If you’re a beginner looking to buy your first ever drone, then you want to make sure it’s the perfect drone for you, and that you get value for money. But with so many drones to choose from, finding the best drones for beginners is often far from easy.
As we know how hard it is for newbies to navigate the drone market, we’ve put together this guide comparing the best drones for beginners. We’ve made sure to cover all bases, from cheap to expensive drones and cameras to racing drones, to help you find your ideal entry level drone.
However, before we jump into our list of the best beginner drones, let’s take a look at what you should look out for when purchasing your first drone.
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What Makes a Good Drone for a Beginner?
There are several things to consider when buying your first drone.
One of the main ones is the size and weight of the drone. This is because in many areas you can fly mini drones without the restrictions that surround larger drones.
For smaller drones only, check out our ranking of the best mini drones
Another very important factor is how easy the drone is to fly – you don’t want to start off with a complex, difficult to control drone.
Luckily, many of the best drones for beginners have smart flight features, such as one key take off and landing. Many also have companion smartphone apps, allowing you to easily control the drone from your mobile and even draw flying routes with your finger.
Of course, most beginners also prioritize a reasonable price. After all, few people will want to splash out thousands of dollars on their first drone, as there’s more risk of new flyers crashing and damaging them. That’s not to say all beginners are looking for cheap drones, though, which is why we’ve still included some very high quality yet reasonably priced drones on our list.
You also need to consider what kind of drone you want — and the specific features you need.
For example, are you looking for a camera drone that can record 4K video, a mini drone to perform ticks with, or a racing drone that can reach high speeds and maneuver tight angles?
Now you know what makes a drone suitable for beginners, let’s take a look at our top picks. We’ve taken all the above factors into consideration so that you can be sure to find your perfect beginner drone.
The Best Drones For Beginners in 2023 – Reviews
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Allcaca Mini Drone – Best Beginner Drone for a 10 Year Old Boy or Girl
The Allcaca Mini Drone is a very affordable beginner model that’s great for kids looking for their first drone.
For starters, this drone has a flying time of up to 15 minutes on full charge. While that may not sound super long, it’s actually very impressive for such a cheap drone.
What we really like about this drone for beginners is that it has dual 4K HD cameras – one that’s front facing, along with a down-view camera to provide a wide shooting range and allow you to capture footage from different perspectives. It also has an optical flow positioning function for improved image stabilization.
This drone is very easy to fly as you can take off and land with just one click of the remote control. It also has a 360 degree roll function which makes it perform a series of cool stunts, while the built-in six-axis gyroscope helps maintain good stability.
As this is a lightweight mini drone, it’s easy to control and can be flown without needing a license in most areas.
Ryze Tech Tello – Best Budget Drone for Beginners
- Price: Check latest price at Amazon here
- Camera quality and zoom: 5MP, 1x zoom
- Speed: 17mps
- Flight time: 13 minutes
- Size: 98 × 92.5 × 41 mm
- Weight: 80g
Pros
- Automatic take off and landing
- Budget-friendly pricing
Cons
- No GPS or return-to-home capability
You have to be particularly careful when buying cheap drones, as if you don’t choose wisely you could end up with a flimsy model that doesn’t last long.
However, the Ryze Tech Tello is developed in partnership with DJI, the world’s largest drone maker. So while it’s cheap, it’s built by a company known to be reliable and that make some of the best video drones for beginners.
This is a decent option if you’re looking to take your first steps into drone photography or videography. The Tech Tello has an advanced Intel-14 core image processor and can capture 5MP imagery and HD720 videos, which is good quality for such a cheap drone.
It’s also very easy to fly. You can control the drone with the controller or through the Tello App, and you can simply slide the screen to make it perform cool drone stunts like 8D flips. You can even start flying by simply tossing it into the air from your hand!
There are also some great features, such as EZ shots, which help you capture pro-level photos and videos and instantly share them on social media.
The Tech Tello has a flight time of up to 13 minutes, is very small and light for easy portability, and has propeller guards for added safety.
So, whether you’re an adult looking to get into drone flying or are looking for a decent drone for kids, the Tech Tello is the perfect cheap beginner drone.
Eachine E520S – Affordable Beginner Drone with 4K Camera
The Eachine E520S is a great choice if you’re looking for a 4K, user-friendly camera drone that’s one of the top drones for beginners.
With the HD 120-degree wide angle camera and 5G WiFi FPV real-time synchronous transmission, you can capture stunning images and video without worrying about interruption. And you can fly it all around without worry — it has a transmission range of up to 250m.
It’s easy for beginners to get to grips with the Eachine E520S thanks to its intelligent flight features. With one-key takeoff and landing, headless mode and altitude hold, it’s incredibly simple to control in the air.
With the Eachine app, you can draw paths for the drone to follow on the built-in map. We also like the orbit mode, with which you can easily control the flight radius and flight direction as the drone circles around an object.
This drone also has GPS follow me functionality, meaning it automatically follows you and records as it does so. GPS positioning also allows you to precisely keep track of your drone and you can automatically return it with one just one key.
Thanks to the 1200mAh high performance battery, you can fly the Eachine E520S for up to 16 minutes at a time.
Holy Stone HS165 – Best Holy Stone Drone for Beginners
The HS165 is a decent little camera drone that’s very affordable and is our pick for the best starter drone for beginners from Holy Stone. Holy Stone is one of the best known makers of drones, with a trusted reputation for being reliable.
This drone has an impressive 2K HD camera that can capture very clear photos and video. It has a 90-degree field of view (FOV) lens, and with the Ghz FPV transmission, you can capture footage from up to 820ft away.
One thing that makes this a great entry level drone is the smart flying features it comes with. For example, you can take off and land the drone with just a single click, so it’s super easy to get started with. There are also emergency stop and speed switches for simple flying.
We also like the Follow Me function, where the drone automatically follows you while it’s in the air, as well as Circle Fly which makes the drone circle an object while you record. With Tap Fly, you can fly the drone along a preset path so that you can concentrate on recording.
The Holy Stone HS165 is also out pick for the best entry level drone with a long flying time. This is because it boasts a flight time of up to 28 minutes, which is much longer than most other drones within this price range.
Hubsan H122D X4 Storm – Best Racing Drone for Beginners
While most drone newbies are looking for a camera drone, racing drones are becoming more and more popular. If you’re looking for a beginner-friendly racing drone, the Hubsan H122D X4 is an affordable yet high quality model to get started with.
This drone can reach speeds of up to 5.6m/s, so while it’s not as fast as other racing drones, it offers enough power to practice racing without going overboard. In fact, this is a really great drone for practicing, as you can change the sensitivity levels as you get more confident.
You can perform a variety of maneuvers and tricks with just one key, including 3D tumbling and rolling. The drone can fly for up to six minutes at a time.
In terms of the camera, you can capture 720P images and the drone has an adjustable lens angle. You can also record FPV video within a range of 100m and with the HS001 and HS002 goggles, you can view the world through your drone as it flies.
It’s important for racing drones to be durable as they’re more prone to crashing, and the Hubsan H122D X4’s carbon fiber frame ensures just that. Encompassing just 3.7 inch x 3.7 inch, it’s compact, lightweight and easy to carry around.
Ruko F11 – Best Entry Level Drone That’s Foldable with GPS Functionality
If you’re looking for a slightly more high quality entry level drone, the Ruko F11 is one of the best rated drones for beginners.
This beginner drone has a 90 degree 4K UHD camera with a 120 degree FOV lens that can capture stunningly clear footage. What we really like is that the camera is infused with shock absorption to reduce blurriness and help capture stable photos and video even in challenging conditions.
The camera also supports GHz FPV live video transmission up to 25fps, for stable and smooth recording, within a wide range of 1,614ft.
The Ruko app offers a very simple and intuitive flying experience and you can get started in just a few simple steps. The app contains some great intelligent features like auto-return to home, GPS follow me, and point of interest flight, all of which make it easy to fly. There’s even gesture photography so you can control the camera by making hand gestures!
This is also a powerful drone despite its relatively low price, with durable alloy brushless motors capable of speeds of up to 12m/s and high wind resistance while remaining quiet. It’s capable of flying up to 30 minutes at a time.
While this isn’t a mini drone like some of the others on our list, it’s foldable so it’s still very portable.
DJI Mini 2 – Best Beginner Drone for Aerial Photography
- Price: Check latest price at Amazon here
- Camera quality and zoom: 12MP, 4x zoom
- Speed: 36 mph
- Flight time: 31 minutes
- Size: 245 × 289 × 56 mm
- Weight: 249g
Pros
- 31 minutes of flight time
- Stabilized 4K camera & RAW photos
Cons
- No active tracking
As we mentioned in our introduction, not all beginners are looking for budget drones. If you’re looking for a high quality camera drone, you’re going to need to spend a fair amount. That’s why we’ve picked DJI Mini 2 – a very high quality camera drone that’s cheaper and more beginner-friendly than other models on the market.
This drone has an incredibly powerful camera that is capable of capturing 12MP photos and 4k/30fps video, with 4x zoom. It has a 3 axis motorized gimbal that helps to ensure smooth footage, even in rough conditions.
You can stream HD video from up to 10km away with the Mini 2 — far further than the 4km offered by most other mini drones. You can automatically record videos with filters and soundtracks, and there are also three panorama views for capturing images from various perspectives.
As this is a mini drone with a weight of 249 grams, it’s very easy to carry around and you don’t have to register with the FAA before you fly it. Despite its small size, it’s powerful and can fly for up to 31 minutes at a time, which is very impressive.
There are also some fantastically intuitive features that make this the best DJI drone for beginners. With automatic takeoff, smart return to home and precise hovering, it’s very simple to control the drone with just a few simple clicks. The drone also has smart anti-interference functions to help you fly safely.
