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Propeller Aero

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Ease of management
Quality of support
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User industry
  1. Construction
  2. Manufacturing
  3. Professional services (engineering, legal, consulting, etc.)

What is Propeller Aero

Propeller Aero is a drone data processing and analytics platform used to turn aerial imagery into survey-grade maps and 3D models for earthworks and site operations. It is primarily used by construction, mining, and quarry teams to track progress, measure stockpiles, and compare surfaces over time. The product combines photogrammetry outputs (orthomosaics, point clouds, and terrain models) with tools for cut/fill, volumetrics, and collaboration, and it supports workflows that include ground control points and the Propeller AeroPoints system.

pros

Earthworks-focused measurements

The platform provides purpose-built tools for cut/fill, surface comparisons, and stockpile volumetrics that align with common construction and mining reporting needs. It supports repeatable progress tracking through time-based datasets so teams can quantify change between flights. These capabilities reduce reliance on manual takeoffs for routine site quantities when drone capture is available.

Survey workflow support

Propeller supports survey-oriented practices such as using ground control points and integrating with Propeller AeroPoints for georeferencing. This helps teams produce consistent site models suitable for operational measurement and stakeholder reporting. It also fits mixed workflows where survey teams validate results while operations teams consume outputs.

Collaboration and sharing

Propeller provides web-based access to maps and models so field, office, and external stakeholders can review the same dataset. Permissioned sharing and project organization support multi-team use across sites. This is useful for distributed project teams that need a single source for drone-derived site context.

cons

Construction/mining centric scope

The feature set is optimized for earthmoving, stockpiles, and site progress rather than broader GIS analysis or non-construction inspection use cases. Organizations seeking deep GIS tooling, advanced spatial analytics, or industry-specific inspection modules may need additional systems. This can increase toolchain complexity for teams outside the core target workflows.

Processing and data management overhead

High-resolution drone datasets can be large, and uploading, processing, and organizing repeated flights requires disciplined data management. Turnaround time and storage needs depend on capture frequency, site size, and output types. Teams may need defined SOPs for flight planning, naming conventions, and QA/QC to keep results consistent.

Integration depth varies

While Propeller supports exporting common deliverables (e.g., orthomosaics, surfaces, and point clouds), the level of automation with downstream systems (estimating, scheduling, or enterprise GIS) can vary by workflow. Some organizations may need manual steps or custom integration work to align outputs with internal reporting. This is most noticeable in environments with strict data governance or standardized enterprise platforms.

Plan & Pricing

Tiered / Subscription (Platform)

Plan Price Key features & notes
Annual Platform Plan Contact sales (price not listed on official site) Includes 30 "Bring Your Own Data" (BYOD) credits (expire after 12 months), 40 standard users, 4 TB storage; supports credit packs or unlimited processing packs (see processing packs below); no public per-seat or per-month pricing shown — customers are directed to contact sales.

Hardware, Add‑ons & Annual Hardware Subscriptions (official store/help pages)

Item / Plan Price Key features & notes
AeroPoint (single unit) $1,000.00 (one-time) Includes 1x AeroPoint 2, 1x AeroStencil, 1x user manual. First 12 months of AeroPoints Processing subscription included with new purchase.
AeroPoint 5-pack $5,000.00 (one-time) Bundle of 5 AeroPoints (store listing). First 12 months of AeroPoints Processing subscription included.
AeroPoints Processing Subscription (hardware‑only standalone) $995 per year per AeroPoint group Required to process AeroPoint data for standalone (hardware-only) customers after the first 12 months; AeroPoint groups capped at 20 units unless customer has a Propeller software license.
Propeller PPK Upgrade (store) $2,200.00 (one-time) Adds Propeller PPK processing capabilities to a qualified drone; includes 1 AeroPoint and access to Propeller Correction Network.
DirtMate (hardware unit) $1,400.00 (one-time) GNSS receiver hardware (store listing).
DirtMate — Annual subscription: Base Station & Telematics $1,200 per year per unit Real-time machine location, PPK & RTK base corrections, productivity analytics (pricing calculator on official site).
DirtMate — Annual subscription: In-cab Guidance & Site Positioning $2,400 per year per unit RTK in-cab guidance, site positioning & grade checking (includes base tier functionality).
DirtMate — Cellular Data Plan (optional) $300 per year per unit Optional cellular data plan (pricing calculator).
AeroPoint Bag $50.00 (one-time) Carry bag (store listing).
AeroPoint Charger $20.00 (one-time) Charger (store listing).
AeroStencil - AeroPoints 2 $7.50 (one-time) Small accessory (store listing)

Usage-based / Processing packs (from official Data Services description)

Pricing model: Credit-based (pay-per-pack) and Unlimited annual processing packs (credit packs and several unlimited packs with per-upload GP limits). Official site lists pack types and limits but does not publish per-pack prices. Free tier / trial within packs: Annual Platform Plan includes 30 BYOD credits (expire after 12 months) for platform customers. Pack sizes / examples (official site): Credit packs are commonly offered in sizes: usually 15, 30, 55, or 110 credits. Unlimited pack variants include per-upload gigapixel (GP) limits (40 GP, 70 GP, 100 GP, 217 GP). Example cost entries: Official site does NOT list a dollar cost for credit packs or unlimited packs — only quantities and limits are published. Discounts / volume options: The site states additional processing packs may be purchased and enterprise/custom options exist, but no public discount schedule or per-credit pricing is published.

Notes / caveats:

  • The Propeller Platform pages repeatedly direct prospective buyers to "Try for free" (14-day trial) or to contact sales for pricing. The official documentation provides detailed technical limits for processing packs, the contents of the Annual Platform Plan, and hardware/store item prices, but does not show annual or monthly list prices for the core Platform license (other than the included BYOD credits).

Seller details

Propeller Aero Pty Ltd
Sydney, NSW, Australia
2014
Private
https://www.propelleraero.com/
https://x.com/propelleraero
https://www.linkedin.com/company/propeller-aero/

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