How to Choose an RTK Correction Provider: 10 Things to Evaluate
A practical checklist for comparing RTK correction services on coverage, accuracy, reliability, compatibility, support and true cost.
Most RTK correction services promise centimetre accuracy, so the headline number tells you little. The real differences show up in coverage at your actual sites, how reliable the stream is on a busy morning, and what happens when something goes wrong. Use this checklist before you commit to a subscription.
1. Coverage where you actually work
Check the provider's coverage map against the specific places you operate, not just the country. Network RTK accuracy depends on station spacing, so look for stations within a reasonable distance of your sites, and ask about coverage at borders and in rural areas.
2. Accuracy and time to fix
Ask for typical horizontal and vertical accuracy and how long a receiver normally takes to reach a fixed solution. A service that takes minutes to fix after every signal drop costs real time in the field.
3. Reliability and uptime
Ask whether the service publishes uptime figures, how stations are monitored, and how outages are communicated. For machine guidance or production surveying, a status page and notifications are worth a lot.
4. Receiver and software compatibility
Confirm support for your receiver and the correction formats it needs (such as RTCM 3.x message types), the GNSS constellations and frequencies supplied, and whether the service works with your field software, drone controller or machine control system.
5. Delivery method
Most services use NTRIP over mobile data. If you work in areas with weak coverage, look at options for satellite-delivered corrections, or plan for PPK or a local radio base as a fallback.
6. Coordinate system and datum
Find out which reference frame the corrections are delivered in and whether it matches the national or project coordinate system you report in. Getting this wrong introduces errors far larger than the receiver's accuracy.
7. Pricing model and true cost
- Annual, monthly, pay-as-you-go or per-device pricing.
- Whether price varies by region or accuracy tier.
- Hardware lock-in or required receivers.
- Costs for extra users, devices or mount points.
- Mobile data costs on each device.
8. Trial availability
A free trial is the best way to test fix times and stability at your own sites. Test in your hardest location, not your easiest one.
9. Support
Check support hours, time zone, language and channels. When a crew is waiting in the field, being able to reach someone quickly matters more than almost anything else on this list.
10. Contract terms and licensing
Look at minimum terms, cancellation, whether the licence allows commercial use, and whether data may be shared with clients. Government networks in particular can have specific licensing conditions.
Putting it together
Shortlist two or three services that cover your area, run trials side by side, and score them on fix time, stability and support response. Start by comparing providers by region in our directory, where you can see coverage maps, pricing where known and trial links.