Free calculator · 1 minute
Drone spraying cost
What will it cost to have a drone spray your field? Enter the area and how many passes, pick a country, and we multiply it by published per-acre and per-hectare rates. Every rate links to its source and date.
Your field
100 acres, 1 pass(es)
$1,300
At $13 / ac
United States · US average custom drone spray rate, 2025 (down from $21 in 2024) — American Spray Drone Coalition survey · americanspraydronecoalition.com as of 2026-01
Published rates for United States put this field at $800–$2,000 (5 rates from 3 sources).
Before you trust this
- Ask whether travel, field mapping, water or a call-out fee is extra, and what dose (litres per hectare) the rate assumes.
The maths
Rate: $13 per acre = $13 / acre Cost: $13 × 100 acre × 1 = $1,300
Arithmetic on published rates and your inputs. Not a quote, not a Whirrwork estimate, not a forecast.
Next steps
Change your field
Every published rate, applied to your field
| Where | Published rate | Your field | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States US-IA Custom drone spraying survey average, Iowa 2026 (range $8-$16; chemicals not included) chemicals extra | $8–$16 per acre | $800–$1,600 | farmratebook.com as of 2026-10 |
| United States US-OH Custom drone spraying survey average, Ohio 2026 ($14.98 avg; range $8-$20) | $8–$20 per acre | $800–$2,000 | farmratebook.com as of 2026-10 |
| United States US-NE Custom drone spraying survey average, Nebraska 2026 ($15.17 avg; range $13-$20) | $13–$20 per acre | $1,300–$2,000 | farmratebook.com as of 2026-10 |
| United States US average custom drone spray rate, 2025 (down from $21 in 2024) — American Spray Drone Coalition survey | $13 per acre | $1,300 | americanspraydronecoalition.com as of 2026-01 |
| United States Typical custom hire rate for drone spray application (vs ~$12.50/acre crop duster) — University of Missouri Extension over 12 months old | $16 per acre | $1,600 | extension.missouri.edu as of 2025-03 |
| Argentina FACMA (Argentine agricultural contractors' federation) indicative rate for drone application, ARS 23,412.36 per hectare excl. VAT, from 1 Oct 2026 (USD ref. ARS 1,492.50); orientative, not a quote (reported by Argenpapa) | 23,412 ARS per hectare | 947,465 ARS | argenpapa.com.ar as of 2026-10-01 |
| Australia AU-QLD Drone spraying/spreading rate card by application rate: $19/ha (1 kg) to $200/ha (140 L or 100 kg); 30 L/ha spraying = $44/ha (prices effective 1 Mar 2024) Drone Commander over 12 months old | A$19–A$200 per hectare | A$769–A$8,094 | dronecommander.com.au as of 2024-03-01 |
| Australia AU-VIC Drone spraying, broadacre low-rate application (customer supplies chemical); rate rises with L/ha Field Wings chemicals extrastarting price | ≥ A$30 per hectare | ≥ A$1,214 | field-wings.com as of 2026-10-25 |
| Brazil Outsourced drone spraying in Brazil (large flat grain areas at low end) Planon Ambiental | R$60–R$150 per hectare | R$2,428–R$6,070 | planonambiental.com.br as of 2026-10 |
| Brazil Drone application floor price within 100 km of Franca/SP NexAg (Nex Drones) starting price | ≥ R$85 per hectare | ≥ R$3,440 | loja.nexdrones.com.br as of 2026-10 |
| China CN-JS Sheyang County (Jiangsu) public award for drone pesticide spraying, 4 lots won at CNY 2.3–3.35 per mu with up to 4 L water per mu (1 ha = 15 mu); chemicals not included chemicals extra | CN¥2.30–CN¥3.35 per mu | CN¥1,396–CN¥2,034 | sheyang.gov.cn as of 2026-05-15 |
| China CN-SD Tancheng County (Shandong) wheat 'one spray, three protections' drone spraying service, 2 service lots awarded at CNY 4.7–4.82 per mu; chemicals bought in a separate lot (1 ha = 15 mu) | CN¥4.70–CN¥4.82 per mu | CN¥2,853–CN¥2,926 | ccgp.gov.cn as of 2026-04-14 |
| Czechia DRONPRO (Czech Republic) drone spraying of field crops with DJI Agras T100: indicative CZK 600–1,200 per hectare excl. VAT; or CZK 18,000 per half day (up to 20 ha), CZK 25,000 per day (up to 60 ha) incl. pilot and permits (undated page, retrieved 2026-10-26) | 600 CZK–1,200 CZK per hectare | 24,281 CZK–48,562 CZK | dronpro.cz as of 2026-10-26 |
| Czechia DRONPRO (Czech Republic) drone spraying of vineyards and orchards: indicative CZK 1,200–2,500 per hectare excl. VAT (retrieved 2026-10-26) steep-slope vineyards | 1,200 CZK–2,500 CZK per hectare | 48,562 CZK–101,171 CZK | dronpro.cz as of 2026-10-26 |
| Germany FELDFALKE steep-slope vineyard crop protection spraying by drone, €300 per hectare per treatment net, plus fixed call-out/setup cost; customer supplies chemicals (Lake Constance, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Switzerland; Stand 01.10.2026) steep-slope vineyardschemicals extra | €300 per hectare | €12,141 | feldfalke.com as of 2026-10-01 |
| France Drone spraying of steep-slope vines (gradient 20%+, eligible products only) (C-DRONE France guide, excl. VAT) steep-slope vineyards | €150–€300 per hectare per pass | €6,070–€12,141 | c-drone.fr as of 2026-09-30 |
| Hungary Forradalmi Művek (Hungary) drone spraying of field crops, over 10 ha: from HUF 8,000 per hectare; survey (HUF 2,500/ha once a season), call-out and VAT excluded (retrieved 2026-10-26) starting price | ≥ 8,000 HUF per hectare | ≥ 323,749 HUF | dron.forradalmimuvek.hu as of 2026-10-26 |
| Hungary Futó Kft / dronszolg.hu (Hungary, nationwide) general full-area field-crop drone spraying for areas over 20 ha: HUF 8,000 per hectare excl. VAT (example: 30 ha at 20 L/ha = HUF 240,000); call-out HUF 240/km one way (undated page, retrieved 2026-10-26) | 8,000 HUF per hectare | 323,749 HUF | dronszolg.hu as of 2026-10-26 |
| Hungary Forradalmi Művek (Hungary) drone spraying of field crops, 5–10 ha jobs: HUF 11,500 per hectare; survey, call-out and VAT excluded (retrieved 2026-10-26) | 11,500 HUF per hectare | 465,388 HUF | dron.forradalmimuvek.hu as of 2026-10-26 |
| Hungary Forradalmi Művek (Balatonfőkajár, Hungary) drone spraying of field crops, 0–5 ha jobs: HUF 13,000 per hectare; survey, call-out fee and VAT excluded (undated page, retrieved 2026-10-26) | 13,000 HUF per hectare | 526,091 HUF | dron.forradalmimuvek.hu as of 2026-10-26 |
| Hungary Forradalmi Művek (Hungary) drone spraying of vineyards and orchards: HUF 20,000–30,000 per hectare, always quoted individually; survey, call-out and VAT excluded (retrieved 2026-10-26) steep-slope vineyards | 20,000 HUF–30,000 HUF per hectare | 809,371 HUF–1.2M HUF | dron.forradalmimuvek.hu as of 2026-10-26 |
| Indonesia Drone spraying service in Indonesia, excl. chemicals chemicals extra | Rp 150,000–Rp 400,000 per hectare | Rp 6.1M–Rp 16.2M | remotepilot.co.id as of 2026-10 |
| India IN-BR Bihar Plant Protection Department drone spraying, actual cost Rs 419 per acre; farmers pay about Rs 210 after the 50% state subsidy (Lakhisarai, Dainik Jagran 2026-10-23) | ₹419 per acre | ₹41,900 | jagran.com as of 2026-10-23 |
| India IN-TN TNAU spraying drones for hire through the Tamil Nadu Agricultural Engineering Department, Rs 800 per acre (rice, maize, cotton, groundnut, pulses, sugarcane, tapioca); page undated, retrieved 2026-10-26 | ₹800 per acre | ₹80,000 | aed.tn.gov.in as of 2026-10-26 |
| Japan JP-05 JA Ogata (Akita) drone application of mid/late-season rice herbicide, ¥880 per 10 a incl. tax, chemicals not included; ¥1,100 per 10 a when spraying chemicals not on JA's list (1 ha = 10 × 10 a) chemicals extra | ¥880–¥1,100 per 10 a | ¥356,123–¥445,154 | ja-ogata.or.jp as of 2026-05-20 |
| Kenya Kenyan drone spraying service rate, KSh 1,000 per acre (service provider Alex Mugane at a Co-op Bank youth forum, Kenyans.co.ke) | 1,000 KES per acre | 100,000 KES | kenyans.co.ke as of 2026-07-24 |
| Mexico Drone fumigation from AgrosDrone starting price | ≥ MX$290 per hectare | ≥ MX$11,736 | agrosdrone.com as of 2026-10 |
| Mexico Drone fumigation in Mexico, application only (chemical extra) chemicals extra | MX$300–MX$800 per hectare | MX$12,141–MX$32,375 | eavision.com.mx as of 2026-10 |
| Mexico Drone agrochemical application Omega Drone | MX$390–MX$590 per hectare | MX$15,783–MX$23,876 | omegadrone.com.mx as of 2026-10 |
| Nigeria Nest Agribusiness drone spraying, ₦28,000 per hectare (Kano, Niger, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Ekiti); volume discounts for cooperatives; page undated, retrieved 2026-10-26 | 28,000 NGN per hectare | 1.1M NGN | nestagri.framer.website as of 2026-10-26 |
| Philippines Drone spraying, lowland rate (30 ha minimum) New Hope Corporation minimum area | 1,000 PHP per hectare | 40,469 PHP | newhopecorp.com as of 2026-10 |
| Pakistan Drone spray service (limited area only) Agritronics | 1,200 PKR per acre | 120,000 PKR | agritronics.pk as of 2026-10 |
| Poland DrAgro (Zachodniopomorskie, Poland) drone spraying of cereals, rapeseed, maize and plantations: from PLN 150 per hectare net, plus 8% VAT; discount possible on larger areas (undated page, retrieved 2026-10-26) starting price | ≥ 150 PLN per hectare | ≥ 6,070 PLN | dragro.pl as of 2026-10-26 |
| Poland DronNaPole (Poland, nationwide) drone spraying / application with DJI Agras: from PLN 170 per hectare for jobs of 10 ha or more, net; product supplied by the farmer; travel included within 50 km (retrieved 2026-10-26) starting price | ≥ 170 PLN per hectare | ≥ 6,880 PLN | dronnapole.pl as of 2026-10-26 |
| Romania Romania, drone spraying of wheat, rapeseed and sunflower by contractors: RON 70–120 per hectare (average ~RON 100/ha; under 50 ha RON 120–150, over 1,000 ha RON 65–70), figures from the TerraDron operator directory as reported by AGRIMEDIA (published 2026-10-25). Romania's plant-health authority sai | 70 RON–120 RON per hectare | 2,833 RON–4,856 RON | agrimedia.ro as of 2026-10-25 |
| Vietnam Mekong Delta drone spraying service, down from about VND 180,000 to roughly VND 120,000 per hectare as more teams compete (AgriDrone JSC sales director, Viet Nam News) | 120,000 VND per hectare | 4.9M VND | vietnamnews.vn as of 2026-05-07 |
| Vietnam Nhà Bè Agri reference price for drone spraying of food crops, VND 430,000/ha (5–10 ha) down to VND 370,000/ha (over 50 ha), excl. VAT and chemical mixing; page undated, retrieved 2026-10-26 | 370,000 VND–430,000 VND per hectare | 15M VND–17.4M VND | nhabeagri.com as of 2026-10-26 |
| Vietnam Northern Vietnam (Red River Delta) drone spraying service, about VND 400,000 per hectare on smaller, fragmented plots (Ninh Binh drone club head, Viet Nam News) | 400,000 VND per hectare | 16.2M VND | vietnamnews.vn as of 2026-05-07 |
| South Africa Drone crop spraying service (ADOZA) ADOZA | R 200 per hectare | R 8,094 | adoza.net as of 2026-10 |
Priced by the hour instead
Not converted: what an hour buys depends on how many hectares a drone covers in that hour, which changes with the field, the dose and the drone.
- $150–$200 per hour · Service provider rate per spray drone flown — University of Kentucky Extension AEN-171 · publications.ca.uky.edu as of 2026-10
How this works
Cost = rate × area × passes. A per-acre rate applied to hectares is multiplied by 2.4710538 (1 hectare = 2.4710538 acres), and the other way round. A range stays a range: the low end uses the low rate and the high end the high rate. Currencies are never converted, so a combined range only uses rates in the same currency. Chinese per-mu rates use 1 hectare = 15 mu, and Japanese per-10-are rates use 1 hectare = 10 × 10 a.
39 rates from 32 published sources in 21 countries: farm surveys, university extension services and providers' own price pages. Each row shows its link and date.
Drone vs ground rig vs plane: survey prices side by side · Guide: what drone crop spraying costs per acre · Crop-spraying drone providers and all prices
Agents and scripts get the same maths as JSON: GET /api/v1/drone-spraying-cost?area=100&unit=acre&country=US