QGIS vs QGroundControl Comparison
Compare QGIS vs QGroundControl features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
QGIS
7/10
QGIS is a free, open source desktop GIS. Organisations use it to view, edit, analyse and map spatial data, including vector, raster, mesh and point cloud layers.
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 | 7/10 | 5.7/10 |
| Integration | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Cost | 10/10 | 10/10 |
| Analytics | 8/10 | 3/10 |
| Ease of Use | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free QGIS (open source) | Free Open Source |
| Features | ||
| LiDAR Processing | ||
| GIS and Mapping | ||
| Drone Inspection | Not listed | |
| Inspection Automation | Not listed | |
| Work Orders | ||
QGIS vs QGroundControl cost by team size
QGIS and QGroundControl cost the same at every team size we checked.
| Team size | QGIS | QGroundControl |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeQGIS (open source) | FreeOpen Source |
| 5 users | FreeQGIS (open source) | FreeOpen Source |
| 10 users | FreeQGIS (open source) | FreeOpen Source |
| 25 users | FreeQGIS (open source) | FreeOpen Source |
| 50 users | FreeQGIS (open source) | 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 QGIS
- Higher Analytics score (8/10 vs 3/10)
- Higher Integration score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for education (9/10 vs 7/10)
- Includes LiDAR Processing, which QGroundControl lacks
Why choose QGroundControl
- Higher Ease of Use score (6/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
QGIS
Pros
- No licence fees on any number of seats, under the GPLv2+ open source licence.
- Python and C++ plugins let teams add custom tools and database connectors such as PostGIS.
- It reads many data formats and standard web services, which makes it easy to connect to existing data.
- Its print layout, atlas and report tools suit organisations that produce a lot of maps.
- It loads LAS, LAZ and virtual point cloud datasets with classification-based rendering.
Cons
- Capterra reviewers report slow performance, freezes and crashes on heavy workloads.
- Newcomers describe a steep learning curve and say installation can be difficult.
- There is no vendor-backed support contract; help comes from the community or third-party providers.
- It cannot edit point clouds and has no asset maintenance features such as work orders.
- Some reviewers say it lacks tools that ArcGIS Pro offers.
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
QGIS scores higher on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria: 7/10 against 5.7/10 for QGroundControl. The largest gap is in Analytics: 8/10 for QGIS and 3/10 for QGroundControl.
Both are free for 10 users.
Yes, both QGIS and QGroundControl have a free plan.
QGIS is the better fit for education: we rate it 9/10 for them, against 7/10 for QGroundControl.
QGIS has LiDAR Processing, which QGroundControl lacks.
