The best Elite Dangerous tools are a myriad of third-party sites and apps that enhance your spacefaring experience, and no commander should venture into the black without them to hand. Elite Dangerous is a game that can be enjoyed casually, sailing through the endless expanse of space at your leisure, but if you want to earn enough to get some of the best ships for exploration, you'll want to take things a bit more seriously. That's where these tools come in.
From helping you to source and manage resources to ship builds, maps, and route planners, the Elite Dangerous community is immensely talented, and since launching in 2014, the game has over a decade's worth of tools to utilise. There's never been a better time to get into Elite Dangerous, so whether you're a rookie commander or you've been soaring through space for years, these are the best third-party Elite Dangerous tools to have by your side.
General
First up in our list are all the tools that can't be grouped under just one category, either because they have lots of different features, or they're considered miscellaneous.
Inara
Inara was the most recommended third-party tool on Just Elite Dangerous, making up five individual submissions from some of our most experienced commanders. That's because the question isn't "what does Inara do?", it's more appropriate to ask what it doesn't do, because this website is a very handy multitool to have at your disposal. Here's Block9:
"Inara is a real game-changer. It's essentially a massive toolkit for Elite Dangerous, offering tons of useful information and resources that make playing easier and more fun. It’s got everything from trade data, ship builds, and engineering materials, to detailed info on factions and community events. Basically, if you need help with anything in Elite Dangerous, Inara is the place to go."
Solaris104's favourite feature is how it lets you search for the nearest places of interest to your location: "It allows you to search for a registered system and see if there are settlements." @catmeowing expanded a little further, detailing how it also lets you find trade routes: "Input your location within the galaxy, and it'll instantly provide you with the most profitable trade route locations."
Here's Block9 again with the details of a few more features:
"One of the things I love most is the Commander Profile feature. After linking your account, it tracks everything you’ve done in the game—your ship fleet, ranks, reputation with different factions, and more. It’s super convenient because you can see all your progress in one place and it helps you keep track of what to focus on next.
"The site also has a section for missions and community goals. This is great if you want to work with other players on big objectives or just see what’s going on in the galaxy. It helps you feel connected to the larger community, which can make the game feel less lonely, especially with how huge the galaxy is."
Spansh
Much like Inara, which offers a multitude of tools and features to every commander, Spansh is another site that comes with a plethora of options. Most of it is focused on route planning and navigation, making it an indispensable assist for anyone charting the stars. Here's yan57436 with a breakdown on each of its functions:
"Neutron Router: This one will help you plan a highway to travel faster using the FSD overcharge and the neutron stars creating the famous Neutron Highway."
Here's Lambda with a little more detail on the Neutron Router: "If you're interested in exploring very long distances, you'll need to familiarize yourself with the process of using neutron stars to boost your FSD range. Thankfully, this tool allows you to plot a course from one star system to another using neutron boosts to minimize travel time. I recommended manually plotting from system to system, using the list generated by this tool."
"Road 2 Riches: This is especially useful for beginners trying to make some money to buy their dream ship. It will calculate a specific route for exploration focusing on the maximum profit possible, directing you to systems with high value planets to scan.
Besides that there are two other route planners that have a similar function to Road 2 Riches but they focus on one kind of planet: the Ammonia World Route and Earth-like World Route.
Here's Wolf-Rayet with some more info on Road 2 Riches: "Easily one of my most used tools as it allows any aspiring explorer to get into the groove and make a pretty penny while pushing for really distant stars. It's also an excellent tool that will allow anyone to make their first couple mil to finance combat, mining or trading."
Though before you get too lost chasing fortune, remember that Elite is about the journey not the destination. Blaze your own trail!
"Trade Planner: Makes the most profitable route for you and tells you exactly what to buy cheap and where to sell high.
“Tourist Route: When you're doing many tourist missions at once, it will calculate the most efficient route to do them in the quickest time possible.
“Fleet Carrier Router: Plots the most efficient route to travel long distances where it requires more than one jump since jumping with a Fleet Carrier is expensive.
“Galaxy Plotter: Essentially a more precise version of the Neutron Router, where it shows you fuel spent, how many FSD injections you'll need, and the neutron supercharges.
“Expressway to Exomastery: Exclusively for Odyssey commanders, this is a route planner that focuses on making profit by bio scanning."
Voice Attack
Tired of pressing buttons to make your ship do what you want? Fancy controlling it with your voice, Alexa or Siri-style? Look no further than Voice Attack, recommended by Ilyssoll as being excellent for Elite Dangerous. It works for a number of different games, but it's especially useful with Elite Dangerous due to how many different controls there are. Here's their recommendation:
"This is the perfect tool for creating and automating functions of your ship using voice commands. I've used this application for years on Elite Dangerous, it's as simple as creating a profile for what you would like to voice control, then you just type verbal commands that will execute a key bind, or macros if you're that way inclined.
"Want to automate shields while raiding a settlement? Want to plot a course while searching Inara for a commodity buyer? All of this and more is done by binding the keys to a voice command. Voila!
"Voice Attack also has come very far with the implementation of other Elite Dangerous third-party tools, by allowing the user to apply an API for whatever function you require it for, even if you're trying to create a sentient co-pilot to be with you in the black. Also worthy of a mention are all the voice packs available for purchase, especially HCS packs that allow you not only to change the voiceover that your profile uses to communicate back to you, but also allow for more in depth controls to help you with your Elite journeys."
Touch Portal
If voice commands aren't quite your thing but you do want more control options though, LorzakBones and CMDR James Lauer have both recommended Touch Portal. This is software that allows your smartphone or tablet to act as a remote control for your PC. Here's Lorzak on exactly how they use it for Elite Dangerous:
"I use my phone or tablet as another input panel for my ship. If immersion is really important for you, I highly recommend it. I set mine up to allow for easy access to necessary functions for my mining operations. You can configure and customise the controls and even create macros if you desire, and there's also a pro version which grants access to a specific Elite Dangerous plugin, though I haven't tried that yet. It essentially improves my efficiency, all while making me feel more immersed."
CMDR James Lauer elaborates upon this by detailing how they use it in conjunction with two other tools: AI Track and OpenTrack, both of which enable the game to be controlled with a webcam that follows your eye movements. Combined, the three tools are as close to realism as you're going to get without using VR.
EDHM UI
Operating a spaceship means you'll often be staring at a HUD, feeding you all the information you need as you hurtle through space. While Elite Dangerous has a few customisation options, the EDHM mod allows you to change the colour of almost any element on the HUD.
However, JHenckes has recommended the EDHM UI extension to the base mod, which has a few extra features:
"With EDHM UI you can change the values inside the tool without messing up the other colour schemes. However, the best part is that you can change the elements of the HUD individually. For example, I keep my hud blue, but I make the night vision red to create a better contrast between the HUD and terrain."
VR-specific tools
While Elite Dangerous is a fabulous game played normally, playing it in virtual reality is another experience altogether. LunchAndDinner is an experienced ED VR vet and has recommended a few VR-specific tools you should consider using if you're diving into the world of virtual reality:
"This is an all in one ship panel and assistant window that you can pin in VR. It shows you details, locations, resources, and even talks to you."
Randomgazz also recommends EDCoPilot, explaining that it "brings a huge amount of depth to your Elite Dangerous experience", especially since the space chatter feature "brings the other ships around you to life with comms".
"An app that lets you see your hands, controllers, HOTAS, and even keyboard while in VR. It's still in beta, but it allows you to track your hands if you have a supported headset."
"If you don't have a headset with hand tracking, you can use Reality Mixer instead. It allows you to create passthrough portals to see squares or shapes in the real world."
AI assistant
Have you considered using AI to help with your Elite Dangerous career? That's exactly what Sturmer has done, explaining that they've provided an AI with a specific prompt that helps him understand Elite Dangerous in layman's terms. He's dubbed it "Astranavia"; here's his explanation:
"While I’m well experienced in EVE Online, this existing knowledge can cause confusion since both games have similar terms and concepts that can mean different things. To counter this, I created an AI assistant called Astranavia which helps me comprehend and understand the game quicker and more effectively. She is now part of my ship’s crew!"
And here's Sturmer's prompt, if you want to tweak it and incorporate it for your own playthrough:
Instructions Summary:
Purpose:
The GPT is designed to assist users transitioning from EVE Online to Elite Dangerous, with a focus on translating EVE Online concepts into their Elite Dangerous equivalents.
Sources and Information:
The GPT references recent and expert-level sources, including official forums, Reddit communities, Inara.cz, Coriolis.io, EDSM.net, YouTube channels, Lave Radio, Canonn Research, EDCodex, and Alpha Orbital.
The information provided should be based on the most current knowledge (within the last year) and relevant to advanced space MMO players.
Contextual Responses:
The GPT should ask for clarification if a query could have multiple interpretations due to overlapping terminology between the games.
Responses should cater to a user with advanced knowledge of space MMOs, using their EVE Online experience to guide them through Elite Dangerous.
Tone and Detail:
The GPT should be informative, using technical language appropriate for an experienced audience.
The responses should provide detailed explanations and comparisons between the two games, ensuring that the user fully understands the context.
Tools and Features:
The GPT should utilize tools like Coriolis.io for ship fitting recommendations and other community tools or resources to enhance the user's understanding of Elite Dangerous mechanics.
The responses should be practical and actionable, providing clear guidance on how to achieve specific goals within the game.
Just Elite Dangerous
We wouldn't have included this suggestion were it not nominated, but we're going to let RicZA toot our horn a little:
"You guys are fast becoming a great place to find concise, well written guides and articles that would definitely assist any commander no matter their experience. I myself have seen trivia in the factoids, content creators' guides, and opinions that I had yet to see or consider. What's more is it's being done in a fun and positive fashion."
Maps, exploration, and trading
Next up are the tools that will specifically help with exploration and trading, telling you where to go and what to buy.
Astrometrics
One of the best third-party tools dedicated solely to maps, charts, and journeys is Elite Dangerous Astrometrics, and MQC has provided an excellent rundown of each of its features:
"Maps, Charts, and Graphs:
Maps of celestial bodies, discoveries, Fleet Carriers, Codex elements, charts, etc... you name it, you have it.
Interactive Galaxy Map:
Interactive map to inspect the galaxy in great detail.
Sector Viewer:
Analyse different sectors of the galactic map.
Galactic Records:
Learn everything you need to know about the different elements in Elite Dangerous.
Travel History Video Creator:
Create a video showing your travel history using your own game journal data.
Exploration Tips and Info
A complete beginners guide to exploration in Elite Dangerous.
Ship Templates
Links to Coriolis IO to provide builds for different ships.
Ship Name Generator
Generates random ship names to spark inspiration.
Galactic Exploration Catalog
An impressive catalogue of interesting, beautiful, and/or rare places of interest, submitted by commanders, for commanders."
ED Star Map
Recommended by DarthHunter69 is the Elite Dangerous Star Map, or EDSM for short. Darth describes it as "very nice to have if you're an explorer as it shows very important info about systems and celestial bodies, such as how much a planet is worth in Universal Cartographics and which resources it has," along with "the locations of Guardian ruins and who sells the permit to certain systems and planets."
Trade Computer Extension Mk.II
XCezor's recommendation is the Trade Computer Extension Mk.II tool, which they explain may focus on trade in the name, "but in reality is an extensive tool that will help you organise all your stuff." It has plenty of features spanning navigation, trade, exploration, and more, so here's XCezor explaining how they use it:
"This tool is suitable for cartographers who don't want to remember all the planet values, as it shows how valuable the scanned planet is. It also tracks your planned route between star systems, specifying which stars are scoopable so you don't need to open the galaxy map and check if a specific star is suitable.
"When it comes to explorer utilities, it shows all your materials so you don't need to check through the panels how many materials you have. For a little more time-saving, you can open the missions tab with a preview of all the active missions, their destination, and rewards.
"To summarise, this tool puts everything on your screen in one spot so it's a great time saver and you will always have a preview of the information you need at any given time. There's even a planet minimap where you can pin the interesting landscapes and other points of interest not mapped by the default Elite Dangerous systems to save for later."
ED RECON
Even in the vast expanse of space, there's always the chance of running into another player, and sometimes, they may be hostile. Gosht recommends the ED RECON Discord bot or Market Connector plugin to assist in identifying just how dangerous another player may be:
"For a heads up against these ruthless individuals and wannabe Thargoid commanders, this tool lets you know who is currently in the system you're traveling to. It sorts the commanders by their bounty record, to identify if they're 'clean' or not.
"It also has a few other features, including an option to send a Discord notification to a specific channel when you jump your carrier."
Resources and materials
When it comes to finding resources and materials, these tools will assist in finding exactly what you need.
EDO Materials Helper
Another tool with multiple recommendations is Elite Dangerous Odyssey Materials Helper, vouched for by both CMDR Henckes and Gofioman. It helps you keep track of exactly which materials you have and which you still need for any given weapon, suit, engineer, or blueprint. Here's Gofioman:
"It's the ultimate tool because it lets you manage all of your materials, including those you still need. Whether it's modules in Horizons or weapons and suits in Odyssey, or the unlock requirements for engineers, the EDO Materials Helper has it all. It lets you completely manage elements, data, and materials, with an explanation of what each one is for.
"It also has a tab to pre-build your ship or avatar, and it lets you move it to a wishlist. You can make as many lists as you want and if you grant it access to your Frontier account, you can move your current equipment to a cloned model in the tool. This duplicate lets you make changes or improvements without affecting your character."
CMDR Henckes has broken down some of the specific menus:
"Odyssey: Manage your builds for suits and on-foot weapons, plus materials in Odyssey.
Horizons: Manage your ship builds and materials.
Settings: Options to configure the tool.
"The Odyssey and Horizons menus are the ones that you'll use while playing, along with some submenus, and you can see what suit, weapon, and ship you are currently using. The wishlist feature is the most helpful part of this tool, as it shows how many materials are still missing for you to be able to make your selected item. It will also show the closest unlocked engineer available to make the upgrade for your ship, suit, or weapon."
RES Locator
If all you're looking for is resources, Josh B recommends using RES Locator. How it works is simple:
"Input your current system and it'll advise you on nearby systems (and exactly how far you'll need to travel) with the resources you may be after! It has recently been updated to include Compromised Nav Beacon locations too, helping you gather some extra cash and hunt for those value bounties in the more densely populated areas."
Miner's Tool
If you're partial to a spot of mining in Elite Dangerous, Hunter recommends using Miner's Tool during your expeditions. They explain it's the best way to "get hot spots and live locations of the rarest metals and ores in the universe, so if you want to make a lot of money, this is the place to start." Here's their rundown of how it works:
"Copy and paste your system location.
Choose the thing you want to mine and wait for results
Filter the result by distance from your location if you want to get there as quickly as possible.
Copy and paste the spot you like then plan your route.
Scan the hotspots when you arrive and start mining!"
EDEngineer
Another app that is a huge help when tracking materials, data, and cargo, LiquidMorkite recommends EDEngineer for a few reasons:
"This is a useful app for engineering and purchasing unlocks and unique modules, especially when you're trading materials to get what you need. The shopping list function is extremely useful as it lists what you need to buy and shows how much you have, plus how much it needs. It syncs with your inventory in real time, and you can plug in the API from your build on Coriolis IO to get a full shopping list automatically."
Ship building
Finally, when building a ship, you may want to test it out before committing. That's essentially what these tools will assist with.
Coriolis IO
Want to outfit your ship with some upgrades but you don't want to commit until you know exactly how it'll perform? That's where Coriolis IO comes in, recommended by Doc:
"You just need to pick your desired ship and start testing which modules you would like to use. Also the ship table is a fast way to compare specific stats between ships."
SergeantRogers also recommends Coriolis, saying they "never make a new ship without using it". He also recommends using the export function, as this allows you to send your builds to Inara in order to find a station that sells everything you need for your build.
ED Ship Anatomy
Every ship in Elite Dangerous has a unique shape and build, which means each model has different strengths and weaknesses. VanillaIsi recommends the Elite Dangerous Ship Anatomy tool so commanders can plan combat better:
"It will help to plan combat because each ship has vulnerabilities, and you can strategically position weapons in the hardpoints. The Ship Anatomy tool shows every module location and where weapons can be placed."
To round things off, we'd also recommend EDCodex. This is essentially a directory of all the Elite Dangerous tools and apps under the sun, so while it isn't a tool in and of itself, you can scour this list of over 250 third-party tools and counting to find something suited to your purposes. All the tools in this list have been recommended by our community, but there are plenty more out there still to discover. And if you think we've missed a great tool from our list, let us know in the comments!
Some text has been edited for brevity, clarity, or spelling, punctuation, and grammar. You can find the original wording here, with some additional submissions taken from here. Image credit: CMDR John Wick / Frontier
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