🗂️ Navigation
📁 Autonomous Systems
📋 Autonomous Drone Software
🔧 QGroundControl

QGroundControl

The Open Source Ground Control Station.

Visit Website →

Overview

QGroundControl is a free and open-source ground control station software that provides full flight control and mission planning for any MAVLink-enabled drone. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, offering a comprehensive and highly configurable interface for vehicle setup, mission planning, and flight monitoring. It is maintained by the Dronecode Foundation and is a popular choice for developers, researchers, and advanced users.

✨ Key Features

  • Open Source and Free to Use
  • Cross-Platform (Desktop and Mobile)
  • Full Vehicle Setup and Configuration
  • Autonomous Mission Planning (Waypoints, Surveys)
  • Real-time Flight Monitoring and Telemetry
  • Support for PX4 and ArduPilot Autopilots
  • Video Stream Display

🎯 Key Differentiators

  • Completely open source and free.
  • Modern, user-friendly interface compared to other open-source options.
  • Excellent cross-platform support, including mobile devices.

Unique Value: Provides a powerful, flexible, and completely free ground control station for a wide range of open-source drones, empowering developers and professionals with full control over their vehicles.

🎯 Use Cases (4)

Custom Drone Development and Testing Academic and Research Projects Advanced Hobbyist and Professional Piloting Controlling a wide variety of MAVLink-based vehicles (copters, planes, rovers, boats)

✅ Best For

  • Configuring and calibrating new drones running PX4 or ArduPilot.
  • Planning and executing waypoint-based autonomous missions for research.
  • Providing a GCS for custom-built unmanned systems.

💡 Check With Vendor

Verify these considerations match your specific requirements:

  • Users seeking a simple, plug-and-play experience.
  • Cloud-based data processing and fleet management.
  • Controlling proprietary, non-MAVLink drones (e.g., DJI).

🏆 Alternatives

Mission Planner UgCS Manufacturer-specific GCS

Offers a more modern UI and better cross-platform support than Mission Planner. It is free and open-source, providing more flexibility than commercial GCS like UgCS.

💻 Platforms

Desktop iOS Android

✅ Offline Mode Available

🔌 Integrations

PX4 Autopilot ArduPilot MAVLink protocol

💰 Pricing

Contact for pricing
Free Tier Available

Free tier: Fully-featured, no limits.

Visit QGroundControl Website →

🔄 Similar Tools in Autonomous Drone Software

DroneDeploy

Cloud-based platform for drone mapping, 3D modeling, and aerial data analysis....

$329.00/mo

Pix4D

A suite of software products for photogrammetry, turning images into georeferenced 2D maps and 3D mo...

$350.00/mo

FlytBase

A software platform for automating and scaling drone operations, including drone-in-a-box deployment...

Contact

Auterion

An open-source-based operating system for drones and autonomous robots, enabling a diverse ecosystem...

Contact

Aloft AI

A platform for drone fleet management, airspace intelligence, and UTM (Unmanned Traffic Management) ...

Contact

Skydio

AI-powered autonomous drones and software for inspection, mapping, and situational awareness....

Contact