Software & services — European Union
Drone telemetry software: ground stations, mobile and flight analysis
Desktop ground stations: QGroundControl, Mission Planner and UgCS
QGroundControl and Mission Planner are the two most frequently cited desktop ground stations for preparing and monitoring a mission. QGroundControl is documented on its official website and its source code is public. Mission Planner belongs to the ArduPilot ecosystem. SPH Engineering compares UgCS with QGroundControl for survey missions. UgCS targets flight planning and professional licences, with a price list published by licence type. ArduPilot's page on choosing a ground station notes that the software depends on the flight controller and the type of mission.
QGroundControl runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. The software handles mission planning, configuration of PX4 and ArduPilot controllers, in-flight monitoring and log downloads. Mission Planner runs on Windows. It is used to calibrate sensors, update ArduPilot firmware and analyse flight logs. UgCS publishes licences by use case. Its flight plans are used for surveying, with terrain-following and mission-import options. The published prices do not follow a single price list. QGroundControl is free via its official website. UgCS publishes licences. Mission Planner is documented in the ArduPilot ecosystem. The amounts are not public for all the tools.
Mobile apps and flight log analysis
DJI Pilot 2 and the Autel Enterprise app cover mobile piloting of manufacturer fleets. DJI Pilot 2 equips DJI Enterprise drones, including the Matrice 30 and Mavic 3 Enterprise, for mission planning, camera adjustment and RTK monitoring. The Autel Enterprise app controls Autel EVO Enterprise devices and offers waypoint missions and payload settings. DJI FlightHub 2 adds fleet management and cloud supervision, with a shop page dedicated to the software. AirData and DroneLogbook process flight logs, statistics and maintenance tracking. Their prices are published as subscriptions.
AirData imports flight logs and produces reports on batteries, maintenance and device usage. DroneLogbook stores flights, compliance documents and maintenance operations. DJI FlightHub 2 provides a fleet view, live streaming and mission planning from the cloud. The advertised functions cover mission preparation, in-flight monitoring, logs and fleet management. Manufacturer sources and pricing pages do not make it possible to rank these software packages on the same price scale. The price lists do not provide a single comparable amount.
Video telemetry: GoPro Telemetry Extractor and Youmetry
GoPro Telemetry Extractor and video data overlay software add flight parameters to footage. GoPro Telemetry Extractor reads GPMF metadata from GoPro files, including GPS, speed, altitude and accelerometer data, then exports it as JSON, CSV or GPX. Helicomicro describes Youmetry, a video telemetry tool. Stintbox publishes a guide to the best telemetry software. These tools produce videos with flight data overlaid.
Price and feature comparison remains limited. The accessible pages do not provide a common price list. Press reviews and customer feedback are not available. GoPro Telemetry Extractor is used with GoPro files and editing software such as Adobe After Effects. Youmetry is a video telemetry tool described by Helicomicro. The Stintbox guide lists several video telemetry software packages without publishing comparable ratings.
Public prices, customer feedback and limitations of the comparison
The listed sources contain no press ratings or comparable customer feedback for all the software packages. The comparison can describe the families, advertised functions and published pricing models, but cannot establish a ranking by satisfaction. Not all prices are public: some pages give licences or subscriptions, while others redirect to a shop. QGroundControl is free. UgCS publishes a price list by licence type. DJI FlightHub 2 is sold via a shop. AirData and DroneLogbook publish subscriptions.
The choice depends on the flight controller, the manufacturer and the need for log processing. QGroundControl and Mission Planner remain tied to their ecosystems. UgCS, DJI FlightHub 2, AirData and DroneLogbook meet different professional use cases. An ArduPilot operator who analyses logs on Windows will choose Mission Planner. A DJI Enterprise fleet supervising several devices will look at FlightHub 2. A design office preparing survey missions will compare UgCS and QGroundControl. AirData and DroneLogbook handle logs and maintenance.
Sources
- SPH Engineering — How to Choose Drone Ground Control Software : https://www.sphengineering.com/news/how-to-choose-drone-ground-control-software
- SPH Engineering — UgCS vs QGroundControl for Professional Drone Surveying : https://www.sphengineering.com/news/ugcs-vs-qgroundcontrol-drone-survey-comparison
- SPH Engineering — UgCS licence prices : https://shop.sphengineering.com/pages/ugcs-license-types-pricing
- QGroundControl — official website : https://qgroundcontrol.com/
- ArduPilot — Mission Planner : https://ardupilot.org/planner/
- ArduPilot — Choosing a Ground Station : https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-choosing-a-ground-station.html
- AirData UAV — features and coverage : https://www.airdata.com/features
- AirData UAV — Plans & Prices : https://cdn.airdata.com/pricing
- DroneLogbook — pricing : https://www.dronelogbook.com/hp/1/pricing.php
- DJI — FlightHub 2 : https://www.dji.com/flighthub-2
- DroneBase — DJI FlightHub 2, European pricing : https://shop.dronebase.it/en/dji-flighthub-2-software
- Helicomicro — YouMetry, video telemetry gauges : https://www.helicomicro.com/2026/10/06/youmetry/
- StintBox — comparison of telemetry overlay software : https://stintbox.app/fr/guides/best-telemetry-software
- Telemetry Overlay : https://goprotelemetryextractor.com/
- Autel Robotics — the Autel Enterprise app : https://www.autelpilot.com/blogs/news/autel-enterprise-application-overview
- ArduPilot Discourse — user feedback on Mission Planner : https://discuss.ardupilot.org/t/use-missionplanner/122993
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