Drone Buddy is an all-round pre-flight app. It puts weather, airspace maps, TFR alerts and community flying spots on one screen. Altiwind does only weather, in more depth: wind at four flight heights, estimated gusts, limits for your drone and a forecast checked against the nearest airport. Pick Drone Buddy if maps and places to fly matter most. Pick Altiwind if the wind is what usually grounds you.
Side by side
Checked October 2026. Drone Buddy prices are from the US App Store, and other stores and currencies differ.
| Altiwind | Drone Buddy | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free download; Pro listed from $3.99/month to $99.99 lifetime, with yearly options of $34.99–$59.99 (exact price shown in the app) |
| Free tier | Today plus the next 24 hours, 1 spot, 1 drone, go/no-go, Kp now, verified badge | Wind and weather without an account; go/no-go at your pin; 3 days of calm flying windows (Android listing) |
| Platforms | Web app, installable on the home screen; native iPhone app planned | iPhone, iPad, Apple silicon Mac, Apple Vision, Android |
| Wind at flight altitude | 30, 60, 90 and 120 m (100–400 ft) | Not stated |
| Gusts | Estimated gusts at each height | Live wind and gusts |
| Kp / GPS | Kp now, weighted by latitude | Not stated |
| Go/no-go per drone | Yes, from your drone's wind limit, with a reason for each check | Go/no-go from weather and airspace; drone profiles not stated |
| Forecast checked against METAR | Yes, nearest airport within 25 km | Not stated |
| Airspace | Not yet; informational overlays planned | Airports worldwide, US Class B–E, TFRs, stadium events, parks, UK zones |
| Account required | No | Not for wind and weather |
What Drone Buddy Pro adds
According to its App Store and Google Play listings, Pro adds four things. You get go/no-go for any searched location (not just where you are), hourly wind, calm flying windows for 10 days (free shows 3) and TFR alerts for a pin you choose. On Android, Pro also removes ads. The annual plan has a 3-day free trial, and there are 3-month and lifetime options.
Where Drone Buddy is better
- Airspace depth today. It draws US Class B, C, D and surface E airspace from FAA shapes and adds airports worldwide, live TFRs and stadium events. It also covers national parks in the US, UK and Canada. The October 2026 update (6.9.2) added UK Flight Restriction Zones and restricted areas. Altiwind's airspace overlays are only planned.
- Places to fly. A crowd-sourced map lists flying sites with photos and notes. The Drone Buddy website says there are 3,000+ spots (checked October 2026). Altiwind has nothing like it.
- Best flying windows. Drone Buddy ranks the calmest daylight slots over the coming days by wind, rain, cloud, visibility and daylight. That's handy for planning a trip.
- Native apps. It runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision and Android, in nine languages, and has extras like a drone news feed.
Where Altiwind is different
- Wind where the drone flies. Drone Buddy's listings describe wind and gusts but don't mention wind at altitude. Altiwind interpolates between the model levels (10, 80, 120 and 180 m) to give you 30/60/90/120 m. Wind usually picks up with height (why).
- Estimated gusts aloft. Altiwind adds the 10 m gust excess (gust minus mean wind) to the wind at your height, never less than 1.2× that wind. It always labels the result as an estimated gust.
- A score for your drone. The go/no-go score uses your drone's rated wind resistance. Sustained wind up to 60% of it is within your limits and up to 85% is marginal. Estimated gusts are within your limits up to 80% and marginal up to 100%. It also checks rain, temperature, visibility, Kp and daylight, and every check shows as a reason chip.
- A checked forecast. The verified badge compares the last 6–24 hours of wind and gusts at the nearest METAR station with 2–3 models. It uses the model with the smallest error and tells you the bias, e.g. "running 3 km/h high".
- Kp for GPS. Kp is adjusted for your geomagnetic latitude, with a plain "GPS: normal" or "GPS: may be degraded".
- No ads, no trackers. The free tier needs no account. The server only sees a grid cell of about 5 km, never your exact coordinates.
FAQ
Does Drone Buddy show wind at altitude?
Its App Store and Google Play listings mention live wind, gusts and hourly wind (Pro), but not wind at height (checked October 2026). Altiwind shows wind at 30, 60, 90 and 120 m.
Which is better for airspace maps?
Drone Buddy, today. It already maps airports, US controlled airspace, TFRs and UK restriction zones. Altiwind is weather guidance only and not for air navigation. Check official airspace sources and your local rules before you fly.
Can I use Drone Buddy without an account?
For wind and weather, yes. Its 6.8.8 release notes say you can check them without an account. Altiwind never asks for an account.
Is Altiwind free?
Yes. You get today plus the next 24 hours, one spot, one drone profile, the go/no-go score, Kp now and the verified badge.