Five Best Drone Applications in 2018

By Lauren E. White

Thousands of individuals own civilian drones nowadays. In fact, it is predicted that in the US alone over the 2018 Christmas period, around one million drones will be sold. That’s why when it comes to drone apps, there are so many in varying levels of performance. So our shortlist of the five best drone applications of 2018 will set you in good stead for your current drone, or your new one.

The aptly named drone application Hover is a basic, foundational app necessary for all drone users. It provides you with a ‘to fly, or not to fly’ verdict based on your location, the weather forecast and a pre-uploaded no-fly zone database. So, basically, Hover makes it impossible for you to be ignorant of when the time is right. 

Hover is also easy to navigate and free to use too. This is particularly brilliant seeing as it also provides you with intricate weather details for the day of flying and allows you to log all flights and flying hours. On some apps, you pay for that service, so Hover is really great.

Although the Autopilot drone application is not free of charge, it is worth it. With some fantastic camera features which bring the app firmly into 2018, you cannot miss out on this app if you love your drone. 

The camera on your drone is enhanced so much by Autopilot and you can move it multiple ways, and at multiple angles to track objects and defined landscape features. Autopilot also has a great quality about it that when taking photos and videos, the footage seems to effortlessly glide along the sky. We’d definitely recommend this drone application for the avid drone photographer.

Autopilot also captures more flying data than the drone by itself, so it can hold a great deal of footage for you while logging your flights and flight times too.

AirMap is a unique drone application which performs much like other drone apps, but with a twist. Yes, it tells you when it is safe and advisable to fly, and provides the latest weather forecasts. But it also has the Digital Notice and Awareness System.

The system allows you to tap an on-screen button to notify your nearest air traffic control that you are flying nearby the airport. This works best in the USA, though the creators of AirMap are looking to branch out further this year too. 

This system is incredibly useful for pilots and air traffic control, as well as drone fliers too. They can find out if they’re flying nearby any planes and can act upon that too. 

Here’s a drone application where you don’t even need a drone to use it. The FX Simulator provides the feeling and experience of flying a drone on your phone or tablet due to the use of an increased number of camera shots and angles. There is a camera from ground level, but also at a normal done level too, which allows you to see what the footage of a real drone would look like.

If this makes you really want to fly your own drone, you could check out a guide on how to build a drone yourself. It would certainly be a challenge, but one that would be worth it. Plus, you wouldn’t need that simulator any longer!

One of the best drone applications in 2018 is by far the Sun Surveyor. It is the best app for those who want to get fantastic, quality shots of evening sunsets or early morning sunrises.

Sun Surveyor allows you to use a map to track the predicted path of the sun and the moon to time the correct moment for a shot. You can also allow push notifications to inform you of the sunrise and sunset times, as well as the days and times of a full moon.

We’d recommend this drone application to any avid drone photographer as it will absolutely help in your artistic pursuits.