WebODM
webodm.org
What it is
WebODM turns aerial images into georeferenced maps, point clouds, digital elevation models, textured 3D models, and Gaussian splats. It accepts photos or videos from any drone, including JPG, TIFF, video files, and multispectral imagery, and can run on a user's computer while offline. Exports include GeoTIFF, PNG, LAS/LAZ, OBJ, and OGC 3D Tiles. Mapping tools cover measurements, plant-health indexes, ground-control points, elevation contours, rolling-shutter correction, and sharing links. WebODM uses ODX, a free, open-source photogrammetry engine that developers can run from the command line or integrate into software. It can also connect to processing nodes that speak the NodeODX API. The API uses token authentication through the /api/token-auth/ endpoint, with tokens expiring after six hours by default. Model-level and row-level permissions govern whether users can view, add, edit, or delete objects. WebODM is free to install and use locally; optional cloud plans are listed at $24 a month billed yearly for Starter, $35 a month billed yearly for Pro, and $99 a month billed yearly for Business. Minimum requirements are 8 GB RAM and 20 GB disk space; larger datasets have higher recommended requirements.
Spec sheet
- What it does
- WebODM converts aerial photographs or videos into georeferenced orthophotos, elevation models, point clouds, textured 3D models and Gaussian splats.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Purpose
- WebODM generates georeferenced maps, point clouds, digital elevation models, textured 3D models and Gaussian splats from aerial images.Read 30 Sep 2026 · webodm.org
- Platforms
- Official downloads are provided for Windows, macOS and Linux; Linux uses Docker, while Windows has a native installer and macOS has an installer that manages Docker.Read 30 Sep 2026 · webodm.org
- API
- The public API is documented as OpenAPI 2.0 and uses basic authentication terminology with token-based examples.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.webodm.org
- Security
- UAV4GEO says its cloud service uses SSL encryption, secured data centers behind firewalls, password or secure-key access and encrypted passwords.Read 30 Sep 2026 · webodm.net
- Support
- Users can get help through independent WebODM communities, documentation and the community help forum.Read 30 Sep 2026 · webodm.org
- Founded
- 2016Read 23 Sep 2026 · webodm.org
- 3D models
- It produces textured OBJ models and OGC 3D Tiles.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Access control
- WebODM provides model-level and row-level permissions that control whether users can view, add, edit or delete objects.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.webodm.org
- Accuracy limitation
- An independent WebODM guide says results without GCPs or RTK/PPK depend on drone GPS, which can have errors of several metres.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.it
- AGPL obligation
- Hysen Labs explains that network users of modified WebODM versions must be offered the corresponding source code under AGPL-3.0.Read 15 Oct 2026 · hysenlabs.com
- API authentication
- Clients obtain a token from /api/token-auth/ and send it in an Authorization JWT header; tokens expire after six hours by default.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.webodm.org
- API coverage
- Documented endpoints cover projects, tasks, processing nodes, users, permissions, uploads, task control and result downloads.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.webodm.org
- Company founder
- UAV4GEO says Piero Toffanin founded the company in 2014 and created WebODM.Read 15 Oct 2026 · uav4geo.com
- Company headquarters
- UAV4GEO states that it is located in St Petersburg, Florida, United States.Read 15 Oct 2026 · uav4geo.com
- Company ownership context
- The official UAV4GEO page says the company is privately run without private-equity ownership.Read 15 Oct 2026 · uav4geo.com
- Contour tools
- Elevation contours can be previewed and exported to AutoCAD, Shapefile and GeoPackage.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Dataset limit on minimum RAM
- With 8 GB RAM, the download page warns that processing more than about 100 images may not be possible.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Ecosystem
- The WebODM ecosystem includes NodeODX, CloudODX, PyODX, ClusterODX, OpenSplat, OATS and CameraLib.Read 30 Sep 2026 · webodm.org
- Elevation models
- It creates digital surface and terrain elevation models.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Exports
- Listed exports include GeoTIFF, PNG, LAS/LAZ, OBJ and OGC 3D Tiles.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Gaussian splats
- The software can generate and display Gaussian splats for photorealistic rendering.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- GPU acceleration
- CUDA GPU processing is available to speed up dataset processing.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Ground control points
- Ground control points can be created and used to improve positional accuracy.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Hardware limit
- The download page lists 20 GB free disk space and 8 GB RAM as minimum requirements, with 16 GB RAM and 100 GB disk space recommended for larger datasets.Read 30 Sep 2026 · webodm.org
- Image inputs
- It accepts photos or videos from any drone and supports JPG, TIFF, video files and multispectral imagery.Read 30 Sep 2026 · webodm.org
- Independent output evidence
- The University of Florida walkthrough reports orthophoto, surface-model, point-cloud, textured-model, camera-parameter, camera-shot and quality-report outputs.Read 15 Oct 2026 · ask.ifas.ufl.edu
- Independent processing-node evidence
- The University of Florida walkthrough says separate processing nodes can distribute workloads and improve efficiency for large datasets.Read 15 Oct 2026 · ask.ifas.ufl.edu
- Independent technical review
- Hysen Labs describes the project as AGPL-3.0 software deployed as a four-container self-hosted stack, mainly written in Python.Read 15 Oct 2026 · hysenlabs.com
- Independent workflow description
- The University of Florida describes WebODM's interface as a graphical front end that lowers the barrier compared with command-line-only photogrammetry workflows.Read 15 Oct 2026 · ask.ifas.ufl.edu
- Input compatibility
- Supported inputs include JPG, TIFF, video and multispectral imagery from consumer, professional, fisheye and 360-degree cameras.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Learning-curve limitation
- A University of Florida extension publication notes that free/open-source UAS software can have a steeper learning curve than commercial alternatives.Read 15 Oct 2026 · ask.ifas.ufl.edu
- Mapping features
- Features include measurements, plant-health indexes, ground-control points, elevation contours, rolling-shutter correction and sharing links.Read 30 Sep 2026 · webodm.org
- Measurements
- Users can measure areas and volumes, including stockpiles.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Minimum hardware
- The minimum is 20 GB free disk space, 8 GB RAM and a 64-bit CPU; 16 GB RAM and 100 GB disk are recommended.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Mission-planning limitation
- WebODM documentation states that it does not yet provide an official mission-planning application and points users to third-party planners.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.webodm.org
- Node integrations
- WebODM can connect to NodeODX, NodeMICMAC, ClusterODX and WebODM Lightning processing nodes.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.webodm.org
- Notable news: separation
- WebODM announced on April 6, 2026 that it had separated from OpenDroneMap and would operate as an independent project.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Notable news: update
- The September 5, 2026 download update added Gaussian splats, faster structure-from-motion, NVIDIA RTX 50-series support and GCP checkpoints.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Offline operation
- The desktop software runs on the user's own computer and can operate without an internet connection.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Offline use
- The software runs on the user’s computer even when offline.Read 30 Sep 2026 · webodm.org
- Operating-system limits
- Windows requires Windows 10 or newer, macOS requires version 13 or newer, Windows on Arm is unsupported and 32-bit computers do not work.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Orthomosaics
- It produces georeferenced orthorectified maps and can export them in GeoTIFF, PNG and other listed formats.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Outputs
- Exports include high-resolution GeoTIFF, PNG, LAS/LAZ, OBJ and OGC 3D Tiles formats.Read 30 Sep 2026 · webodm.org
- Plant-health analysis
- Built-in indexes include NDVI, VARI and GNDVI.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Plugin extensibility
- Plugins can add server-side Python and client-side JavaScript logic, event hooks, asynchronous jobs and isolated pip or npm dependencies.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.webodm.org
- Point clouds
- It generates georeferenced, filtered and classified dense point clouds.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Processing engine
- Current WebODM distributions use the ODX photogrammetry engine rather than OpenDroneMap.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Processing integrations
- WebODM can connect to processing nodes speaking the NodeODX API, including NodeODX, NodeMICMAC, ClusterODX and WebODM Lightning.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.webodm.org
- Python SDK
- The WebODM ecosystem lists PyODX, a Python SDK for adding aerial-image processing to applications.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Scaling
- The system supports parallel jobs and distributed single-job processing across multiple machines.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Self-hosting
- Linux installation uses Docker, while Windows has a native installer and macOS uses an installer that manages Docker.Read 15 Oct 2026 · webodm.org
- Supported engines
- The documentation says WebODM can use ODX, MicMac and LGT processing engines.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.webodm.org
Plans and prices
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Runs locally, including when offline.
- Accepts imagery from any drone.
- Exports GeoTIFF, LAS/LAZ, OBJ, and other formats.
- Includes ground-control points and measurement tools.
Limits
- Minimum requirements include 8 GB RAM and 20 GB disk space.
- Larger datasets have higher recommended hardware requirements.
- Starter cloud plan allows 12 maps per 30 days before per-map charges.
Who it suits
WebODM suits drone-mapping users who want local, offline processing and multiple geospatial export formats. Its API and processing-node connections may also suit developers integrating photogrammetry workflows.
Verdict
WebODM offers a free local route for converting aerial imagery into maps and 3D outputs, plus optional cloud plans. Check the hardware requirements and cloud plan task and image limits for the datasets you intend to process.
Where Specifiction places it
- Drone Mapping Software#2 of 238.6
- AI 3D Scanning Software#3 of 248.6
- Photogrammetry Software#6 of 348.6