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Agriculture · head to head

DroneDeploy vs fieldmargin

DroneDeploy logo

DroneDeploy

Agriculture

Drone mapping and analytics for agriculture

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
fieldmargin logo

fieldmargin

Agriculture

Per-farm field mapping, records and team messaging for livestock and arable farms

From
£3.75/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: DroneDeploy sold as annual subscriptions rather than monthly, at $1,908 a year for the agriculture plan; fieldmargin per-farm pricing inverts badly at the small end: a 30 hectare holding pays the same as a 3,000 hectare estate, so the effective cost per hectare on a smallholding is many times what a large farm pays.
  • They diverge on capability: DroneDeploy covers Automated flight planning, fieldmargin covers Field mapping.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DroneDeploy and fieldmargin actually diverge.

Attributes where DroneDeploy and fieldmargin differ
AttributeDroneDeployfieldmargin
Starting price$29/month£3.75/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer farm per month, unlimited hectares
Founded2013Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Agriculture).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in DroneDeploy

  • Automated flight planning
  • Orthomosaic maps
  • NDVI analysis
  • 3D modeling
  • Progress tracking
  • DJI
  • John Deere
  • Climate FieldView

Only in fieldmargin

  • Field mapping
  • Offline mobile
  • Team activity feed
  • Job assignment
  • Livestock groups
  • Input and application records
  • NDVI satellite imagery
  • Cost per field

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

DroneDeploy

  • Mapping fields with drone imagery for crop health analysisnot fieldmargin
  • Producing stand counts and plant health indices from aerial surveysnot fieldmargin

fieldmargin

  • A 900 hectare arable estate that wants field records without paying a per-hectare licence feenot DroneDeploy
  • A livestock farm tracking mob movements and grazing rotation across fields on a phone with no signalnot DroneDeploy
  • A farm manager assigning and checking off daily jobs for seasonal staff without phone callsnot DroneDeploy
  • A mixed farm that wants photos and notes attached to specific field locations for later referencenot DroneDeploy

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

DroneDeploy

  • Sold as annual subscriptions rather than monthly, at $1,908 a year for the agriculture plan
  • Images per map are capped by plan, at 1,000 on Ag Lite and 3,000 on the general individual plan
  • The Ag Lite plan is limited to the VARI index for RGB plant health rather than the full analysis set
  • Ground capture processing is excluded from every published individual plan
  • Team plans publish no price at all and require a custom quote

fieldmargin

  • Per-farm pricing inverts badly at the small end: a 30 hectare holding pays the same as a 3,000 hectare estate, so the effective cost per hectare on a smallholding is many times what a large farm pays.
  • It is not an agronomy platform, so there is no variable rate prescription engine and no nutrient planning to a standard a UK agronomist will certify, meaning most arable users still pay for Gatekeeper or an agronomist's own system alongside it.
  • There is no direct submission route into Basic Payment Scheme, Sustainable Farming Incentive or equivalent schemes, so the compliance paperwork that costs farms real money still has to be assembled elsewhere.
  • Machine integration is limited compared with Climate FieldView or Operations Center; as-applied data from the sprayer or drill generally is not flowing in automatically, so application records depend on someone typing them.
  • Satellite NDVI is confined to the top tier and is standard public imagery, so cloud cover in a British winter means long gaps and the imagery is not a substitute for the aircraft or drone capture that specialist providers sell.

Pricing, plan by plan

DroneDeploy

$29/month
  • Individual$299/month
    • Unlimited maps
    • 3D models
    • Basic analytics
  • Business$599/month
    • Team features
    • NDVI analysis
    • API access

fieldmargin

£3.75/month
  • Essentials$3.75/month
    • Field mapping and boundaries
    • Field notes and photos
    • Unlimited team members
  • Plus$20/month
    • Everything in Essentials
    • Job assignment and tracking
    • Input and application records
  • Pro$30/month
    • Everything in Plus
    • NDVI satellite imagery
    • Cost per field and crop analysis

Which should you pick?

Choose DroneDeploy if

  • You need automated flight planning.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want orthomosaic maps.
DroneDeploy review

Choose fieldmargin if

  • You need field mapping.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want offline mobile.
fieldmargin review

Questions people ask

Is DroneDeploy or fieldmargin better?
Neither clearly leads. DroneDeploy starts at $29/month and fieldmargin at £3.75/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, DroneDeploy or fieldmargin?
DroneDeploy starts at $29/month and fieldmargin at £3.75/month.
Does DroneDeploy or fieldmargin run on more platforms?
DroneDeploy runs on Web, Ios, Android. fieldmargin runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is DroneDeploy best used for?
DroneDeploy is most often used for mapping fields with drone imagery for crop health analysis, producing stand counts and plant health indices from aerial surveys. Of those, mapping fields with drone imagery for crop health analysis and producing stand counts and plant health indices from aerial surveys are not what fieldmargin is typically brought in for.
What can DroneDeploy do that fieldmargin cannot?
DroneDeploy covers Automated flight planning, Orthomosaic maps, NDVI analysis, 3D modeling. fieldmargin covers Field mapping, Offline mobile, Team activity feed, Job assignment.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

DroneDeploy: What is the cost of DroneDeploy's Flight & Analysis plan for individual pilots?

The Flight & Analysis Plan costs $4,188/year billed annually for a single user license, with support for up to 3,000 images per map and email/live chat support.

Source
fieldmargin: Does it charge per hectare?

No. Subscriptions are per farm with unlimited hectares and unlimited team members, which is why it is cheap on large acreages and proportionally expensive on small ones.

DroneDeploy: Does DroneDeploy have a specialized agriculture plan?

Yes. The Ag Lite Plan costs $1,908/year and is designed for agriculture pilots with up to 1,000 images per map, stand count analysis, and plant health tools.

Source
fieldmargin: Can I submit my BPS or SFI claim from it?

No. It holds the records that support a claim but there is no direct submission integration, so the claim itself is prepared elsewhere.

DroneDeploy: How long is the DroneDeploy free trial?

DroneDeploy offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.

Source
fieldmargin: Does it work without mobile signal?

Yes. The mobile apps capture records offline and sync when the phone regains a connection, which is the main reason it gets used in the far corners of a farm.

DroneDeploy: Can I cancel my DroneDeploy subscription early?

Yes. DroneDeploy billing is flexible with monthly or annual payment options (annual offers savings). Cancellations take effect at your billing cycle end. After cancellation, you retain basic data access for 30 days.

Source
fieldmargin: Is there a free plan?

There is a 14 day trial rather than a permanently free tier. After that every farm is on a paid plan.

DroneDeploy: What is the image upload limit on DroneDeploy's Advanced Flight & Analysis plan?

The Advanced Flight & Analysis Plan has a 10,000 image upload limit and includes cut/fill analysis, thermal imaging, and unlimited Google Cloud Print mapping. This plan requires a custom quote.

Source
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