Drone Pilot Networks Compared: Droners vs FlyGuys vs Zeitview vs RAAD

Side-by-side: the four major networks

Pilot fees, payout terms, and primary job types as of 2026. Numbers come from each network's published pilot terms — verify on their site before you sign anything.

What each network is actually like to fly for

1. 1. RAAD Aerial

   Priority dispatch

   Best for:

   Pilots with NDT / inspection experience and good camera packages who want consistent enterprise-grade work and don't want to chase bids.

   Watch-outs:

   Application/onboarding is selective — they vet flight history, gear, and reliability before sending you jobs.

2. 2. FlyGuys

   Priority dispatch

   Best for:

   Generalists with a solid mapping / progress workflow who want a steady stream of dispatched jobs at fair rates.

   Watch-outs:

   Per-job rates are middle-of-the-pack; the value is volume and steady payouts, not premium per-job pricing.

3. 3. Droners.io

   Bidding marketplace

   Best for:

   Pilots who want full control over what they bid, what they deliver, and who they work with — and are willing to trade 10% for direct client contact.

   Watch-outs:

   It's a bidding marketplace — race-to-the-bottom pricing is a real risk if you don't anchor your bids in your real cost-per-flight-hour.

4. 4. Zeitview (formerly DroneBase)

   Priority dispatch

   Best for:

   Pilots in renewables-heavy regions who can fly to a tight scope-of-work and don't mind handing the deliverable to the platform.

   Watch-outs:

   Per-job pay tends to sit at the lower end of the market, scope is narrow, and the workflow is rigid — best treated as supplemental, not primary, income.

Insurance & claims-focused networks

These platforms specialize in property-claim inspections — roof, hail, wind, and CAT response. Pay structures are usually flat per-inspection rather than bid-based, and onboarding tends to be more selective than the generalist networks above.

1. 1. Eberl

   Insurance claims — residential & commercial property

   Model:

   Independent contractor roster (claims + drone pilots)

   Notes:

   Long-standing IA firm; pilots get dispatched alongside adjusters during catastrophe (CAT) seasons. Best fit if you already hold or can pursue an adjuster license — drone-only roles exist but are less frequent.

2. 2. Bees360

   Roof inspections for insurance carriers

   Model:

   Dispatch — pilot flies a fixed scope, platform produces the report

   Notes:

   Per-inspection flat fee; the carrier consumes the AI-stitched report, not your raw imagery. Works well for high-volume residential roof pilots in storm-belt regions.

3. 3. Loveland Innovations (IMGING)

   Property inspection software used by carriers & contractors

   Model:

   Software-led — pilots typically sourced through partner contractors/carriers, not a public pilot marketplace

   Notes:

   Not an open pilot network, but a major reason carriers buy drone work. If you contract with a roofing/restoration company that runs IMGING, you're effectively flying for this ecosystem.

4. 4. EagleView Assess

   Roof measurement & insurance inspection

   Model:

   Enterprise pilot program (selective onboarding)

   Notes:

   Pairs aerial-imagery analytics with field drone inspections. Onboarding is gated; expect equipment, certification, and SOP requirements similar to RAAD.

5. 5. AeroClaim

   On-demand drone dispatch for property-claim inspections

   Model:

   Dispatch — sub-24-hour response targets

   Notes:

   Newer, claims-only network. Tight SLAs and image-quality QA; best for pilots who can mobilize fast and deliver clean orthos and elevations to spec.

Other marketplaces & directories worth knowing

These don't have the volume of the big four, but they're real platforms generating real jobs in 2026 — useful as supplemental lead sources or for specific verticals.

1. 1. Drone.vet

   Generalist pilot directory + job board (veteran-friendly branding)

   Model:

   Directory / lead-gen — pilot keeps the contract

   Notes:

   Listing-style marketplace. No platform fee on most jobs; pilot fields the lead and contracts directly.

2. 2. Droners.com

   Searchable directory of Part 107 pilots (note: distinct from Droners.io)

   Model:

   Directory — direct client → pilot match

   Notes:

   Often confused with Droners.io. This one is a free/low-fee directory; clients contact pilots directly and the platform does not take a cut of the job.

3. 3. 107 Pilots United

   Sub-pilot marketplace for Drone Service Providers (DSPs)

   Model:

   B2B — DSPs source vetted pilots for overflow work

   Notes:

   Useful if you want to pick up work from larger DSPs that need local Part 107 hands rather than from end clients directly.

4. 4. KillerPilots

   Verified Part 107 pilot network — generalist commercial work

   Model:

   Membership-style network with vetted listings

   Notes:

   Newer entrant emphasizing pilot verification and pro-grade work; worth a free profile to test inbound lead quality in your market.

5. 5. Skycatch

   Construction & mining drone-data automation

   Model:

   Enterprise platform — pilots typically come from project partners

   Notes:

   Not a public pilot marketplace, but a frequent buyer of mapping work through partners. Listed here so you can recognize the brand if it appears on a job offer.

Bidding marketplace vs. priority dispatch — the trade

Neither model is "better." They reward different operators. The pricing-formula guide walks through the cost-per-flight-hour math both models depend on.

Frequently asked questions

Which drone pilot network pays the most?

It depends on the job. Per-job rates from RAAD Aerial and from a well-bid Droners job (where you set the price and keep 90%) are typically the highest. FlyGuys is consistent middle-of-the-pack. Zeitview's per-job rates tend to be the lowest of the four and are best treated as supplemental work.

Do FlyGuys, RAAD, or Zeitview take a percentage of pilot pay?

No. RAAD Aerial, FlyGuys, and Zeitview all pay pilots their full quoted rate — the network absorbs the payment-processor fee. Droners.io is the outlier; it deducts a flat 10% from each accepted bid because it's a marketplace, not a dispatch network.

Should I sign up for more than one network?

Yes — most working Part 107 pilots run two or three. A common stack is one priority-dispatch network (RAAD or FlyGuys) for steady volume, plus Droners for higher-margin one-off work. Zeitview makes sense as a third only if you're in a region with a lot of solar/wind work.

Are network jobs worth it compared to direct clients?

Network jobs are lower-margin per hour than direct-client work — you're trading some pricing power for marketing, scheduling, and collections handled by the network. Most successful operators use networks to fill gaps in their schedule and to build a portfolio while they grow direct relationships.

How do I price a job from a network the right way?

Don't price off what other pilots are bidding. Price off your own cost-per-flight-hour: equipment amortization, insurance, fuel/mileage, post-processing time, and your target margin. The Rotor Rate calculator builds that number for you so you can see in one glance whether a given network job is profitable or not.

Sources & further reading

• RAAD Aerial — pilot program
• FlyGuys — pilot network
• Droners.io — pilot terms
• Zeitview (formerly DroneBase) — pilot platform
• FAA — Part 107 commercial operator overview