Best Cheap Drone

Are you a beginner who wants to learn how to control a drone without spending much money? Use one of these 7 cheap drones to learn the basics of aerobatics and aerial photography while improving your flight skills. Start with an inexpensive system because crashes and breakdowns are inevitable. These inexpensive drones will help you learn how to fly and take off without much expenses.

What Is the Best Сheap Drone?

Nowadays, inexpensive drones are not those micro RC drones that can suddenly break. Cheap mini drones with camera are affordable drones for children, beginners, and enthusiasts to learn piloting.

In general, the best inexpensive drone will have a dedicated controller for more controlled flight, a stabilized HD camera, more powerful motors, and several intelligent flight functions/modes.

Best Cheap Drones in 2024

I rated the best budget drones based on ease of use and features. All drones are small, light and easy to manage. All drones with camera record video and photos, have apps to transfer data to a PC.

1. Tello Drone Powered by DJI Technology

Tello uses components and DJI drones’ flight technology with Vision's positioning system for precise hovering. The lightweight and firm design is complemented by DJI and Intel hardware protections to improve stability and control on your smartphone. This is a 5MP mini drone with camera with 720p electronic image stabilization and fun features like tossing into the air to launch. Tello is programmable. You can encode from scratch, and then load your own flight modes and characteristics into the program interface. The coding level is suitable for children by dropping code blocks. Perform 8D flight tricks or record short videos using smart shooting modes in the Tello app. Then you can share them on social networks.

• View more drones under 100.

2. Force 1 U 45W Blue Jay

The U45 Blue Jay is one of Toyz/Force 1 RC's exclusive affordable training drones for beginners from the USA. This is a durable and maneuverable quadcopter drone with camera, with a modern design and good features. The model is great for beginners thanks to the user route mode. By dragging your fingers across the screen of the mobile device, the app creates a traceable autonomous flight path. It comes with a 4 GB Micro SD card. A 2MP HD camera is manually configured to get the best 720p image.

Altitude retention makes it easier to control and stabilizes aerial photography. Take-off and landing with one button automatically keeps the drone at a given height. 360° flips and stunts are spectacular, and a 6-axis gyroscope provides stability and wind resistance. The device also comes with 4 duplicate screws and 2 additional batteries for 8 minutes’ fly. This is the best beginner drone with camera and GPS, with many features found in professional models.

3. Eachine E 58 FPV

The Eachene E 58 is one of the best FPV drones for beginners that comes with a 2-megapixel HD camera, a wide viewing angle of 120° and 720p video at a range of up to 100 m. This is ensured by antenna stability thanks to a 6-axis gyroscope and height-holding mode with support for stable freezes. There is a night flight function with LED, as well as take-off/landing with one button. You can fold the drone and carry it in a pocket.

It is stable enough for beginners but packed with features for advanced pilots. In the Eachine Fly app, you can try three-dimensional somersaults and stunt modes. Three speed modes will help you master and test piloting skills. The application supports gesture control. The included Lipo Battery 1200 mAh can provide up to 7-9 minutes of flight per charge. Reliable and folded, this cheap camera drone offers a low-cost option for novice pilots who want to experiment with aerial photography and FPV.

• View more drones under 200.

4. Holy Stone HS 200

Take one of the best toy drone for beginners, add a red Ferrari plastic case and a high-tech design, several high-quality FPV features, and you get the Holy Stone HS 200 FPV quadcopter. It comes with a 720p HD camera for viewing FPV online. You can stream videos or photos via Wi-Fi in real time. It is quite high-tech inside, including returning home, take-off and landing modes with one button.

The drone can be controlled using a well-designed remote control or smartphone application to gain access to the Gravity Sensor mode, which allows you to control the flight by holding and moving the smartphone accordingly. This Holy Stone drone for beginners is not too fast, although it offers 4 speed modes. It is maneuverable and fun in flight.

• Read more about the best beginner drone.

5. Force 1 U 818A FPV

These cheap big drone seem to be bulky and heavy, but it has a light frame with thick sturdy supports. The built-in camera captures 720p video, then you can download AVI and JPEG files to a PC via USB. In this beginner FPV drone, the VR headset displays what the HD camera sees in real time. The LCD screen on the radio shows statistics and flight status. The user mode of the route allows you to track and create an autonomous flight path on the screen of a mobile application.

As for the software functions, it is worth noting the 360° rotation button, a headless mode and a discharge signal, altitude retention for a stable flight and smooth one-button take-off/landing. You will receive up to 30 meters of signal and a flight time of up to 8 minutes. In fact, this drone frequently appears in rundowns prepared by Heliguy as a worthy option for average users who treat video recording as a side hustle.

• Check out the best drones with camera.

6. Syma X 8C Venture

Syma X 8C Venture is different from its famous X 5C predecessor as it has a rigid chassis and is bigger in size, flies more steadily, has a headless mode and intelligent orientation control. Its 6-axis gyroscope guarantees steadiness in the air since the drone is capable of holding its position even with a slight wind. 8-minute flight time is possible due to its capacious battery of 2000 mAh.

X8 Pro is a great cheap drone with camera if you want to study the basics of aerial photography.

The built-in 2MP HD-camera with 720p resolution and adjustable tilt angle can take quality shots under all conditions. Syma X8 has two modes that will limit the drone’s flight distance. Beginner mode limits the flight range from the point of take-off. When you start feeling more confident, the control distance may be increased by 2.5 times. Overall, it’s a convenient beginner small drone with camera for learning aerial photography.

7. Hubsan X4 H 107C

It’s a fun palm-sized mini drone with camera that can be operated both inside and outside. This is the best drone under 50 with camera which is very rare. It comes with a USB charger and is ready to fly straight from the box with everything on hand, except for the remote control batteries. It is fast and flexible, can fly up to 8 minutes with a single charge of its high-capacity battery, the control distance is up to 100 meters. I would put it into the Toy Drone category, it’s a kid friendly drone with a fixed price and ability to fly in the dark.

This drone is quite easy to operate, it flies well and can do a 360° flip and other tricks. Its size makes it perfect for flying indoors. The Hubsan x4 H107L is the best first drone for a beginner or a teenager and is also the cheapest drone with a camera.

List of 7 Best Cheap Drones

Image	Name	Features
	Tello Drone Powered by DJI Technology OUR CHOICE	DJI technology Electronic image stabilization Programmable	Check PRICE →
	Force 1 U 45W Blue Jay	Real-time HD-camera VR WiFi FPV-compatibility	Check PRICE →
	Eachine E 58 FPV	Advanced drone stability Wide-angle camera Gravity, altitude sensor	Check PRICE →
	Holy Stone HS 200 FOR BEGINNERS	Headless mode Real-time HD-camera Altitude hold	Check PRICE →
	Force 1 U 818A FPV FOR KIDS	FPV and VR Black/white balance HD-camera	Check PRICE →
	Syma X 8C Venture AFFORDABLE	Several shooting modes Built-in HD-camera Beginner mode	Check PRICE →
	Hubsan X4 H 107C CHEAPEST	Light and robust Built-in HD-camera High-precision 6-axis gyroscope	Check PRICE →

How to Choose a Cheap Drone?

The majority of affordable drones are simply toys with limited features, base assembly and beginner-level control of unstable flight. I’ve tried to round up the models that cost around $100, have a camera and at least one advanced feature, they also come with a dedicated controller or compatible headgear.

The best budget drone may come with a built-in camera and a GPS, FPV or VR, remote control and all the accessories necessary for the beginning. Let’s look at what you can find in this price range.

Functions, Features and Flight Modes

These are the most important characteristics that identify safety, lightness and flight stability. This is mainly due to the fact that the target audience for inexpensive drones are beginners and kids but the budget assembly usually implies a certain level of instability and unpredictable behavior.

• Altitude hold – it sets drone hovering at the desired altitude which makes it easy to operate even when you release control and also ensures images stabilization;
• Return Home – this button returns the drone to the starting position;
• Headless mode – with this mode you don’t have to worry which direction the drone faces;
• Take off/Landing – by pressing this button you make the drone take off or land smoothly;
• Gravity sensor – the drone will be controlled by the tilt and position of the smartphone;
• Voice/Gesture control – using short voice commands or gestures to control the drone;
• Flip/Roll button – performing stunts, usually a 360° flip, with just one hit of the button;
• FPV – real-time livestream from the drone camera to the smartphone, headgear, or remote control display.

It will be nice to have speed control and a switch from stunt mode to image stabilization mode, which will help you adjust the drone to your current preferences or level of confidence.

Image Quality

It is quite predictable if you don’t get the sharpest and the most high-quality image from the build-in cameras of affordable drones. What the drone camera does help achieve here is to provide you with beginner experience in FPV-flight and teach you the skill of aerial photography. Or it can simply be used for fun. Quite often the footage will not be available until you transfer it from the memory card and then play or watch it. Most of the cameras will have the resolution of up to 2Mp and will make a video of up to 720p with the rate of not more than 30fps. You can only count on digital image stabilization, but some of the models can be fitted with an external camera, like GoPro, or adjust the camera through a companion app. Choose inexpensive drones with a wide-angle HD-camera and a resolution of not less than 720p to get the best possible image quality.

The video from the drone will most likely be transmitted to your smartphone screen after you synch it, but FPV or VR compatibility will give you more opportunities, especially since corresponding bonus set parts can be available. Choose an available FPV-set or FPV/VR-compatible specification for the best visual experience.

Flight Performance and Characteristics

Most of the best budget drones are small and lightweight because of the cheaper materials used, don’t expect much efficiency or impressive flight times. Most of the flights will not exceed the 8-9 minute time period in perfect conditions. If manufacturers supply additional batteries or chargers, it’s amazing. Take into consideration the time it takes to charge and set the batteries into the original charger for the night. There is no sense in adding a non-original battery to the set, the system won’t recognize it in the best-case scenario.

The speed of inexpensive drones is usually far from impressive either due to the brush motors and small propeller blades. The wind may influence the drone’s behavior outside. Practice your moves in the flying weather and don’t rely on the immediate response of emergency functions. Never keep the drone out of sight and keep your eye on the battery level with controller parameters, warning signals, or with a timer. Multiple-axes gyroscope will stabilize the flight at high speed and will make positioning much easier.

Control distance is up to 100 m with no obstacles, and many models have a 2-2.5 times shorter one. Some of the best budget drones have an integrated control distance reduction, which is quite useful for beginners to develop a sense of distance and keep the drone in sight. A built-in Wi-Fi and GPS will make positioning and finding location easier.

• Read more about how to choose a drone.

Ann Young

Hi there, I'm Ann Young - a professional blogger, read more