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Construction · head to head

Propeller Aero vs Siteline

Propeller Aero logo

Propeller Aero

Construction

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Siteline logo

Siteline

Construction

Pay application and billing workflow built only for speciality subcontractors

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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; Siteline it serves subcontractors only, so a general contractor evaluating it is looking at the wrong side of the transaction entirely.
  • They diverge on capability: Propeller Aero covers Photogrammetric processing, Siteline covers Pay application generation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Propeller Aero and Siteline differ
AttributePropeller AeroSiteline
Pricing modelHardware purchase plus a quoted platform subscriptionquote
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), 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 Propeller Aero

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

Only in Siteline

  • Pay application generation
  • Lien waiver management
  • Compliance document tracking
  • Billing status visibility
  • Accounting system integration
  • Accounts receivable reporting

What people use each for

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

Propeller Aero

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

Siteline

  • A trade contractor whose billing team rebuilds the same pay application in four different general contractor formats each monthnot Propeller Aero
  • A subcontractor losing a billing cycle to rejected applications over missing lien waiversnot Propeller Aero
  • A finance director trying to forecast collections across dozens of general contractors and retention balancesnot Propeller Aero
  • A growing subcontractor whose billing process depends entirely on one person and a spreadsheetnot Propeller Aero

Where each one falls short

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

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

Siteline

  • It serves subcontractors only, so a general contractor evaluating it is looking at the wrong side of the transaction entirely.
  • It does not do job costing, project management or payroll, so it is an addition to your systems rather than a consolidation of them.
  • Value depends on a clean integration to your construction accounting system, and contractors with heavily customised or elderly installations should confirm the connection before signing.
  • General contractor portals and billing formats change without warning, and although the vendor absorbs that maintenance you still feel it as occasional friction in a month-end window with no slack.
  • The billing team has to adopt it fully in the first month-end or they revert to spreadsheets under deadline pressure, which makes the implementation timing more delicate than the software suggests.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Siteline

On request
  • Siteline$undefined/year
    • Pay application workflow
    • Lien waiver and compliance tracking
    • Accounting system integration

Which should you pick?

Choose Propeller Aero if

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

Choose Siteline if

  • You need pay application generation.
  • You also want lien waiver management.
Siteline review

Questions people ask

Is Propeller Aero or Siteline better?
Neither clearly leads. Propeller Aero starts at On request and Siteline at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Propeller Aero or Siteline?
Propeller Aero starts at On request and Siteline at On request.
Does Propeller Aero or Siteline run on more platforms?
Propeller Aero runs on Web, iOS, Android. Siteline runs on Web.
What is Propeller Aero best used for?
Propeller Aero is most often used for a quarry that reconciles stockpile inventory monthly for its accounts and wants the volume evidence to survive an audit, an earthworks contractor claiming progress payments on cubic metres moved who needs an independent measurement the client will accept, a civil site checking whether a subgrade is within tolerance of the design before the surfacing crew arrives, a mine that wants weekly volume reporting without a survey crew on the ground every week. Of those, a quarry that reconciles stockpile inventory monthly for its accounts and wants the volume evidence to survive an audit and an earthworks contractor claiming progress payments on cubic metres moved who needs an independent measurement the client will accept are not what Siteline is typically brought in for.
What can Propeller Aero do that Siteline cannot?
Propeller Aero covers Photogrammetric processing, AeroPoints ground control, Volume measurement, Design surface comparison. Siteline covers Pay application generation, Lien waiver management, Compliance document tracking, Billing status visibility.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Siteline: Does it replace our accounting system?

No. It reads from Sage 300 CRE, Vista, Foundation and similar systems and handles the billing workflow those systems handle poorly.

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.

Siteline: What should we measure in a trial?

Days sales outstanding and the number of rejected or delayed pay applications. The case is about cash timing, not headcount.

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.

Siteline: Is it useful for general contractors?

No. It is built for the party submitting pay applications, not the party receiving them.

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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