What is the Litchi app for drones?

Question

I keep hearing about Litchi as an alternative to DJI Fly for waypoint missions and automated flights. What exactly does it do differently, which DJI drones support it, and is it worth buying?

GearReviewer_Tom · Accepted Answer

Litchi is a third-party autonomous flight app for DJI drones that adds mission-based flight modes DJI Fly doesn't offer natively. Its headline feature is Waypoint Missions — you plan a multi-point route on a map, set altitude, speed, gimbal angle, and actions at each waypoint, and the drone executes the entire flight automatically. Beyond waypoints it includes Orbit (automated circle with locked POI), Focus (keeps subject centered while you fly freely), Track (follow moving subjects using computer vision), Panorama (automatic sphere/cylinder/180 capture), and VR mode (FPV head-tracking via a compatible headset). Compatible DJI drones include the Mini 3 Pro, Mini 4 Pro, Air 2S, Air 3, Mavic 3 series, and older models going back to the Phantom 4 and Mavic Pro. It costs a one-time fee of around $25 on Android (free trial) or $23 on iOS. For real estate pilots doing repeatable orbit shots and mapping surveys, Litchi pays for itself on the first job. I recommend pairing it with a DJI Air 3 for the full feature set — the larger sensor and omnidirectional obstacle avoidance make autonomous missions significantly safer.

TechDroner · Answer

The biggest practical difference between Litchi and DJI Fly is that Litchi stores your waypoint missions in the cloud and executes them on the drone side — meaning once the mission starts, you don't need to keep touching the screen. DJI Fly's waypoint feature (on supported models) requires you to record a flight path manually, while Litchi lets you plan precisely on a desktop browser at flylitchi.com and then sync to your phone. This is transformative for real estate because you can plan a full property orbit from your office the night before, show up on site, tap Start Mission, and the drone nails the exact same angles every single time. Repeatable shots are the killer use case.

CinematicFlyer · Answer

Orbit mode is the one that got me hooked. In DJI Fly, Point of Interest gives you a basic orbit, but you can't set precise radius, speed, or gimbal angle and then save it. In Litchi you define exactly how many degrees per second the drone orbits, whether it faces the subject or a custom heading, and your gimbal pitch, and it saves as a reusable template. For real estate I set a 40-meter radius orbit at 25 meters altitude with a -20-degree gimbal tilt and reuse that template on every property. Consistent, professional, and I can hand the iPad to an assistant while I talk to the client.

HobbyistHank · Answer

One thing people miss: Litchi uses the DJI Mobile SDK to control the drone, which means it's subject to DJI's SDK limitations. Some features require the drone to be connected to DJI servers at mission start (for geofencing authorization). Also, Litchi does NOT replace LAANC authorization — it uses DJI's FlySafe data but that is not a substitute for checking airspace manually and getting LAANC approval where required. Always check B4UFLY before any Litchi mission. Also note: the Mini 2 does not support Litchi waypoints due to SDK restrictions from DJI — only the Mini 3 Pro and newer support the full waypoint feature set.

ProfessionalPilot_Al · Answer

For photogrammetry and mapping, Litchi waypoints work great for basic grid surveys, but it lacks the automatic overlap calculation that dedicated apps like DroneDeploy or Pix4Dcapture provide. I use Litchi for creative missions and repeatable real estate orbits, and DroneDeploy for formal survey work. The sweet spot for Litchi is pilots who want more automation than DJI Fly offers but don't need the full data collection pipeline of a professional GIS app. At $25 it bridges that gap really well. The Mission Hub at flylitchi.com is genuinely excellent for visual route planning — you can see elevation profiles and calculate battery requirements before you ever arrive at the site.

TravelDroner · Answer

Track mode in Litchi is hit or miss depending on lighting and subject contrast. On a sunny day tracking a person in a bright jacket against a clear background it works reasonably well. In complex environments — crowds, trees, anything with similar color to the subject — it loses lock regularly. It uses computer vision on the phone rather than the drone's hardware obstacle avoidance sensors, so it doesn't have the reliability of DJI's ActiveTrack. If tracking moving subjects is your primary need, a DJI drone with native ActiveTrack is still a better choice. Litchi shines brightest on planned, static-route missions rather than dynamic tracking.

AgriDroner · Answer

I run Litchi for grid missions on larger agricultural fields when I need a simple repeatable path without the cost of a full precision-ag platform. The key workflow tip: use the Waypoint Mission with the Import KML option if you've already drawn the area in Google Earth. Export as KML, convert to a Litchi CSV with a free online tool, and import — this saves 20 minutes of manual waypoint placement for large fields. For anyone comparing Litchi to Dronelink, Litchi is simpler with a lower learning curve, while Dronelink offers more flight path types including crosshatch and terrain-follow. See the full comparison in our detailed guide on what is Dronelink and waypoint missions.

What is the Litchi app for drones?

6 Answers