Dronedesk vs IMS PEI (2026): Pricing, Features & Verdict
Dronedesk is our pick, scoring 6.5/10 against 6.4/10 for IMS PEI on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria. Its biggest advantage: higher Cost score (8/10 vs 3/10). Neither Dronedesk nor IMS PEI lists a free plan.
Last updated: November 2026
Dronedesk
6.5/10
A web-based drone operations platform that gives commercial drone operators flight planning, airspace data, risk assessments, flight logging, fleet and pilot records, and client quoting in one place.
IMS PEI
6.4/10
Cloud-based pressure equipment integrity software from Cenosco that plans inspections using risk-based inspection (RBI) and corrosion calculations, for oil, gas, chemicals and process plants.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.5/10 | 6.4/10 |
| Integration | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Support | 9/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 8/10 | 3/10 |
| Analytics | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Customization | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 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 | ||
| Offline Field App | ||
| Asset Registry | ||
| Inspection Checklists | ||
| Safety and Compliance | ||
| Digital Twin | Not listed | |
| Drone Inspection | Not listed | |
| LiDAR Processing | Not listed | |
| Predictive Maintenance | Not listed | |
| SCADA and IoT Integration | Not listed | |
Who Dronedesk and IMS PEI suit
Dronedesk fits small business better than IMS PEI.
| Audience | Dronedesk | IMS PEI |
|---|---|---|
| Small Business | 8/10Small drone businesses get CRM, quoting and invoicing alongside flight operations tools. | 2/10Quote-based enterprise pricing and the need for implementation services make it a poor fit for small firms. |
| Drone Service Providers | 10/10It is built specifically for commercial drone operators, covering planning, compliance, logging and client billing. | Not rated |
| Energy Companies | Not rated | 9/10It was built with Shell and is deployed at refineries, LNG plants and upstream operators such as NAM, Tüpraş and Thaioil. |
| Enterprise | Not rated | 8/10It suits large asset owners, with ERP integration to SAP and Maximo, SSO and ISO 27001-certified hosting. |
| Freelancers | 8/10The single-user Startup and Pro plans suit solo pilots, though Startup's limit of three jobs a month is restrictive. | Not rated |
| Government | 6/10The Specialist plan offers first responder configuration, and volunteer search and rescue groups can get free plans. | Not rated |
| Maintenance Teams | Not rated | 7/10Inspection and integrity engineers use it to schedule inspections and record equipment condition, though maintenance work itself runs in a connected CMMS. |
| Manufacturing | Not rated | 7/10Cenosco also targets chemicals and pulp and paper plants that run pressure equipment. |
| Utilities | 6/10Utility drone teams are named as target users and can use the Unlimited and Specialist plans, but the product does not analyse inspection data. | Not rated |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Dronedesk
- Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 3/10)
- Higher Support score (9/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for small business (8/10 vs 2/10)
Why choose IMS PEI
- Higher Integration score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Security score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Includes Offline Field App, which Dronedesk lacks
Pros & Cons
Dronedesk
Pros
- Users frequently praise support. Trustpilot rates it 4.8 out of 5 from 295 reviews, and the vendor replies to every negative review.
- Live airspace, NOTAM and weather data in planning speeds up pre-flight paperwork and helps with CAA audit readiness.
- Combines operations with CRM, quoting and invoicing, so a small drone business can avoid using a separate business system.
- DJI flight log auto-sync and AirData integration cut down on manual logbook entry.
- Free plans are available for volunteer search and rescue groups, and SourceForge reports a 90-day money-back guarantee.
Cons
- There is no native iOS or Android app and no offline mode, so the internet is needed in the field.
- Forms, checklists and risk assessment templates cannot be fully customised, and configuration is locked out of Startup.
- Third-party listings report no public API.
- Some reviewers find it pricey for moderate use and say there is a learning curve.
- One reviewer reports slow loading when there are large numbers of jobs.
- It does not process imagery or map inspection data, and it does not fly autonomous missions.
IMS PEI
Pros
- Supports both Shell's S-RBI method and API 581, from qualitative to fully quantitative, so one tool can handle risk ranking across a whole plant.
- Rests on more than 20 years of joint development with Shell, and Cenosco reports use on more than 200 assets in over 40 countries.
- Interfaces with SAP, JD Edwards and Maximo, so inspection findings can feed maintenance execution in the ERP.
- The IMS4Field app works offline by default, and NAM reports going paperless while staying auditable.
- Hosted on Microsoft Azure, with ISO 27001:2022 certification and 2FA or SSO/ADFS authentication.
Cons
- No public pricing. Buyers need a sales process and typically pay for implementation and data migration services.
- Independent reviews are almost nonexistent: Capterra shows a single rating, and other listings have none.
- It focuses on inspection and integrity, not a full CMMS, so work order execution and spare parts usually stay in a separate ERP.
- Cenosco itself advises against on-premise hosting, which may not suit operators with strict data residency rules.
- The older IMS Offline app was deprecated in 2024, so sites still on it had to move to IMS4Field.
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
Dronedesk scores higher on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria: 6.5/10 against 6.4/10 for IMS PEI. The largest gap is in Cost: 8/10 for Dronedesk and 3/10 for IMS PEI.
No, neither Dronedesk nor IMS PEI lists a free plan.
Dronedesk is the better fit for small business: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 2/10 for IMS PEI.
IMS PEI has Offline Field App, which Dronedesk lacks.
