Above Surveying vs Skydio: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Above Surveying and Skydio 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.
Skydio
6.6/10
US maker of autonomous drones, docks and inspection software. It serves utilities, public safety, defense and infrastructure teams that need repeatable asset inspections and 3D scans.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 5.7/10 | 6.6/10 |
| Integration | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Cost | 4/10 | 2/10 |
| Analytics | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Ease of Use | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| Asset Registry | ||
| Drone Inspection | ||
| GIS and Mapping | ||
| Inspection Automation | ||
| Digital Twin | Not listed | |
| Inspection Checklists | Not listed | |
| Power Line Inspection | Not listed | |
| SCADA and IoT Integration | Not listed | |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Above Surveying
- Higher Cost score (4/10 vs 2/10)
- Higher Analytics score (7/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose Skydio
- Higher Security score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Integration 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.
Skydio
Pros
- Asset Command ties every capture to an asset record and its inspection cycle, so results can be compared over time.
- 3D Scan exports to DroneDeploy, Pix4D, Esri, Trimble and Bentley, so outputs fit into existing mapping tools.
- Dock for X10 and the browser-based Ops Center let teams run inspections remotely from anywhere.
- NDAA compliance and US design and assembly suit government and critical infrastructure buyers.
- Skydio says operators become proficient within minutes, though they still need a Part 107 license.
Cons
- No public pricing; a retailer lists the Dock for X10 at about $57,744 before plans and maintenance.
- It is not a CMMS, so work orders, spare parts and maintenance planning need another system.
- Independent user reviews are scarce, and most available material is vendor marketing.
- The platform depends on Skydio hardware rather than supporting other drone brands.
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
Skydio scores higher on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria: 6.6/10 against 5.7/10 for Above Surveying. The largest gap is in Security: 5/10 for Above Surveying and 8/10 for Skydio.
No, neither Above Surveying nor Skydio lists a free plan.
Skydio is the better fit for utilities: we rate it 9/10 for them, against 6/10 for Above Surveying.
