Pix4D Supported Drones: Which Work With PIX4Dfields

Pix4D supported drones include most current DJI models, the Parrot Anafi line, Autel Evo II, AgEagle eBee, Wingtra, Skydio and several others, according to Pix4D’s supported drones and cameras table. For farm mapping in PIX4Dfields, the key question is whether the software reads the full image set (RGB and multispectral) or only the RGB images. Some popular enterprise drones, such as the DJI Matrice 4T and Matrice 30T, are listed as RGB only.

This guide lists which drones work with PIX4Dfields and how far, explains what each drone type is best for on a farm, and gives a cost calculator to compare owning a mapping drone with hiring a service. It also shows how many US crop acres already use aerial imagery, with data from USDA.

Which drones work with PIX4Dfields?

Pix4D says all of its software is drone-agnostic. It can process images from almost any drone or camera if the images are sharp and the flight has enough overlap. Pix4D says the support table is not a complete list of supported drones. PIX4Dfields version 2.9 and later can also process images from unlisted cameras by reading the metadata stored in each image.

The table below is a selection from the Pix4D support page (checked October 2026). “Full” means PIX4Dfields support is marked with a tick. “RGB only” means only the colour images are processed.

Some entries on the Pix4D page carry footnotes. “Listed (see page)” means the scraped table shows ticks for only some Pix4D products, so confirm PIX4Dfields support on the live page. Read the footnote for your exact model before you buy, and check that your PIX4Dfields version is recent.

How we chose the drones in this guide

We did not rank drones by price or by sales. We started from the Pix4D support table and kept models that farmers and agronomists can buy or still fly in North America, Europe and Australia. We then added the farm task each model suits, based on the sensor it carries. Sensor details come from the makers’ specification pages. We removed the made-up drone models that an earlier version of this page listed, since none of them exist.

RGB or multispectral: what Pix4D supported drones can measure

An RGB camera records red, green and blue light, like a phone camera. It gives a sharp photo map (an orthomosaic) and a surface model. You can count plants, see gaps after planting, map wet spots and draw field boundaries. A multispectral camera records narrow bands, including near-infrared and red edge. These bands let software calculate vegetation indices.

The best-known index is NDVI. NASA explains that healthy plants reflect much of the near-infrared light that hits them and absorb most visible red light. NDVI uses that contrast to show where plants are dense and green, and where they are thin or stressed.

The DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral pairs a 20 MP RGB camera with a 5 MP multispectral camera, according to the DJI Mavic 3M specifications. DJI lists a maximum flight time of 43 minutes without wind. For true reflectance values, fly a calibrated reflectance target before or after each flight.

Dedicated sensors go further. The MicaSense RedEdge-P carries five narrow bands plus a panchromatic band, and MicaSense quotes a pan-sharpened output of 2 cm at 60 m. Such sensors mount on larger drones like the Matrice 300 RTK.

How fine is the map? Ground sample distance

Ground sample distance (GSD) is the size of one image pixel on the ground. Lower is finer. GSD grows with flight height. DJI gives a simple formula for the Phantom 4 Multispectral: GSD in cm equals the height in metres divided by 18.9, per the P4 Multispectral specifications. The chart applies that formula at four heights.

At 120 m, close to the 400-foot limit for US drone flights, each pixel covers about 6.3 cm. That is fine enough to see rows and patches of stress, but not single small weeds. DJI also notes that one flight at 180 m can cover about 0.63 km² with 80% forward and 60% side overlap.

Chart

Ground sample distance by flight height

cm per pixel, DJI Phantom 4 Multispectral, from DJI’s formula GSD = height (m) / 18.9

How a PIX4Dfields mapping flight works

The steps are the same for most drones in the table.

1. Plan the flight. Draw the field, set height and overlap. Pix4D stresses that processing only works with enough overlap. The DJI example above used 80% forward and 60% side overlap.
2. Calibrate. For multispectral work, photograph the reflectance target before and after the flight.
3. Fly. Keep the drone in sight and below 400 feet in the US (see the rules below). Fly in steady light; passing clouds change the readings.
4. Process. Load the images into PIX4Dfields. Pix4D says processing runs offline on the device, so you can make a map at the field edge.
5. Analyse. Create an index map, split it into zones and add notes.
6. Act. Export a prescription map. Pix4D lists ISOXML export for ISOBUS terminals and a link to John Deere Operations Center.

Want to see the basics before you fly? This short video walks through six plain steps to start precision farming.

▶ Six plain steps to start precision farming, from field maps to satellite monitoring. · 4:18

What farmers use drone maps for

Pix4D lists five main uses for PIX4Dfields: crop scouting, variable rate and spot spraying maps, boundaries and counting, trial plot management, and reports. Here is what each looks like on a real farm.

Crop scouting

A map shows where to walk. Instead of walking a grid, you go straight to the low-index patches and check the cause. A drone map shows that plants differ; it does not say why. Pests, disease, water, nutrients and soil all need a check on the ground.

Variable rate and spot spraying

Zones from an index map can become a variable rate prescription for fertilizer or seed. A weed map can become a spot-spray map. In Iowa State University trials near Ames in 2024, targeted herbicide spraying treated on average 76% less field area than a full broadcast pass, with a range of 43.9% to 90.6%. Drone images were used to confirm the weed pressure. Results depend on weed pressure and equipment. Always follow the product label and local rules, and get advice from an agronomist before you change rates.

Boundaries, measurements and counting

RGB maps let you measure field areas, count plants and check emergence. They also give accurate boundaries for spray drone flights.

Trial plots and reports

Seed companies and agronomists use repeat flights to compare plots. Reports can be shared as PDF. Pix4D markets “insurance-ready” PDF crop reports; check with your insurer what evidence it accepts.

How many farms use drone imagery?

Adoption is still low on most row crops. The USDA Economic Research Service report on precision agriculture (EIB-248) found that drones, aircraft or satellite imagery were used on 7.0% of corn acres in 2016 and 9.8% of soybean acres in 2018. Use on winter wheat (2017), cotton and sorghum (2019) was lower. The survey could not separate drones from aircraft and satellites.

Chart

US crop acres using drone, aircraft or satellite imagery

% of planted acres, by crop and survey year

The report suggests cost, complexity and a perceived small number of uses may hold farmers back. Those are the barriers a good software and drone pairing can reduce.

Spray drones are growing much faster than mapping alone. The American Spray Drone Coalition’s 2025 Impact Survey, as summarised by AgDroneDirectory, put drone-treated US acres at 3.7 million in 2023, 10.3 million in 2024 and 16.4 million in 2025. These are industry survey estimates, not official statistics. Spray drones need good field boundaries and obstacle maps, which is one reason mapping and spraying now go together.

Farm-level use is higher in some states. The Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll from Iowa State University asked Iowa farmers about their use of agricultural drones; AgDroneDirectory reports that 22% of Iowa farmers used a drone or drone service in 2024.

Chart

US acres treated by spray drones

million acres per year, industry survey estimates

Rules for flying farm mapping drones

In the US, commercial drone flights, including flights for your own farm business, fall under the FAA’s Part 107 rule. You need a Remote Pilot Certificate. To get it you pass the “Unmanned Aircraft General – Small” knowledge test, and you must complete online recurrent training every 24 calendar months, according to the FAA’s guide to becoming a drone pilot.

The altitude limit is 400 feet above ground level, with an exception near tall structures, under 14 CFR 107.51. Spraying from a drone needs more approvals, including Part 137. Canada, the UK, the EU and Australia each have their own drone rules and pilot licences. Check the rules of your national aviation authority before you fly, and get professional advice if you are unsure.

Cost of mapping with Pix4D supported drones

Costs come in three parts: the drone and sensor, the software, and your time. Pix4D’s pricing page listed PIX4Dfields at US$1,990 billed yearly, excluding taxes, when we checked in October 2026 (a list price). Monthly and multi-year plans are also offered. Drone prices change fast and differ by dealer, so get current quotes.

Many farms do not own a drone. They hire a mapping service or an agronomist who flies. The calculator below compares the yearly cost of owning a drone and software with paying a service per acre. All default values are examples, set close to break-even. Enter your own numbers.

Try the numbers for your own farm below.

Drones and satellites: which fits your farm?

Drones give very fine detail on demand. They need a pilot, good weather and time on each field. Satellites cover every field on a fixed schedule with no flight, at coarser detail. The Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites, for example, give 10 m pixels for the main bands. PIX4Dfields itself now mixes the two: Pix4D describes it as hybrid drone and satellite mapping software.

A common pattern is to watch all fields from space each week and fly a drone only where the satellite map shows a problem. Farmonaut’s Satellite + AI Farm Monitoring System does the satellite part: you draw your fields once and get vegetation index maps through the season on web, Android or iOS.

This video shows how satellite NDVI maps reveal changes in plant cover across a large farm.

▶ How satellite NDVI maps show changes in plant cover across a large farm. · 4:09

How to choose a drone for PIX4Dfields

• Check the support table first. Make sure your model shows full PIX4Dfields support, not RGB only, if you need vegetation indices.
• Match the sensor to the job. RGB for counting, boundaries and drainage. Multispectral for crop vigour and prescriptions.
• Match the airframe to the area. Multirotors suit small and medium fields. Fixed-wing drones such as eBee and Wingtra cover large areas per flight.
• Plan for calibration. Relative multispectral cameras need a reflectance target for comparable maps.
• Think about your machinery. Check that the prescription export works with your terminal (ISOXML or John Deere Operations Center).
• Budget for training and rules. Include the pilot certificate, insurance and time.

Once your fields are mapped, keep their boundaries in one place. This tutorial shows three ways to add a field in the Farmonaut app.

▶ Three ways to add a field boundary in the Farmonaut app. · 3:50

Common mistakes with drone mapping

• Flying with too little overlap, which leaves holes in the map.
• Flying under changing cloud, which makes one part of the field look stressed.
• Skipping the reflectance target and then comparing two dates.
• Treating a low NDVI zone as a diagnosis. It is a place to check, not an answer.
• Not checking the Pix4D support page footnote for your drone before the first flight.

Related pages on our site: large-farm management app, fleet management, satellite and weather API docs, crop loan and insurance verification, carbon footprinting, product traceability and the Farmonaut app.

FAQ

Can PIX4Dfields process images from a drone that is not on the list?

Often yes. Pix4D says PIX4Dfields 2.9 and later can process unlisted cameras using the image metadata, if the images are good and well overlapped.

Does PIX4Dfields process thermal images?

It can. Pix4D says PIX4Dfields can process images from any camera, including thermal ones, if the images carry the required metadata. Some thermal drones, such as the DJI Matrice 30T and Mavic 2E Dual, are listed as RGB only, so check the footnote for your model.

Is the DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral fully supported?

Pix4D lists the Mavic 3M as supported in PIX4Dfields; check the footnote on its support page for details. Use a reflectance target if you want true reflectance values.

What height should I fly for crop mapping?

Higher flights cover more ground but give coarser pixels. On the Phantom 4 Multispectral, 60 m gives about 3.2 cm per pixel and 120 m about 6.3 cm. In the US, stay at or below 400 feet.

Do I need a licence to map my own farm with a drone?

In the US, flights for farm business fall under Part 107 and need a Remote Pilot Certificate. Other countries have their own rules; check with your aviation authority.