# PX4 vs ArduPilot: which to choose

> The real differences between PX4 and ArduPilot: BSD vs GPL licence, frame flexibility, field performance, hardware support, and when a commercial stack fits.

- Canonical URL: https://autonomousdronesoftware.com/px4-vs-ardupilot/
- Source: [ArduPilot discussion forum, PX4 vs ArduPilot (with admin note on later changes)](https://discuss.ardupilot.org/t/px4-vs-ardupilot-when-to-choose-what/14262)
- Checked: 2026-10-26
- Structured data: https://autonomousdronesoftware.com/data/px4-vs-ardupilot.json

This page includes a free interactive tool that runs in the browser and sends no data. The figures and rules it uses are the ones stated on this page, with their sources.

## The difference that matters for a business: the licence

**PX4 uses the BSD 3-Clause License** ([PX4-Autopilot licence file](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/PX4/PX4-Autopilot/main/LICENSE)). Redistributions, in source or binary form, must keep the copyright notice, the conditions and the disclaimer, and the project's name may not be used to promote a derived product without permission. It does not require you to publish your own changes.

**ArduPilot uses the GNU GPL version 3** ([ArduPilot licence page](https://ardupilot.org/dev/docs/license-gplv3.html)). The page tells companies that ship it to inform customers the software is open source and to provide the source code or a link to it, and asks that improvements be contributed back. If you never distribute the software, for example on an internal fleet or in research, those distribution conditions are not triggered ([ArduPilot forum](https://discuss.ardupilot.org/t/px4-vs-ardupilot-when-to-choose-what/14262)).

| | PX4 | ArduPilot |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | BSD 3-Clause | GPL v3 |
| Ship modified firmware in a product | Allowed; keep the notice | Allowed; provide the source of the modified version |
| Use the project name to market your product | Only with written permission | Keep the original credits |

These are summaries of the licence pages, not legal advice; the licence texts govern.

So the first question is simple: will you sell drones or devices with your own changes to the autopilot? If yes, PX4's licence gives you more room. If no, the licence matters less than the technical fit.

## Technical fit, in short

- **New frame types.** PX4's flexible motor mixing gets unusual frames, such as custom VTOL designs, flying quickly.
- **Field performance.** Many experienced users credit ArduPilot's controllers with strong wind handling and smooth waypoint paths, at the cost of more tuning.
- **Hardware.** ArduPilot runs on a wide range of boards and on Linux; PX4 has broadened its hardware support over time.
- **Ground and water.** ArduPilot has long supported rovers and boats.

These points come from community experience, not side-by-side tests. The forum thread itself warns that both projects have changed a lot since it began, so test on your own airframe.

## When to buy instead

Open source is free to download, not free to own. Three questions point towards a commercial autopilot with a support contract: will anyone on the team maintain and update flight code; does an authority or customer expect certification evidence that the open projects do not produce for you; and who answers when a firmware update changes behaviour in the field? If the honest answers are "no one", "yes" and "no one", compare the cost of a supported product with the engineering time the open stack would take.

## Use the picker

The picker above asks four questions and gives one recommendation with the reasons. Treat it as a starting point for a test flight, not as legal or engineering advice.

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