What Hover does

Hover is a small, foreign-incorporated drone manufacturer and mobile application developer founded in 2014 and headquartered at a San Francisco mailing address, with a workforce of 1-10 employees. The company produces consumer and professional drone products used for aerial photography, videography, inspection, and recreational flying, and operates a related mobile app presence at hoverapp.io. The firm is led by co-founder and CTO Kevin Johnson, though no broader management team, investor base, or parent company is disclosed in the available data. No public pricing, distribution channels, or revenue figures have been disclosed, and there is no record of external funding rounds, acquisitions, or strategic partnerships.

In January 2026, Hover was added to the Federal Communications Commission's Covered List as part of a broader ban on foreign-made drones implemented ahead of a December 23, 2025 NDAA deadline. The action, which ultimately affected all foreign drone manufacturers including DJI, Autel, Antigravity, Potensic, and Ruko, prohibits future Hover drone models from receiving FCC approval and being sold in the US market. Already-approved models remain exempt, but the ban extends to components sold to DIY builders and covers Hover's full product line, including cameras and gimbals. This regulatory action effectively closes the US market to Hover's forward product roadmap and constitutes the dominant commercial risk to the business.

Name

Hover

Website

https://hoverapp.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hover is a small foreign drone manufacturer and mobile app developer (founded 2014, 1-10 employees) producing consumer and professional drones for aerial imaging, videography, and inspection, now barred from future US sales by the FCC's January 2026 Covered List designation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Application Development

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

Drones & UAV Retail (Consumer & Prosumer) (CRACAHAC)

Keywords

• Mobile app development
• Drone app development
• Drone mobile software
• App development services
• Drone software applications

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Core offering

Hover is a mobile application development company that designs and builds apps for drone applications. The firm develops mobile software products aimed at serving drone-related use cases for external customers in the drone industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drone mobile applications

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves2 records

Direct peers

• Antigravity (drone brand): Antigravity is another foreign consumer drone manufacturer named in the same FCC Covered List action as Hover, serving a directly overlapping audience of hobbyist and prosumer drone buyers in the US.
• Parrot (Parrot SA): Parrot is a French consumer drone maker with overlapping aerial photography/videography products (e.g., ANAFI series) targeting prosumer buyers similar to Hover's stated focus.
• Zero Zero Robotics (Hover Camera): Zero Zero Robotics is the Chinese maker of the "Hover Camera" branded consumer aerial-imaging drone, the closest direct comparison to a Hover-branded consumer folding selfie/aerial-photography drone.
• DJI: DJI is the world's largest consumer/prosumer drone maker and is named alongside Hover in the FCC's Covered List ban; it directly overlaps in product (aerial photography/videography quadcopters) and target market (US hobbyist and prosumer buyers).
• Potensic: Potensic is a smaller, foreign consumer drone brand co-listed with Hover on the FCC Covered List, competing in entry-level and mid-tier aerial photography drones for hobbyists.
• Autel Robotics: Autel Robotics is a foreign consumer/prosumer drone manufacturer competing in the same aerial-imaging category as Hover and was also added to the FCC Covered List in the same regulatory action.
• Yuneec: Yuneec is a foreign (Hong Kong/Chinese) consumer and prosumer drone manufacturer directly competing in the same aerial imaging product category where Hover operates.
• Holy Stone: Holy Stone is a Chinese consumer drone brand focused on entry-level quadcopters for hobbyists and beginners, operating in the same product tier and channel structure as Hover.
• Ruko: Ruko is a consumer drone brand explicitly grouped with Hover in the FCC foreign-drone ban, selling similar sub-$500 aerial photography drones to US hobbyists.

Emerging players

• Skydio: Skydio is a US-based consumer/prosumer drone maker that directly benefits from the FCC ban on Hover and other foreign competitors, and competes head-to-head in autonomous aerial imaging.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hover