OpenDroneKit

OpenDroneKit and DJI Terra

DJI's commercial desktop software for 2D/3D reconstruction from visible-light imagery and for processing DJI LiDAR and multispectral data. OpenDroneKit is a free, open-source desktop app covering the whole inspection, from flight plan to report. Here is where they overlap, where they differ, and where DJI Terra is the stronger choice.

Updated 2026-10-02DJI Terra facts checked on their own pages, 2026-10-02

About this comparison

No accuracy or speed benchmark has been run between OpenDroneKit and DJI Terra, so none is claimed. Where DJI Terra’s pages do not mention a capability, the table says “not mentioned” rather than “no”.

What does each do?

CapabilityDJI TerraOpenDroneKit
PlatformsWindows 10 or later (64-bit) only; NVIDIA GPU required (Shader Model 6.1+, 4 GB minimum); not compatible with macOS or AMD GPUs enterprise.dji.comWindows; also developed and tested on Linux. facts
Photogrammetry / orthomosaicYes (2D and 3D reconstruction) enterprise.dji.comYes: COLMAP structure-from-motion, COG orthomosaic source
LiDAR processingYes (DJI LiDAR) enterprise.dji.comNo source
MultispectralYes (agriculture) enterprise.dji.comPartial: NDVI, NDRE and GNDVI from calibrated bands; multispectral missions source
Local / offlineYes, offline version: paid features work without internet after binding to a computer; GEO zone unlocking and map loading need a connection enterprise.dji.comYes: everything runs on your machine source
Mission planningRemoved: "Starting from version 5.0.0, DJI Terra no longer supports flight route planning" (except detailed inspection and agricultural applications) enterprise.dji.comYes: 22 templates, exports to QGC, DJI and Litchi source
Supported dronesDJI platforms; third-party images "theoretically yes for 3D models, but the results might not be as good" enterprise.dji.comArduPilot over MAVLink; DJI and Litchi by file export source
MAVLink / ArduPilot flightNo (DJI ecosystem) enterprise.dji.comYes: MAVLink 2 upload to ArduPilot, simulator-tested source
HardwareMinimum 32 GB RAM; recommended 64 GB and NVIDIA RTX 2070 or higher enterprise.dji.comNo GPU required source
Open sourceNo enterprise.dji.comYes (MIT chosen; LICENSE not yet on main) source

What does each cost?

OpenDroneKit is free: no account, licence key or paid tier.

DJI Terra, as published on 2026-10-02:

  • DJI Terra Agriculture 1 Year (3 devices): USD 300 (DJI Store) store.dji.com
  • Standard and Flagship editions are listed on the DJI Store; prices not shown in the fetched content store.dji.com
  • Free trial limited to 500 photos and 8 GB of LiDAR data enterprise.dji.com

Licence: Proprietary; editions include Agriculture, Standard, Flagship, Education, Pro, Electricity and Cluster enterprise.dji.com. Prices change; check the vendor’s page before deciding.

Where is DJI Terra the better choice?

  • Tight integration with DJI drones, DJI LiDAR and multispectral payloads, including LiDAR point-cloud processing that OpenDroneKit does not offer. enterprise.dji.com
  • Cluster reconstruction for large jobs and 3D Gaussian Splatting. enterprise.dji.com
  • A supported commercial product with dealer support and an offline licence option. enterprise.dji.com

Prices for Standard/Flagship editions were not visible; recorded as not verified.

Which should I use?

  • Pick DJI Terra if its strengths above are what your work depends on, or if you need a packaged, supported product today: OpenDroneKit has no installer yet and is community-maintained.
  • Pick OpenDroneKit if you want planning, MAVLink flight, reconstruction, defect detection, measurement and reports in one free app that runs offline, and you can install from source.
  • They are not exclusive: OpenDroneKit’s outputs are standard GeoTIFF, GeoJSON and mission files, so either tool’s results can be opened alongside the other’s in QGIS.

Sources

Accessed 2026-10-02.

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