ArduPilot
ArduPilot is a community-developed, open-source autopilot software suite under GPLv3, supporting multicopters, fixed-wing aircraft (including VTOL), rovers, submarines, and blimps. It is installed in over one million vehicles worldwide and used by NASA, Intel, and OEMs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What ArduPilot does
ArduPilot is an open-source autopilot software project, with its first code repository created in 2009 and its source released under the GNU General Public License version 3. The project is developed and maintained by a distributed community of professional engineers, academics, computer scientists, and enthusiasts, and is not a revenue-generating commercial entity. Its product suite comprises specialized firmware variants for multiple vehicle types: ArduPilot Copter (multicopters and traditional helicopters), Plane (fixed-wing aircraft including VTOL QuadPlane), Rover (ground vehicles, boats, and sailboats), Sub (submersibles), AntennaTracker, and Blimp. The firmware runs on a broad set of autopilot hardware via a Hardware Abstraction Layer (AP-HAL), supports Pixhawk and compatible boards, NAVIO2, and Bebop2, and communicates with ground stations over the MAVLink protocol.
The technology stack is primarily C++ with Python tooling, and includes native integration with ROS1/ROS2, DroneCAN/UAVCAN, DroneKit SDK, and a wide range of simulation environments (Gazebo, X-Plane, AirSim, FlightGear, RealFlight, Webots, MATLAB/Simulink, JSBSim, Morse). Ground control stations include Mission Planner, APM Planner 2.0, MAVProxy, QGroundControl, and the Tower Android client. The platform is installed in over 1,000,000 vehicles worldwide and is used by NASA, Intel, Insitu/Boeing, and academic institutions, as well as embedded by OEM partners including Holybro, BlueRobotics, SkyViper, ModalAI, Aerium, TT Robotix, and Robot to Society.
Commercially, ArduPilot does not charge for its software and does not manufacture hardware; its go-to-market is community-led, with growth driven by word-of-mouth, forums, Discord, an annual developer conference in Canberra, and Google Summer of Code. Commercial support for enterprise users is delivered through certified partners, and the project's Partners Program and Funding Committee provide some structured governance around contributions and financial support. The primary segments served are UAV/drone operators and manufacturers, researchers and academics, agricultural automation, and marine and maritime users.
ArduPilot firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ArduPilot
- Legal name
- ArduPilot.org
- Website
- https://ardupilot.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ArduPilot is a community-developed, open-source autopilot software suite under GPLv3, supporting multicopters, fixed-wing aircraft (including VTOL), rovers, submarines, and blimps. It is installed in over one million vehicles worldwide and used by NASA, Intel, and OEMs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ArduPilot industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Open Source Autopilot Software
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)
- SIC
- Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Autonomy Software, AI & Mission Management (UAS/UXV) (IMABAIAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Autonomous Flight Control & Guidance Systems (UAS/Urban Air Mobility) (IMABAFAO), VTOL & Hybrid UAV Platforms (IMABAIAC), Flight Control Computers & Autopilot Systems (IMABAFAA), Aerial Application Drones & UAS Spray Systems (AFAAADAB)
Keywords
Where ArduPilot is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
ArduPilot business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Open Source Software (No Direct Revenue): ArduPilot is a free, open source project released under GNU General Public License version 3. The project does not manufacture hardware and does not charge for software. Revenue is not the primary objective; the mission is to enable creation of autonomous vehicle systems for peaceful benefit.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free Open Source Software |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
ArduPilot product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ArduPilot develops and distributes a free, open source autopilot software system released under GPLv3 that supports multiple unmanned vehicle types through specialized firmware variants. The suite includes Copter, Plane, Rover, Sub, Blimp, and AntennaTracker firmware, plus ground control stations (Mission Planner, APM Planner 2.0, MAVProxy) and SDKs for application development, deployed in over 1,000,000 vehicles worldwide.
Product overview
ArduPilot is a comprehensive open-source autopilot software suite supporting multiple vehicle types through specialized firmware products. The platform includes Copter (multicopters and traditional helicopters), Plane (fixed-wing aircraft including VTOL QuadPlane), Rover (ground vehicles, boats, and sailboats), Sub (submersibles), Antenna Tracker, and Blimp. Ground control stations include Mission Planner (Windows/Mac/Linux), APM Planner 2.0 (Qt-based), MAVProxy (command-line), and Tower (Android). The ecosystem includes DroneKit SDK, UAV LogViewer for analysis, and support for over 1,000,000 vehicles worldwide. The software is installed in products from manufacturers including partners, and used by NASA, Intel, and Insitu/Boeing. Development tools support ROS1/ROS2 integration, extensive simulation environments (Gazebo, X-Plane, AirSim, etc.), and MAVLink protocol communication.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ArduPilot Copter Full-featured open-source multicopter UAV controller firmware supporting various configurations including quadcopters, hexacopters, and octocopters for commercial, research, and hobbyist drone applications.
- ArduPilot Plane Open source firmware for fixed-wing aircraft with full autonomous capability, including VTOL QuadPlane support, used for applications such as aerial mapping, search and rescue, and long-endurance flight.
- ArduPilot Rover Sophisticated open-source firmware for ground and water vehicles supporting 3 or 4 wheel configurations, boats, sailboats, balance bots, and walking robots for agricultural, industrial, and research use.
- ArduPilot Sub Submersible vehicle autopilot firmware supporting underwater vehicles including submarines for applications such as coral reef exploration and oil pipe inspections.
- ArduPilot AntennaTracker Firmware for using a supported flight controller board as an antenna tracker that determines vehicle position via GPS and telemetry to align directional antennas for enhanced transmission and reception range.
- ArduPilot Blimp Blimp and indoor flying vehicle autopilot firmware supporting lighter-than-air unmanned vehicle platforms.
- Mission Planner Full-featured ground control station written in C# for Windows that also runs on Linux and macOS via Mono, offering point-and-click interaction with hardware, custom scripting, and simulation capabilities for ArduPilot vehicles.
- APM Planner 2.0 Cross-platform ground control station specifically for APM hardware, written in C++ using Qt libraries, providing an alternative to Mission Planner.
- MAVProxy Command line oriented and scriptable ground station primarily used by developers for advanced mission planning, telemetry, and vehicle control with ArduPilot platforms.
- UAV LogViewer Web-based utility for viewing ArduPilot dataflash and telemetry logs with 3D flight visualization, plotting capabilities, and preset configurations for post-mission analysis.
- DroneKit SDK SDK for developing apps that run on ArduPilot vehicles, mobile devices, or in the cloud, enabling custom application development on autonomous platforms.
Companies that use ArduPilot
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
ArduPilot technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration30 records
Feature5 records
ArduPilot partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- BlueRoboticscoreBlueRobotics manufactures the BlueBoat, an autonomous skid-steer boat that runs ArduPilot firmware. They are listed as a partner and their products come pre-configured with ArduPilot.
- HolybrocoreHolybro produces Pixhawk flight controllers and companion computer baseboards (Raspberry Pi CM4/CM5, Jetson) that run ArduPilot firmware.
- SkyRocket/SkyVipercoreSkyViper produces ready-to-fly drones pre-loaded with ArduPilot firmware, providing accessible entry points for new users.
- ModalAIcoreModalAI VOXL2 companion computer integrates with ArduPilot for autonomous drone applications.
- AeriumminorAerium produces NVIDIA Jetson baseboards (Lumen) and Raspberry Pi CM4/CM5 baseboards (Pascal) compatible with ArduPilot.
- TT RobotixcoreTT Robotix manufactures ready-to-use rovers (Rhino 6x6, Base 1 Rover) that run ArduPilot firmware.
- Robot to SocietycoreProduces SPARK Kit rover that runs ArduPilot, listed as a partner vehicle.
- DroneKitcoreDroneKit provides APM SDK for apps running on vehicles, mobile devices and/or in the cloud, enabling application development on ArduPilot platforms.
- QGroundControlcoreAlternative ground station written in C++ using Qt libraries, providing additional GCS options for ArduPilot users.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ArduPilot competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- PX4 Autopilot: The principal open-source autopilot competing head-to-head with ArduPilot; supports many of the same vehicle types and is the basis for commercial drone software stacks (e.g., Auterion).
- Paparazzi UAV: Long-running open-source autopilot project supporting multi-rotors, fixed-wing, and hybrid vehicles with a research/academic community, directly comparable to ArduPilot in scope and openness.
- Betaflight: Open-source flight controller firmware primarily for FPV racers and freestyle drones; competes with ArduPilot Copter in the multirotor segment.
- INAV: Open-source flight controller firmware focused on navigation for fixed-wing and multirotor aircraft; overlaps with ArduPilot Plane and Copter use cases.
- LibrePilot: Open-source autopilot fork originating from OpenPilot; supports multicopters, fixed-wing, and ground vehicles, directly comparable to ArduPilot's Copter/Plane/Rover products.
Emerging players
- Crazyflie: Open-source nano-drone platform with its own autopilot firmware and rich ROS integration; an emerging/educational alternative to ArduPilot for indoor and research applications.
- Auterion: Commercial open-source-based drone software company built on PX4; competes with ArduPilot's ecosystem by offering enterprise software on top of an open autopilot.
Broad incumbents
- DJI: Largest commercial drone manufacturer with proprietary autopilot stack; broad incumbent that limits ArduPilot's addressable market in consumer and prosumer segments.
- Skydio: U.S. commercial/autonomy drone manufacturer with proprietary flight software; represents the vertically integrated incumbent that ArduPilot-based stacks compete against in enterprise use cases.
Others
- OpenDroneMap: Open-source aerial photogrammetry toolkit typically run on drones powered by ArduPilot or PX4; an adjacent ecosystem participant that highlights the broader open-source drone stack ArduPilot sits within.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ArduPilot social profiles
Digital presenceArduPilot financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ArduPilot leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
ArduPilot funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ArduPilot M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ArduPilot
What does ArduPilot do?
ArduPilot develops and distributes a free, open source autopilot software system released under GPLv3 that supports multiple unmanned vehicle types through specialized firmware variants. The suite includes Copter, Plane, Rover, Sub, Blimp, and AntennaTracker firmware, plus ground control stations (Mission Planner, APM Planner 2.0, MAVProxy) and SDKs for application development, deployed in over 1,000,000 vehicles worldwide.
Is ArduPilot a public or private company?
ArduPilot is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was ArduPilot founded?
ArduPilot was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ArduPilot based?
ArduPilot is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does ArduPilot make money?
One revenue line is on record: open Source Software (No Direct Revenue).
Who are ArduPilot's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are PX4 Autopilot, Paparazzi UAV, Betaflight, INAV and LibrePilot. Emerging players are Crazyflie and Auterion. Broad incumbents are DJI and Skydio. OpenDroneMap is listed as an others.
Does ArduPilot have an API?
No public API is recorded for ArduPilot.
What industry is ArduPilot in?
ArduPilot's product category is Open Source Autopilot Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAIAH, Autonomy Software, AI & Mission Management (UAS/UXV), with a secondary code of IMABAFAO, Autonomous Flight Control & Guidance Systems (UAS/Urban Air Mobility). Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 3812.