Waypoint planners for DJI Fly compared: Litchi, Waypoint Map, Dronelink, Pixpro, Skyplanr
All five can hand DJI Fly a KMZ that replaces a placeholder mission, because of the six drones here DJI's SDK reaches only the Mini 4 Pro, and only on Android. Pick Waypoint Map for a free grid on an iPhone, Litchi or Dronelink if you already plan in them, Pixpro if you also want the photos processed, and Skyplanr if you want terrain and obstacle heights checked and the job split into flights.
By Sander Helgesen · Last checked
In short
- DJI Fly has no import, so every planner here gives you a KMZ to swap into a placeholder mission. The KMZ guide has the steps for an iPhone and a DJI RC 2.
- Of the six drones here, the Mini 4 Pro is the one on DJI's Mobile SDK, which is Android-only. Litchi Pilot BETA and the Dronelink app can fly it live; the other five fly the KMZ in DJI Fly.
- Waypoint Map and Skyplanr document an iPhone path without a computer. Litchi, Dronelink and Pixpro document a computer, an SD card or a desktop bridge.
- Litchi, Waypoint Map Premium and Dronelink Professional set heights from the ground. Skyplanr also checks building and tree heights along every leg, every 2 m.
- DJI Fly takes at most 200 waypoints and one battery per mission. Skyplanr splits a bigger job into flights, Pixpro splits a multi-grid into four files, and the others leave the split to you or don't say.
How a planner reaches a DJI Fly drone
Apps like Litchi and Dronelink fly DJI drones live through DJI's Mobile SDK, where the drone allows it. The current SDK, version 5, runs on Android only, and of the six drones in this guide it lists just the Mini 4 Pro. The Mini 5 Pro, Air 3, Air 3S, Mavic 3 Pro and Mavic 4 Pro can't be flown live by another app.
What they all have is Waypoint Flight in DJI Fly, which reads missions as KMZ files in DJI's WPML format. So each planner writes that file, and you put it in place of a mission DJI Fly already knows. The drone then flies it on its own, with DJI Fly's limits: at most 200 waypoints, one battery, and heights counted from the takeoff point (the limits guide has the details).
The five side by side
One row per tool. The six DJI Fly drones are the Mini 4 Pro, Mini 5 Pro, Air 3, Air 3S, Mavic 3 Pro and Mavic 4 Pro. Prices are as each tool lists them, in its own currency. Every source is linked at the end of the page.
From each tool's own pages, checked 16 October 2026. "Not stated" means its docs don't say, not that the feature is missing. The Skyplanr row is from its code.
| Planner | Price | DJI Fly drones | iPhone without a computer | Terrain and obstacles | Battery split | Exports | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Litchi | App $26.99 once on Google Play (US). Hub and Pilot BETA: not stated; some Hub features need Litchi Pro | All six | Not stated: the guide uses Hub Bridge on a Mac or PC, or a USB copy | Above Ground heights from online elevation or an imported DEM; building heights for POI altitude | Not stated | DJI Fly KMZ (Hub), CSV, KML 3D path | flylitchi.com |
| Waypoint Map | Free for recreational use. Premium $15 a month (listed down from $19.99), or a one-time lifetime payment | All six | Yes: Share, Save to Files, On My iPhone, DJI Fly, wayline_mission | Premium adjusts the height to changes in ground altitude; obstacles not stated | Not stated | DJI Fly KMZ | waypointmap.com |
| Dronelink | Hobbyist €29.99 to €119.99 once; Professional from €24 a month. Onboard compatibility is listed in Elite and Professional | Mini 4 Pro, Air 3, Air 3S, Mavic 3 Pro, Mavic 4 Pro; Mini 5 Pro not stated | Not stated: the guide uses a computer or an SD card | Terrain follow / AGL in Professional plans; whether it carries into the DJI Fly KMZ is not stated | Not stated; a mission with several components can export one KMZ per component | DJI KMZ for DJI Fly and Pilot 2, KMZ for Google Earth | dronelink.com |
| Pixpro | Included in every Pixpro plan, from €5 a month billed yearly; 14-day free trial | All six | Not stated: the guide copies the file from a computer, and Pixpro recommends a DJI RC 2 because paths can curve on iPhone | Not stated | Not stated; a multi-grid is split into four KMZ files | DJI Fly KMZ (a zip of four for a multi-grid); processes the photos into 3D models | pix-pro.com |
| Skyplanr | 3 AI plans a month free; Pilot €49 a month, excl. VAT | All six | Yes: download the KMZ, then replace the placeholder in Files | Terrain, building and tree heights: laser data in Norway, USGS lidar in the US, global models elsewhere | Yes: flights within 70% of the battery and 200 waypoints, up to 1000 per mission | DJI Fly KMZ, DJI Pilot 2 KMZ, Litchi CSV, KML 3D, GeoJSON, QGroundControl | skyplanr.com |
Choose a planner for your drone and your phone
Start from the drone
Find your drone in the table. Every tool names the Mini 4 Pro, Air 3, Air 3S, Mavic 3 Pro and Mavic 4 Pro; Dronelink's KMZ guide doesn't name the Mini 5 Pro. On a Mini 4 Pro with an Android phone you can also fly live with Litchi Pilot BETA or the Dronelink app.
Then the device DJI Fly runs on
With an iPhone and an RC-N2 or RC-N3, the file goes into
Files › On My iPhone › DJI Fly › wayline_mission, and Waypoint Map and Skyplanr document that without a computer. With a DJI RC 2, the file goes in from a computer over USB whichever planner wrote it.Look at the ground under the route
DJI Fly has no terrain follow: every height is metres above the takeoff point. On flat ground any planner will do. On a slope, near trees or between buildings, choose one that writes each waypoint's height from the ground under it, and take off from the planned spot. The limits guide explains why.
Count waypoints and batteries
A mission has at most 200 waypoints and runs on one battery. A mapping grid with a photo at every waypoint reaches that quickly; the mapping guide shows how many photos each height needs. If the job is bigger, you need a planner that splits it, or you split it yourself.
Try it before a paid job
Waypoint Map is free for recreational use, Pixpro has a 14-day trial and Skyplanr gives 3 AI plans a month free. Fly a short test mission over open ground and check the route in DJI Fly before you take a planner to a client.
Photos along the route
Not every planner takes the photos for you. Dronelink's KMZ guide says interval photos have to be started by hand in DJI Fly, and Pixpro's guide has you start the timed shot at the first waypoint and stop it at the last. Waypoint Map Premium can put a photo action on every point. Litchi's KMZ export doesn't support curved turns, so a Litchi Hub mission flies straight lines or smooth curves.
Skyplanr puts a photo on each photo waypoint of a mapping grid, so the photos land where the overlap was planned, and that is also why a grid reaches 200 waypoints sooner.
What Skyplanr doesn't do
- No live control. Skyplanr never connects to the drone; DJI Fly flies the mission. For live control of a Mini 4 Pro on Android, Litchi Pilot BETA and Dronelink do that.
- No map stitching. It plans the photos but doesn't make orthophotos or 3D models; Pixpro does, and so do Pix4D, Agisoft Metashape and WebODM.
- No computer-free path on a DJI RC 2. As every planner here documents it, the file goes onto the controller from a computer.
- No live airspace notices. Zones come from official data, and NOTAMs are yours to check before each flight.
Where Skyplanr fits in
Skyplanr plans the mission from a description of the job, for the DJI Mini 4 Pro, DJI Mini 5 Pro, DJI Air 3, DJI Air 3S, DJI Mavic 3 Pro and DJI Mavic 4 Pro. Each waypoint's height comes from the terrain, buildings and trees under it, the legs are checked every 2 m, and a job over 200 waypoints or 70% of the battery becomes several flights from the same takeoff, one KMZ each. 3 AI plans a month are free.
See the technologyQuestions
Does Litchi work with the Mini 4 Pro?
Yes. Litchi lists the Mini 4 Pro for Litchi Pilot BETA, its app on DJI's Mobile SDK, and that SDK is Android-only. Litchi's DJI Fly guide also covers it: plan in Litchi Hub, export a KMZ and swap it into DJI Fly. The older Litchi for DJI Drones app doesn't list it.
Which planner works on iPhone without a computer?
Of these five, Waypoint Map and Skyplanr document it: save the KMZ in Files, then replace the placeholder's file under On My iPhone › DJI Fly › wayline_mission. Litchi documents Hub Bridge for Mac and Windows, Dronelink a computer or an SD card, and Pixpro a computer over USB-C. Pixpro also reports curved paths with DJI Fly on iPhone. With a DJI RC 2, every one of them needs a computer.
Can any of them make DJI Fly follow terrain?
No. DJI Fly flies every height relative to the takeoff point. A planner can only write each waypoint's height from the ground under it: Litchi (Above Ground), Waypoint Map Premium, Dronelink Professional and Skyplanr say they do. Whether Litchi's and Dronelink's ground heights carry into the DJI Fly KMZ is not stated.
What do they cost?
As listed on 16 October 2026: Litchi for DJI Drones is $26.99 once on Google Play in the US; Waypoint Map is free for recreational use, Premium $15 a month; Dronelink Hobbyist plans are €29.99 to €119.99 once and Professional from €24 a month; Pixpro from €5 a month billed yearly; Skyplanr has 3 AI plans a month free and Pilot at €49 a month, excl. VAT.
Sources
Skyplanr is not affiliated with the third-party guides linked here.
- DJI Developer: DJI WPML overview (the KMZ format DJI Fly reads) (developer.dji.com)
- DJI Developer: Mobile SDK v5 for Android, supported products (github.com)
- Litchi: supported drone and remote controller models (Litchi Hub, Litchi Pilot BETA, Litchi for DJI Drones) (forum.flylitchi.com)
- Litchi: how to use Litchi Hub with DJI Fly (KMZ export, Hub Bridge for Mac and Windows) (forum.flylitchi.com)
- Litchi: Litchi Hub open beta (terrain and building heights, Hub Bridge) (forum.flylitchi.com)
- Litchi: help (Mission Hub Above Ground altitudes, CSV and KML export, one purchase per platform) (flylitchi.com)
- Litchi: Mission Hub (features that need a Litchi Pro subscription) (flylitchi.com)
- Google Play: Litchi for DJI Drones (price in the US store) (play.google.com)
- WaypointMap: Premium and the free recreational tier (waypointmap.com)
- WaypointMap: supported drones (waypointmap.com)
- WaypointMap: tutorial (iPhone and DJI RC 2 steps) (waypointmap.com)
- Dronelink: onboard DJI waypoint missions, convert and export to KMZ (support.dronelink.com)
- Dronelink: plans and pricing (app.dronelink.com)
- Pixpro: Pixpro Waypoints (pix-pro.com)
- Pixpro: how to use Pixpro Waypoints, step by step (pix-pro.com)
- Pixpro: Pixpro Waypoints FAQ, part 2 (pix-pro.com)
- Pixpro: plans and pricing (pix-pro.com)
This guide describes how DJI Fly behaved when it was last checked; DJI can change the app at any time. It is advice, not a permission: you are the pilot in command, and the site, the geo-zones and the rules are yours to check before take-off.
Let Skyplanr write the file.
Describe the job, and Skyplanr plans the waypoint mission, checks it and gives you the KMZ for DJI Fly.