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Not sure what to charge for a drone job? Enter the type of work, time on site, travel and add-ons for an indicative, market-based price — plus a fair range and the reasoning behind it.
Benchmark (per shoot): $250–$750 per shoot; $1,000+ bundled with video, floor plan & interiors
Set your job details, then get an indicative, market-based price to charge — plus a fair range and the reasoning behind it.
This is an indicative guide, powered by DroneWork, benchmarked against typical Australian market rates and your inputs — not an official rate card or a guarantee. Always set your own price based on the job, your equipment, insurance, licensing and experience.
There is no fixed rate card for commercial drone work in Australia — pricing depends on the type of job, how long it takes, the deliverables, travel and how complex or time-critical the work is. New pilots often undercharge because they only count flight time, forgetting editing, travel, insurance and gear. The calculator above turns your job details into an indicative price and a fair range so you can quote with confidence.
Figures are a guide only and not an official rate. Always set your own price based on the job, your costs, insurance, licensing and experience.
Four levers make the biggest difference to a fair quote.
How long the shoot, flight or inspection takes is the biggest single driver. Half-day jobs, full days and multi-day projects all price differently — and mobilising twice costs more than once.
Raw stills are cheaper than edited video, orthomosaics, 3D models or survey-grade RTK data. Thermal, LiDAR and mapping payloads command higher rates because fewer operators carry them.
Round-trip distance, remote sites, airspace approvals and site inductions all add cost. Regional and hard-to-reach jobs should carry a travel and mobilisation loading.
Controlled airspace, populous areas, night work and time-critical turnarounds raise the skill and compliance bar — and justify a premium over a simple open-area job.
Different jobs price on different bases — per shoot, per day, per hectare or per asset.
Real estate stills and video, tourism and marketing content, events and weddings, and film & TV aerials — priced per shoot, per event or per day.
Site-progress photography, photogrammetry and LiDAR surveys, stockpile volumetrics and 3D models / digital twins — priced per visit, per day or per project.
Roof and building, solar farms (per MW), powerlines (per structure), telecom and wind turbines (per asset), industrial facilities and insurance / disaster response.
Spraying and spreading priced per hectare, plus multispectral / NDVI crop-health mapping — with chemical supply, prescription maps and setup loadings.
Mining and quarry survey services and environmental / conservation monitoring — day-rate work with processing, reporting and recurring capture.
Each industry carries its own pricing basis, researched Australian benchmark and relevant add-ons — thermal, RTK, automated defect detection, reports and rush turnaround.
Choose the type of work, hours on site, number of days, travel distance and any add-ons.
DroneWork weighs your inputs against typical Australian market rates and returns a recommended price.
See a fair range and the reasoning, then adjust and re-estimate until it fits the job.
To fly commercially for reward in Australia you need a CASA RePL. ACE Aviation is a CASA-approved academy that has trained 4,000+ pilots over 10+ years.