Softwr

Construction · head to head

Propeller Aero vs Sitemark

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
Sitemark logo

Sitemark

Construction

Drone-based progress tracking, quality control and commissioning built specifically for solar farms

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; Sitemark it only does solar, so a mixed renewables portfolio still needs a second platform for wind, storage and substations, and the consolidation argument for buying it collapses.
  • They diverge on capability: Propeller Aero covers Photogrammetric processing, Sitemark covers Construction progress tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Propeller Aero and Sitemark differ
AttributePropeller AeroSitemark
Pricing modelHardware purchase plus a quoted platform subscriptionquote

Identical on both: starting price (On request), 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 Propeller Aero

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

Only in Sitemark

  • Construction progress tracking
  • As-built versus design comparison
  • Thermographic inspection
  • Defect localisation
  • Commissioning workflows
  • Ticketing and work management
  • Portfolio dashboards
  • Drone and robotics ingestion

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 Sitemark
  • An earthworks contractor claiming progress payments on cubic metres moved who needs an independent measurement the client will acceptnot Sitemark
  • A civil site checking whether a subgrade is within tolerance of the design before the surfacing crew arrivesnot Sitemark
  • A mine that wants weekly volume reporting without a survey crew on the ground every weeknot Sitemark

Sitemark

  • An EPC contractor on a multi-hundred-megawatt ground-mount plant that must report weekly installed counts to a lender and cannot do it by walking the rowsnot Propeller Aero
  • An asset owner accepting a plant at provisional acceptance who needs documented evidence that what was built matches the issued design before signingnot Propeller Aero
  • An operations team running annual thermographic inspection across a portfolio, wanting defects mapped to module positions so a technician goes straight to the faultnot Propeller Aero
  • A developer comparing defect and underperformance rates across contractors and module suppliers to inform the next procurement roundnot 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

Sitemark

  • It only does solar, so a mixed renewables portfolio still needs a second platform for wind, storage and substations, and the consolidation argument for buying it collapses.
  • Pricing is quoted on site count and unpublished variables, which penalises owners of many small distributed assets relative to one operator of a single large plant with the same total capacity.
  • You still need someone to fly the site, and Sitemark does not remove the drone operator cost, permits or airspace constraints; it monetises the data after the flight.
  • Automated progress counting depends on a clean, current design layout, and on projects where the layout changes weekly the comparison generates false deviations that erode trust in the numbers.
  • Thermographic defect detection needs the plant producing at sufficient irradiance, so inspection windows in northern latitudes are narrow and a missed window pushes findings into the next season.

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

Sitemark

On request
  • Sitemark Construction$undefined/year
    • Priced on number of sites and other variables
    • Progress tracking across construction activities
    • As-built versus design quality control
  • Sitemark Operations$undefined/year
    • Thermographic inspection and defect detection
    • Ticketing and work management
    • Portfolio dashboards

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 Sitemark if

  • You need construction progress tracking.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want as-built versus design comparison.
Sitemark review

Questions people ask

Is Propeller Aero or Sitemark better?
Neither clearly leads. Propeller Aero starts at On request and Sitemark at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Propeller Aero or Sitemark?
Propeller Aero starts at On request and Sitemark at On request.
Does Propeller Aero or Sitemark run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 Sitemark is typically brought in for.
What can Propeller Aero do that Sitemark cannot?
Propeller Aero covers Photogrammetric processing, AeroPoints ground control, Volume measurement, Design surface comparison. Sitemark covers Construction progress tracking, As-built versus design comparison, Thermographic inspection, Defect localisation.

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.

Sitemark: Is Sitemark priced per megawatt?

No. Sitemark states pricing is based on number of sites and other variables. Ask explicitly how a portfolio of small sites is treated, because per-site pricing is unkind to distributed assets.

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.

Sitemark: Do we have to use Sitemark drone pilots?

No. It accepts data from third-party drone operators, which lets you keep an existing flight contractor.

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.

Sitemark: Does it cover anything other than solar?

No. It is built specifically around solar plant structures and defect types.

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.

Sitemark: Can we export our data?

Yes, orthomosaics, defect lists and reports export. Confirm the format and whether historical inspections remain accessible after a subscription lapses.

Sitemark: Where is the company based?

Leuven, Belgium, with customers across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas.

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