The world of FPV drone, UAV and RC software is an ever-changing plethora of options and to a newcomer, it may seem daunting to even think about. From the pool, three names stand out in the world of flying UAVs or FPV drones: Betaflight, ArduPilot and INAV. These three flight software offers different suites of features tailored to one’s needs and the only thing needed to figure out which one is right for you is this very article! Join the MEPS blog as you learn about all the possibilities these programs offer. And join MEPS drone shop to buy FPV drone to fly!
What’s FC Firmware?
The flight controller software that runs on a flight controller and manages an FPV drone’s operations is called FC firmware. It impacts flight characteristics and performance, and different firmware versions have different benefits and drawbacks for different flying philosophies. There are three FC Firmware of FPV drone will be introduced: Betaflight, Ardupilot and INAV.
What is Betaflight？
Betaflight is by far the most used software in the world for FPV drones where agility and responsiveness are paramount. The reason for this is the integration of the acro as a flight mode in the software allowing for sharp turns and incredible speeds. With Betaflight having a tight integration with Cleanflight, it has inherited all the things it was loved while adding a whole new set of options and customization for users to tune and fly to their own tastes or, use a simple preset and with the click of a button, be ready to go! With highly customizable PID tuning, all unwanted flight characteristics can be filtered out and with a little knowledge, Betaflight will be the only software you will ever use. Sadly, not all things can be positive so here are some drawbacks of Betaflight. For one, Betaflight is far less suitable for mapping and aerial photography as there are no autonomous modes and returning home leaves a lot to be desired and there is currently no support for wings at all. There is also a steep learning curve but there are guides plastered all over the internet that can help you out in a second.
What is ArduPilot？
ArduPilot is a versatile, feature packed and extremely stable UAV software with a large and active community constantly refining its functionality. It supports many UAV forms and with some being multirotors, fixed wing aircraft, helicopters and even ground/sea vehicles! It is truly an expert in all arts with tricks up its sleeve for every design. It Is used in aerial mapping, photography, and extreme long-range missions due to its inherent stability, widely known reliability and redundancies to make sure the user will remain safe and satisfied with it. Many large, long-range names have used this along with researchers and just like Betaflight, tutorials for ArduPilot are readily available and easy to understand. These features and redundancies do come at a cost, with the large resource use, meaning slightly higher cost and higher capability hardware may be needed to run this software at its full potential. Unfortunately, the flight characteristics of ArduPilot steer away users with acrobatic needs as over everything, Ardupilot priorities ease of use and steadiness. Much like Betaflight, ArduPilot also has a steep learning curve at first but as time goes on, users develop a sort of rhythm and can get things in the air faster than any other software.
What is INAV？
INAV is another software that is known for its stability and reliability, and it runs on most F4, F7, AT32 and H7 flight controllers making it versatile and a great option if Ardupilot is not supported with your hardware. INAV has a remarkably similar interface to Betaflight and can run many commands such as waypoint missions, position hold, RTH and many other things such as orbit and other cinematic features. It is optimized for long range fixed wing missions but can still run on multirotors, rovers and even boats! Though limited in its features with other modes of UAV, learning INAV can be incredibly useful if you fly fixed wing, allowing you to translate your skills to different applications and still achieve amazing results. It also is one of the easiest flight software to learn with an easy interface and large active development community. Unfortunately, compared with the likes of ArduPilot, INAV falls behind as though supported, other forms of UAV unlike fixed wings have limited features while in its main area of fixed wings, there is less customization offered. Other than this, INAV is still a top contender in the space of flight controller software.
Comparison of Betaflight, Ardupilot and INAV
Flight characteristics: ArduPilot and INAV are known for their reliability and stability while also being known for their lack of agility and as such, the performance and responsiveness prioritizing software Betaflight reigns supreme for FPV and cinematic applications. For All autonomous applications, ArduPilot and INAV are the right choices with INAV having formidable performance in fixed wing with ArduPilot filling the gaps with INAV as the best choice for autonomous multirotors.
Which FC firmware is right for you ?
Betaflight
Betaflight is the best software available right now that is driven by performance and agility. It has enough safety features such as return to home and crash flip making it hard to lose your drone if flying responsibly. It supports all sizes of FPV from small 65mm whoops to beast class and more! This is the software I recommend for all pilots thinking about flying fast or getting into racing.
ArduPilot
ArduPilot is the best software out right now supporting autonomous waypoint missions. Being an open-source, reliable autopilot system that works with a wide range of vehicles, including boats, submarines, rovers, fixed-wing aircraft, multiroters, and conventional helicopters. There is a sizable professional and enthusiast group working on the source code and constantly improving it with new developers welcomed. It is world renowned for its stability and reliability and is used by the top pilots to execute commands and missions. Recommended for those delving into the world of long range, waypoint missions, or just someone trying to automate any UAV under the sun
INAV
INAV is an amazing piece of software. Being applied in many fields such as commercial, research and agriculture, INAV is known for its set of features in the world of fixed wing aircraft. Its less steep learning curve and suite of features make it an excellent choice for beginners and veterans alike and much like the other two, this open-source software has a large and active developer community backing it with latest updates being released frequently. Recommended for fixed wing pilots as that is what INAV excels at.