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Construction · head to head

Kahua vs Propeller Aero

Kahua logo

Kahua

Construction

Cloud platform for construction and capital projects

From
$400/month
Rated
-
Propeller Aero logo

Propeller Aero

Construction

Drone survey processing and earthworks volume measurement for sites that measure stockpiles weekly

From
On request
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Kahua no standard pricing tiers published; all pricing is custom and quote-based; Propeller Aero platform pricing is not published and is scoped by sites and users, so a contractor with many short-lived sites can be quoted very differently from one with a few long ones, and neither can benchmark against a list price
  • They diverge on capability: Kahua covers Project management, Propeller Aero covers Photogrammetric processing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kahua and Propeller Aero actually diverge.

Attributes where Kahua and Propeller Aero differ
AttributeKahuaPropeller Aero
Starting price$400/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionHardware purchase plus a quoted platform subscription
Founded2007Unknown

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

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 Kahua

  • Project management
  • Document control
  • Collaboration
  • Issue tracking
  • Reporting
  • Microsoft 365
  • Slack
  • Box

Only in Propeller Aero

  • Photogrammetric processing
  • AeroPoints ground control
  • Volume measurement
  • Design surface comparison
  • Progress timeline
  • Machine telemetry
  • Corrections network

What people use each for

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

Kahua

  • Acting as the system of record for a capital construction program across the asset lifecyclenot Propeller Aero
  • Public agencies and program managers tracking portfolios of projectsnot Propeller Aero
  • General contractors standardising project delivery and cost control across active projectsnot Propeller Aero
  • Specialty contractors managing crews, work orders and project financialsnot Propeller Aero

Propeller Aero

  • A quarry that reconciles stockpile inventory monthly for its accounts and wants the volume evidence to survive an auditnot Kahua
  • An earthworks contractor claiming progress payments on cubic metres moved who needs an independent measurement the client will acceptnot Kahua
  • A civil site checking whether a subgrade is within tolerance of the design before the surfacing crew arrivesnot Kahua
  • A mine that wants weekly volume reporting without a survey crew on the ground every weeknot Kahua

Where each one falls short

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

Kahua

  • No standard pricing tiers published; all pricing is custom and quote-based
  • Pricing varies by organization type, program or construction scale, selected package, and deployment environment
  • Implementation costs for data migration, integrations, training, and configuration scoped separately and included in quote

Propeller Aero

  • Platform pricing is not published and is scoped by sites and users, so a contractor with many short-lived sites can be quoted very differently from one with a few long ones, and neither can benchmark against a list price
  • The corrections network is free only while you hold a current platform licence, so cancelling the platform subscription reintroduces a 1,000 dollar per year per group hardware cost that many buyers do not model
  • AeroPoints are a hardware purchase at 1,000 dollars each and most sites need several, so the true entry cost includes several thousand dollars of equipment on top of a subscription
  • It measures rather than designs, so a contractor still needs Civil 3D, Trimble Business Center or an equivalent to produce and revise the design surfaces the measurement is compared against
  • Accuracy depends on flight planning, ground control placement and weather, and a poorly flown survey produces a confident wrong volume, so an organisation still needs someone who understands survey error rather than only a drone pilot

Pricing, plan by plan

Kahua

$400/month
  • Professional$400/month
    • Project management
    • Document control
    • Collaboration
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Advanced analytics
    • Custom workflows
    • API access

Propeller Aero

On request
  • AeroPoint ground control unit$1000/one-time
    • Single solar-powered GNSS ground control marker
    • Includes 12 months of the Propeller Corrections Network
    • Network renewal 1,000 USD per year per AeroPoint group
  • Propeller Platform$undefined/year
    • Quoted by number of sites, users and survey volume
    • Not published
    • Processing turnaround and support level vary by agreement

Which should you pick?

Choose Kahua if

  • You need project management.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want document control.

Choose Propeller Aero if

  • You need photogrammetric processing.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want aeropoints ground control.

Questions people ask

Is Kahua or Propeller Aero better?
Neither clearly leads. Kahua starts at $400/month and Propeller Aero at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kahua or Propeller Aero?
Kahua starts at $400/month and Propeller Aero at On request.
Does Kahua or Propeller Aero run on more platforms?
Kahua runs on Web, Ios, Android. Propeller Aero runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Kahua best used for?
Kahua is most often used for acting as the system of record for a capital construction program across the asset lifecycle, public agencies and program managers tracking portfolios of projects, general contractors standardising project delivery and cost control across active projects, specialty contractors managing crews, work orders and project financials. Of those, acting as the system of record for a capital construction program across the asset lifecycle and public agencies and program managers tracking portfolios of projects are not what Propeller Aero is typically brought in for.
What can Kahua do that Propeller Aero cannot?
Kahua covers Project management, Document control, Collaboration, Issue tracking. Propeller Aero covers Photogrammetric processing, AeroPoints ground control, Volume measurement, Design surface comparison.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Kahua: How much does Kahua cost?

Kahua does not publish standard pricing. Costs vary by organization type (Owners/Program Managers, General Contractors, Specialty Contractors), program scale, selected package, deployment environment, and implementation requirements. Customers must request pricing quotes.

Source
Propeller Aero: How much does Propeller cost?

The platform is quoted and not published. AeroPoints are 1,000 US dollars each, with the corrections network included for twelve months and thereafter free while a platform licence is current, otherwise 1,000 dollars a year per group.

Kahua: What package options does Kahua offer?

Kahua offers three main package categories: Owners and Program Managers, General Contractors, and Specialty Contractors. Additional specialty apps and suites including capital planning, analytics, asset management, and safety can extend the base solution.

Source
Propeller Aero: Do I need AeroPoints?

No, you can use conventional surveyed ground control, but the AeroPoints workflow is the main reason contractors choose Propeller over generic photogrammetry.

Kahua: Are implementation and integration costs included in Kahua pricing?

Implementation details including data migration, integrations, training, and configuration are scoped based on requirements and clearly identified in the custom quote provided.

Source
Propeller Aero: Is it survey grade?

Propeller states centimetre-level accuracy with correct ground control. Whether that satisfies a contract depends on your specification and on how the survey was flown, not on the software alone.

Propeller Aero: Who owns the data?

You retain your survey data and can export surfaces and point clouds, but check the export formats and retention terms in your contract before closeout, because bulk historical export is not a self-service one-click operation.

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