Awesome Open Source Drone Firmware

       

A curated list of open source drone firmware, flight controllers, tools, and related resources for UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) development and research.

Open source drone firmware enables hobbyists, researchers, and companies to customize, control, and innovate in aerial robotics, from quadcopters to fixed-wing and hybrid UAVs.

Contents

• Major Open Source Drone Firmware
• Flight Control Software
• Ground Control Software
• Simulation & Testing
• Sensors & Telemetry
• Hardware Projects
• Learning & Community
• Related Awesome Lists

Major Open Source Drone Firmware

• PX4 – Professional-grade open-source autopilot software for drones and other unmanned vehicles.
• ArduPilot – Versatile, feature-rich open-source autopilot supporting many types of vehicles.
• Paparazzi UAV – Mature academic-driven open-source drone firmware.
• Tau Labs – Open-source flight controller software focused on safety and flexibility.

Flight Control Software

• BetaFlight – Optimized for FPV (First-Person View) drone racing and freestyle.
• iNav – GPS-assisted flight firmware based on Cleanflight, supporting navigation and waypoint missions.
• Cleanflight – Popular multi-rotor flight controller firmware.
• Librepilot – Successor to OpenPilot, focused on quadcopters and fixed wings.

Ground Control Software

• QGroundControl – MAVLink compatible ground station software for PX4 and ArduPilot.
• Mission Planner – Full-featured ground control station for ArduPilot systems.
• APM Planner 2 – Cross-platform ground station software.

Simulation & Testing

• Gazebo – Widely used simulation platform with drone models and PX4 integration.
• AirSim – Open-source drone simulator by Microsoft, based on Unreal Engine.
• RotorS – MAV simulation framework from ETH Zurich.
• Dronecode SDK – MAVLink SDK for simulation and development.

Sensors & Telemetry

• MAVLink – Micro Air Vehicle communication protocol used in most open-source drone systems.
• DroneCAN – Open standard for UAV sensor and component communication.
• OpenLRSng – Open-source long-range telemetry firmware.

Hardware Projects

• PX4 Autopilot Hardware – Supported boards for PX4 firmware.
• ArduPilot Hardware – Flight controllers compatible with ArduPilot firmware.
• DIY Drones – Community and projects around DIY drone building.

Learning & Community

• PX4 Slack – Official community for PX4 autopilot users and developers.
• ArduPilot Discourse – Community forum for ArduPilot.
• r/Multicopter – Reddit community for multirotor UAVs.
• Dronecode – Linux Foundation project supporting PX4 and related tools.

Related Awesome Lists

• Awesome Robotics – Robotics tools, frameworks, and resources.
• Awesome Aerospace Engineering – Aerospace engineering tools and projects.
• Awesome IoT – Internet of Things resources and tools.

Contribute

Contributions are welcome!

License