Above Surveying vs Katapult Pro: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Above Surveying and Katapult Pro to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Above Surveying
5.7/10
UK drone inspection and data company for utility-scale solar plants. It pairs aerial thermographic surveys with its SolarGain cloud platform for inspection, QA and digital twin data.
Katapult Pro
6.5/10
Katapult Pro is a cloud pole attachment platform. It covers field data collection, make-ready engineering design, and joint use management for utilities, telecom builders, and OSP engineering firms.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 5.7/10 | 6.5/10 |
| Analytics | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 4/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Integration | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 5/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | $116/mo Data Collection |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | $116/mo Data Collection |
| Features | ||
| Asset Registry | ||
| GIS and Mapping | ||
| Inspection Checklists | ||
| Digital Twin | Not listed | |
| Drone Inspection | Not listed | |
| Engineering Design | Not listed | |
| Engineering Simulation | Not listed | |
| Inspection Automation | Not listed | |
| Power Line Inspection | Not listed | |
| Safety and Compliance | Not listed | |
| SCADA and IoT Integration | Not listed | |
Above Surveying vs Katapult Pro cost by team size
| Team size | Above Surveying | Katapult Pro |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | $116/moData Collection |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | $116/moData Collection |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | $116/moData Collection |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | $116/moData Collection |
| 50 users | Contact for pricing | $116/moData Collection |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Above Surveying
- Higher Analytics score (7/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for energy companies (9/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose Katapult Pro
- Higher Cost score (6/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Customization score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for utilities (9/10 vs 6/10)
Pros & Cons
Above Surveying
Pros
- Built only for solar: thermography finds hotspots, string faults, junction box failures and PID at the module level.
- One platform covers the full lifecycle, from topographic surveys and construction monitoring to O&M inspections.
- SolarGain accepts data from third-party providers as well as Above's own flights, so the platform is not tied to Above's survey service.
- Large track record: Above reports more than 10,000 sites, and its acquisition of ucair expanded its reach in Europe.
- ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 certified.
Cons
- No public pricing; every engagement needs a quote.
- Only useful for solar assets, not other infrastructure.
- No published integrations list, API documentation or security and trust page.
- Few independent user reviews on G2, Capterra or similar sites.
Katapult Pro
Pros
- Pricing is published, contracts are month to month, and there is no cancellation penalty, which is rare among pole engineering tools.
- Read-only users are free, so stakeholders can review data without paying for a license.
- Field crews can collect pole photos and heights without entering the power space, and photos are matched to poles automatically.
- Clearance violation detection and pole loading are built in, with SPIDAcalc export included.
- Joint use workflows track FCC shot clock deadlines for utilities.
Cons
- O-Calc Pro export costs an extra $231 a month.
- Joint Use Management and Site License pricing are not published.
- The one-time setup fee of $1,815, plus optional equipment the site lists at $3,200 to $3,450, raises the cost of getting started.
- Reviewers say results depend on clean, consistent input data, and clearance checks can feel worksheet-like for edge cases.
- It is focused on pole attachment work and does not offer general CMMS features such as work orders or spare parts.
Not sold on either?
Air Inspection Automation (AiA)Our product
Plans DJI drone inspection missions for power line towers from LiDAR scans: it finds the towers, places photo stops, checks clearance, and splits the route into battery flights.
Made by the team behind b stack radar. Shown here because it fits this topic. It is not part of our rankings. How we rank tools
Frequently Asked Questions
Katapult Pro scores higher on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria: 6.5/10 against 5.7/10 for Above Surveying. The largest gap is in Cost: 4/10 for Above Surveying and 6/10 for Katapult Pro.
No, neither Above Surveying nor Katapult Pro lists a free plan.
Above Surveying is the better fit for energy companies: we rate it 9/10 for them, against 6/10 for Katapult Pro.
