Drone Compare Freefly Astro Max vs DJI Mavic 3 Thermal
Which to choose
Pick the Freefly Astro Max for survey mapping (add-on RTK and a mechanical shutter vs add-on RTK and no mechanical shutter).
Pick the DJI Mavic 3 Thermal for a lower price ($6,700 vs $22,995), longer flight time (45 min vs 39 min), longer flight distance (32 km vs 20 km), higher wind resistance (12 m/s vs 10 m/s) and higher top speed (21 m/s vs 15 m/s).
Flight Time vs Price
Effective Megapixels vs Price i
Key Differences
- Price (US)$22,995 vs $6,700
- Weight3,523 g vs 920 g
- Max Flight Time39 min vs 45 min
- Max Flight Distance20 km vs 32 km
- Max Speed15 m/s vs 21 m/s
- Wind Resistance10 m/s vs 12 m/s
- Megapixels (LR1 (Sony ILX-LR1))61 MP vs 48 MP
- Megapixels (Tele 7x)N/A vs 12 MP
- Sensor Size (LR1 (Sony ILX-LR1))Full Frame vs 1/2"
User Reviews
| Specification | DJI Mavic 3 Thermal | Freefly Astro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Manufacturer | DJI | Freefly |
| Rating | — | 5 |
| Known Issues | — | — |
| Release Date | Sep 27, 2022 | Feb 20, 2025 |
| Availability | Available | Available |
| EU Drone Class | C2, C5 | None |
| US Procurement | FASC Prohibited | Blue Select |
| Platform Type | Multirotor | Multirotor |
| Pricing | ||
| Price (EU) | €5,684 | €21,155 |
| Price (US) | $6,700 | $22,995 |
| Links | ||
| Product Page | https://enterprise.dji.com/mavic-3-enterprise | https://freeflysystems.com/astro |
| Shop Page | https://store.dji.com/product/dji-mavic-3t | https://store.freeflysystems.com/products/astro-max |
| Physical | ||
| Weight | 920 g | 3,523 g |
| Max Takeoff Weight | 1,050 g | 8,700 g |
| Folded Dimensions | 221 × 96.3 × 90.3 mm | 508 × 508 × 178 mm |
| IP Rating | None | IP43 |
| Operating Temperature | -10°C to 40°C | -20°C to 50°C |
| Flight | ||
| Max Flight Time | 45 min | 39 min |
| Max Speed | 21 m/s | 15 m/s |
| Max Speed (EU) | 19 m/s | — |
| Max Ascent Speed | 8 m/s | 4 m/s |
| Max Descent Speed | 6 m/s | 3 m/s |
| Max Flight Distance | 32 km | 20 km |
| Max Altitude | 6,000 m | 4,572 m |
| Wind Resistance | 12 m/s | 10 m/s |
| Payload | ||
| Camera | ||
| Camera 1 | Wide | LR1 (Sony ILX-LR1) |
| Sensor Size | 1/2" | Full Frame |
| Pixel Binning | Quad Bayer | — |
| Megapixels | 48 MP | 61 MP |
| Focal Length | 24mm | 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm |
| Aperture | f/2.8 | f/3.5, f/2.8, f/1.8 |
| Zoom | 4x Digital | — |
| Mechanical Shutter | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| ISO Range | 100-25600 | 100-32000 (Normal), 50-102400 (Extended) |
| Shutter Speed | 8-1/8000s | 1/4000-30s (Mechanical), 1/8000-30s (Electronic) |
| Stabilization Type | — | Mechanical Gimbal |
| Max Photo Resolution | 8000×6000 | 9504x6336 |
| Image Formats | JPEG | JPEG, RAW (Proprietary), HEIF |
| AEB | — | — |
| AEB EV Bias | — | — |
| Panorama Modes | — | — |
| Panorama Formats | — | — |
| Video Resolutions | 4K/30fps | 4K/60fps, 1080p/120fps |
| Video Codec | H.264 (AVC) | H.265 (HEVC), H.264 (AVC) |
| Video Formats | MP4 | MP4 |
| Color Profiles | Normal | Normal, HLG, S-Log3, S-Cinetone |
| Camera 2 | Tele 7x | — |
| Camera 3 | Thermal | — |
| Gimbal | ||
| Gimbal | ||
| Gimbal 1 | Camera Gimbal | LR1 Gimbal |
| Stabilization Axes | 3-Axis | 3-Axis |
| Tilt Range | -90° to 35° | -90° to 30° |
| Pan Range | — | — |
| Roll Range | — | — |
| Navigation | ||
| GNSS | GPS, Galileo, BeiDou, GLONASS | GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo |
| Hover Accuracy | Vert: ±0.1m (Vision), ±0.5m (GNSS), ±0.1m (RTK); Horiz: ±0.3m (Vision), ±0.5m (GNSS), ±0.1m (RTK) | — |
| RTK | Add-on | Add-on |
| RTK Horizontal Accuracy | — | 1 cm + 1 ppm (RMS) |
| RTK Vertical Accuracy | — | 1 cm + 1 ppm (RMS) |
| Recovery Mode | — | — |
| Obstacle Sensors | Forward, Backward, Lateral, Upward, Downward | — |
| Obstacle Avoidance | Active (Avoidance) | None |
| Sensing Technology | Vision (Binocular), Infrared (ToF) | — |
| Sensing Technology (Add-on) | — | — |
| Transmission | ||
| Transmission Protocol | OcuSync 3E | Herelink 1.1 |
| Max Range (CE) | 8 km | 12 km |
| Max Range (FCC) | 15 km | 20 km |
| Live View Quality | 1080p/60fps | 1080p/60fps, 720p/30fps |
| Cellular | — | ✓ Yes |
| App | ||
| Flight App | DJI Pilot 2 | Auterion Suite |
| Supported OS | Android | Android |
| Resume from Waypoint | ✓ Yes | — |
| Mission Types | Waypoint, Area, Corridor, Oblique, Linear | Waypoint |
| Features | ||
| Internal Storage | 0 GB | — |
| Max MicroSD | 512 GB | — |
| ActiveTrack | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Hyperlapse | ✗ No | — |
| Night Scene | ✗ No | — |
| NIR Light | ✗ No | — |
| Laser Rangefinder | ✗ No | — |
| Laser Rangefinder Range | — | — |
| Remote ID | Built-in | Built-in |
| ADS-B Receiver | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Data Encryption | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Expansion Port | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| SDK Support | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Mapping | ||
| Waypoints | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Terrain Follow | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Raw GNSS Logging | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Cargo | ||
| Delivery Mode | — | — |
| Max Range (Loaded) | — | — |
| Max Flight Time (Loaded) | — | — |
| Accessories | ||
| Battery | ||
| Propeller | ||
| Remote Controller | ||
| Charger | ||