Katapult Pro vs QGroundControl: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Katapult Pro and QGroundControl to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
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.
QGroundControl
5.7/10
QGroundControl is a free, open-source ground control station for flight control and mission planning of MAVLink drones running PX4 or ArduPilot.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.5/10 | 5.7/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 3/10 |
| Cost | 6/10 | 10/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Integration | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Security | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | $116/mo Data Collection | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $116/mo Data Collection | Free Open Source |
| Features | ||
| GIS and Mapping | ||
| Asset Registry | Not listed | |
| Drone Inspection | Not listed | |
| Engineering Design | Not listed | |
| Engineering Simulation | Not listed | |
| Inspection Automation | Not listed | |
| Inspection Checklists | Not listed | |
| LiDAR Processing | Not listed | |
| Power Line Inspection | Not listed | |
| Safety and Compliance | Not listed | |
| Work Orders | Not listed | |
Katapult Pro vs QGroundControl cost by team size
QGroundControl costs less at every team size we checked.
| Team size | Katapult Pro | QGroundControl |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | $116/moData Collection | FreeOpen Source |
| 5 users | $116/moData Collection | FreeOpen Source |
| 10 users | $116/moData Collection | FreeOpen Source |
| 25 users | $116/moData Collection | FreeOpen Source |
| 50 users | $116/moData Collection | FreeOpen Source |
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 Katapult Pro
- Higher Analytics score (6/10 vs 3/10)
- Higher Scalability score (7/10 vs 4/10)
Why choose QGroundControl
- Has a free plan (Katapult Pro does not)
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: Free vs $116/mo
- Higher Cost score (10/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Customization score (9/10 vs 7/10)
Pros & Cons
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.
QGroundControl
Pros
- Free to use, and the Apache 2.0 license lets companies build commercial products on it.
- Runs natively on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, unlike Mission Planner, which only runs fully on Windows.
- The Survey tool supports custom camera definitions, overlap targets, and terrain following for mapping flights.
- Forum users prefer it for field work on tablets and for resuming missions.
Cons
- Has no fleet management, role-based access, or audit logging for enterprise operations.
- Has no built-in image processing or AI defect detection, so separate tools are needed for those.
- Support comes only from the community, with no vendor SLA.
- Setup and tuning can take time when configuring a vehicle for the first time.
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 QGroundControl. The largest gap is in Cost: 6/10 for Katapult Pro and 10/10 for QGroundControl.
QGroundControl costs less for 10 users: free on its Open Source plan, against about $116/mo on its Data Collection plan for Katapult Pro, billed monthly.
QGroundControl has a free plan; Katapult Pro does not list one.
