Zipline Austin Drone Delivery: Round Rock Launch, How to Sign Up

Zipline started drone delivery in the Austin area on 9 October 2026, beginning in Round Rock in Williamson County. An early-access programme called First Flight is open to the first 5,000 residents who sign up in the Zipline app. It is Zipline’s third Texas metro in about 14 months, after Dallas-Fort Worth in August 2025 and Houston in April 2026.

The launch comes two days before the FAA’s public comment window closes on the environmental assessment that would let Zipline scale up across five Texas metros, including Austin. Here is who can order, how it works, and what the FAA filing allows.

Quick answer

	Zipline in Austin
Launch	9 October 2026, starting in Round Rock
Who can order	First 5,000 residents in the First Flight programme, inside the service zone
Service zone	About 3 miles around 3000 E. Palm Valley Blvd, Round Rock (DroneXL)
Launch offers	$10 off the first three orders, no service or delivery fees
How it arrives	A pod lowered on a tether while the drone stays above 300 ft
Merchants	Not named for Austin yet
FAA comment deadline	11 October 2026, on the Texas draft environmental assessment
Planned Austin cap	Up to 30,000 deliveries a day across 2,498 sq mi (FAA draft EA)

Download the Zipline app from the App Store or Google Play and create an account.
Check that your address falls inside the Round Rock service zone. DroneXL reports a radius of about 3 miles around 3000 E. Palm Valley Blvd; Zipline says coverage will expand across Austin over time.
Join First Flight while places last. Zipline caps the programme at the first 5,000 residents and offers $10 off the first three orders, no service or delivery fees, facility tours and a chance to win Zipline merchandise.

Zipline’s announcement does not name the shops and restaurants available in Austin. Walmart and Chipotle were among the nine partners at the Houston launch, but neither is confirmed for Round Rock.

How the delivery works

Zipline’s Platform 2 drone does not land at your house. It flies the order from a dock, hovers more than 300 feet up and lowers a small pod on a tether to a spot you choose, such as a patio or front yard. DroneXL reports a payload of about 5 lb (2.3 kg) and a delivery sequence of roughly 90 seconds. Zipline flew a demonstration delivery over Stony Point High School in Round Rock on 8 October.

What the FAA filing allows

The FAA published a draft environmental assessment on 11 September 2026 that would amend Zipline’s Part 135 operations specifications to cover five Texas metros. It is the document that sets the long-term ceiling, and public comments close on Sunday 11 October.

Metro	Area (sq mi)	Chargers	Dropboxes	Deliveries per day
Houston	9,932	65	1,300	65,000
San Antonio	3,326	65	1,300	65,000
Austin	2,498	30	600	30,000
Amarillo	1,199	30	600	30,000
El Paso	629	30	600	30,000

Across all five metros the ceiling is 220,000 deliveries a day. The draft describes Platform 2 cruising at 330 ft and about 70 mph, operations around the clock with roughly 5% of flights between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and concludes that noise would not be significant. Zipline separately says it plans to raise its typical cruise altitude to 400 ft. Zipline’s announcement does not say which authorization covers the Round Rock flights today, before the Texas assessment is finalised.

Comments can be sent by email to the address on the FAA’s drone environmental review page, with the subject line “Zipline Texas Draft EA”, or by post to the FAA’s AVS Environmental office in Washington, DC. For how these reviews have been fought elsewhere, see our coverage of the 15-state lawsuit over the FAA’s drone delivery review.

How Zipline compares with Amazon in Texas

Amazon’s Prime Air flies its MK30 out of Richardson, near Dallas, from a hub next to a delivery warehouse, and faces local pushback at several proposed hubs elsewhere. Zipline’s Texas plan is built differently: the FAA filing counts small Chargers and Dropbox pickup kiosks spread across each metro rather than a single warehouse site. Zipline says it has made more than 3 million commercial deliveries and serves more than 30 municipalities in four states.

Frequently asked questions

Does Zipline deliver in Austin?

Yes, since 9 October 2026, starting in Round Rock in Williamson County. Zipline says it will expand across the Austin area over time.

How do I get Zipline drone delivery in Round Rock?

Download the Zipline app, create an account and check your address. The First Flight programme is limited to the first 5,000 residents inside the service zone.

How much does Zipline delivery cost in Austin?

First Flight members pay no service or delivery fees and get $10 off their first three orders. Zipline has not published standard pricing for Austin.

What can Zipline deliver?

Orders from partner businesses that fit in its pod; DroneXL reports a payload of about 5 lb. Zipline has not named its Austin merchants yet.

How do I comment on Zipline’s FAA environmental assessment?

The comment period on the FAA’s draft environmental assessment for five Texas metros closes on 11 October 2026. Comments go by email to the address on the FAA’s drone environmental review page, subject “Zipline Texas Draft EA”, or by post to the FAA’s AVS Environmental office.