical order to find my client's folders. Wish they go the bug on that worked out.

As they have grown, sometimes when chatting with someone on a problem, the problem is way over their head and they just reply with a canned response. So they need to be aware that some of us have more complex issues. A few times the software has been kinf of wonky in the field. But overall the good far out way the bad. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Nicholas Z.
NZ
President
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Fantastic product, but not always clear what features are available"
What do you like best about DroneDeploy?

The seamlessness between flight, upload, and model creation is fantastic. I can quickly and easily share models to be used for a variety of use cases (project tracking, inspections, surveying) and the product fidelity is very impressive. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about DroneDeploy?

DroneDeploy's feature list is not always clear. For example, I have an Advanced License subscription and I cannot share a full project link with a client, I can only share individual scans. Therefore, if I have a project with multiple scans, I need to send multiple links to my client. This creates a risk of losing track of these links and my client does not get to access any of the comparison features. I was only told of this because I asked the right questions to their sales team, and if I want this feature, I need to pay for the next tier or on a project by project basis, which my client's are less likely to opt in for.

It's a great product when you know what is all included - and can sometime's be surprising when you find out where the feature wall pops up. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.