(All under US$200 and all that we’ve personally flight tested ourselves!)
Today we’re going to take a look at ELEVEN low cost drones for beginners… and since you’ve landed on this page, I’m going to assume you’re either a beginner, or you’re researching lower cost options, perhaps for yourself, a friend or family member.
Now, before we get into the actual models themselves, let’s first get clear on what we mean when we say ‘a low cost drone’.
A low cost drone is basically a budget, entry level drone, that’s not a toy… and to make it ‘not a toy’, it’s typically got GPS so you can fly it around 100, 200, even 500 meters without any issues. And, if for some reason you lose it, the good news is it should still come back to you as long you have enough battery power, because that’s what GPS does.
A low cost drone also has lot of other functions too, such as Follow Me, Orbit, and Gesture modes, and some low cost drones even have a camera on the bottom, so that they can stay in position if you fly them indoors.
If you buy right, you should also be able to pick one up that has a gimbal on the front, which means your drone can bounce around and the video should still be stable and look cinematic.
Now, as you’ll appreciate everything comes at a cost, so naturally the more you pay, the more features you will get in your drone – although we’ve stuck to our $200 budget which means your purchase shouldn’t break the bank.
And do you know what? – The truth is we could have made this a Top 100 Beginner Drones list because there are so many on the market these days…
However, we wanted to narrow it down to ones that we’ve personally flown and tested ourselves – and we’d happily recommend any of these on this list, because we think they offer the best bang for buck, for a beginner.
So if you do end up investing in one of these drones, we’re confident you should have a happy, enjoyable flying experience!
JJRC X7
Alright, to kick things off, the first low cost drone we’re going to take a look at is a JJRC X7, and I have to say, we do love this drone. It’s really good to fly and it’s one of those drones you can crash and smash, and amazingly it always stays in one piece – perfect for the beginner.
As you can see from the photo, it has brushless motors and a camera that is movable up and down. And what’s really sweet about it is it takes a micro SD card, so you can record your 1080p video direct to the card.
JJRC X9 Heron
Next low cost drone we’re going to take a look at is the X9 Heron. This is an extremely popular drone and if you can find one online, then you might want to grab it on the spot, as they’re almost always sold out of this model.
Can you see the similarity to a certain DJI Spark? Well that’s because it’s been designed to look exactly like one, especially with the same foldable props and brushless motors.
On the front, you have a two-axis gimbal and a 1080p camera, so the quality is excellent for a beginner drone… plus it has an optical flow on the bottom, and at the back are the LEDs along with a nice little battery that tells you how much power is remaining.
It even has a little flip-up compartment where you can put your Micro SD memory card, again just like the Spark.
JJRC X8
Then we have what we consider to be the best drone for all beginners, the JJRC X8 – because like the X9 Heron, it’s also tough and robust.
Now, something that’s important to mention is it’s identical to the MJXRC Bugs 2 SE drone. So, if you see either these drones online, technically you could pick up either one, as they’re exactly the same.
In fact, and so you know, MJXRC actually makes the drone, and then JJRC puts their name on it. So if you ever need parts for this drones, just look at the MJXRC site, and you get all the parts for the JJRC drones over there.
With the X8, it has brushless motors… the arms are not foldable, they stay fixed… plus the camera is fixed as well. The batteries in the back are removable… and underneath you have your Micro SD slot, which will allow you to record 1080p video from the camera in the front, which again is really good for a beginner drone.
The X8 comes with a good sized large controller, which has four buttons on the front, including an option to turn on and off your GPS.
JJRC X5
Next low cost drone is the X5, and it’s a very popular, very reliable drone which is identical to the MJXRC 5W.
Similar to other drones on this list, the good news is you get a 1080p camera on the front, which is movable up and down. Plus you can put a micro SD card in it to capture all your video and photo data.
This is one of the faster low cost drones, thanks to the powerful brushless motors on the top – however there are no sensors, so you’ll need to learn how to fly it safely pretty quick, otherwise risk crashing if you’re flying in spaces with nearby obstacles.
Underneath you have your camera, and on the back is where your battery goes.
MJXRC Bugs 4W
Next, we have the super popular Bugs 4W – with its foldable arms and foldable props, so you can collapse the whole drone, which is neat for travelling with.
It has a 2K camera on the front for taking video, and 4K for taking photos. Unfortunately there’s no stabilization in the camera, so when this drone bounces around, sadly so will your video image (which what happens to most drones that don’t have a gimbal).
It does have really cool sensors on the bottom, and even some LED landing lights which we love – not because they are gimmicky (which they kind of are), but because it makes the drone easier to see in the sky.
This drone is feature packed, which is why it’s one of the more popular drones on this list.
JJRC X11
And, just like other drones I’ve showed you where JJRC also brands the same drone, the X11 is the JJRC version of the MJXRC Bugs 4W.
This is certainly one of the larger drones, evident when you look closer at the size of the motors – but don’t be put off buying a bigger drone, they definitely fly a little smoother plus you can spot then further at a distance.
Again, there’s no stabilization so when the drone is moving around, your video will move side to side – which isn’t ideal for windy conditions – but it does have vibration damping, so you shouldn’t get any jello in the video, which is a plus point.
On the bottom of the drone you can see we have ultrasonic sensors plus an optical flow sensor, which is pretty sweet for a low cost drone. Plus there’s the LED landing lights that I’ve just mentioned, which you can have come on when you’re flying, so you can see the drone from below, or when you’re landing in the evening or at night, it will light up the whole ground.
The X11 controller is excellent, with one of the best displays on offer from all the drones on this list. It even gives you all the data, similar to a DJI Mavic controller!
MJXRC MEW 4-1
Now, the next drone is pretty cool, but it’s very hard to find, especially if you’re living in North America. In fact, you’ll have to order it from overseas and shipping times can take several weeks.
It’s called the MJXRC MEW 4-1 and what’s really cool about this low cost drone is it’s basically a copy of the Parrot Anafi, which many pilots love, but the Anafi does come at a much higher cost.
What makes the MEW 4-1 really different is it’s smaller in size, and the camera can look all the way down, all the way forward, all the way up. It has a 2K/4K camera, just like the Bugs 4W, and you have a micro SD slot on the side.
The build quality is great, with solid brushless motors, and one of the things we love is the color (as odd at that sounds) – it’s just a nice finish and very similar to the Mavic 2 Pro color.
It has a removable battery in the back and on the side is where you put your micro SD card. On the bottom you have your sensors, ultrasonic, optical flow, along with your LED lights.
Similar to the Parrot Anafi, when you power this drone on, the camera looks straight up, and straight down, and there’s no drones on the market other than the Anafi that actually do that, so that’s a pretty neat feature.
It also comes with a really nice remote, just like the Bugs 4W.
SJRC F11
Next is the very popular SJRC F11, which did come out a little while back, but it’s a first class low cost drone, very reliable and worth including.
The F11 takes a micro SD to record the 1080p video off the camera in the front, and you can move the camera straight forward and down.
It has brushless motors, foldable arms, so like others on this list means it can become pretty compact.
The controller is basic but acceptable for the price and includes dials on the side for speed and moving your gimbal, plus it’s rechargeable.
The only problem with the F11 is availability and trying to find one, as SJRC often sell out their manufacturing runs due to demand.
SJRC F11 Pro
Now, if you did want to spend a few more dollars, you can get the newer version of this drone, aptly named the F11 Pro.
As you might expect, it’s almost identical to the F11 with one main difference, it has an upgraded camera. So instead of a 1080p, now it’s 2K and 4K, plus it has a super large lens on the front to get a much better quality video.
That being said, it’s worth noting that we did find the lens a little too ‘fisheye’ because it’s gathering in so much light and image.
The Final Two
And finally, we’ve decided to include two really good drones that some love (including us), and others, well lets just say ‘not so much’.
The reason some people love them is because they’re not very expensive, and you get a lot for what you pay for.
And the reason some people are not fans of these drones is because you can’t put a micro SD card into them. Instead, all the video that’s recorded on these drones is recorded on your cellphone.
So if you’re someone who likes to fly around, record the video on your cellphone, and then just share it, well, then that’s perfectly fine and your cellphone or tablet will do just the trick.
But if you’re someone who wants to record the video on a micro SD card for whatever reason, then these are probably not for you.
ZLRC SG 906 Beast
The first one is the SG 906 Beast, and it’s pretty much a fully featured entry level drone. It’s even got an optical flow camera on the bottom with a 2K for video and 4K for photos camera in the front, but no gimbal.
The SG 906 does have a really good flight time, around 25 minutes, and one of the best flight times from this list.
As you can see from the photo, it’s got foldable props, foldable arms, and brushless motors. On the bottom, you have your little optical flow sensor, which is the camera, and you can actually film looking down with that too – and out front, you have a camera that moves up and down.
With the SG 906, you have a choice of white or black and they both come with the exact same large controller. What we love about this controller is that you can put joysticks on it. They come in the package, you just connect them, with your cellphone slide in the back, and you’re all set to fly.
Hubsan Zino
Ok, now this last drone does actually cost a little more than US$200 – but we think it’s worth it, and by paying just a touch extra, you’re going to get a drone with a camera that’s better than every other drone on this list in our opinion.
It’s called the Hubsan Zino, and there’s lots to love about this GPS drone, so much so that this could even be considered an entry level pro drone.
Why? – Well first off, you actually have a three-axis camera gimbal and a true 4K camera, so you get high quality video and high quality photos, all stored on the on-board micro SD card.
It’s got the standard brushless motors, foldable props, and foldable arms, similar to most on this list. Plus it can fly out to a good range, is available in a choice of color, white or black, and comes with a decent controller…
Which is a little too plasticky for our liking, but put stickers on it or paint it up so it looks cooler and you’re done.
In Closing
Alright, so there you have it. Our list of ELEVEN of the best low cost drones for beginners, all for under US$200 (except that last one!), and all that we’ve personally flown and tested ourselves.
Remember, these are drones for beginners, or someone who just had a toy drone before and is now wanting to upgrade, but doesn’t want to spend $1,000, 700, even $500.
Hope you’ve enjoyed this fast read, and whatever drone you end up investing in, have fun and fly safe.