1. The list in brief ↴
2. Best overall
3. Best single camera drone
4. Best non-DJI alternative
5. Best professional mini drone
6. Best dual camera drone
7. Best portable camera drone
8. Best for beginners
9. Best FPV
10. Best premium FPV drone
11. Best for children
12. Buying advice
13. How we test
If you’re searching for one of the best drones, at a range of price points to suit all budgets, then look no further than this comprehensive guide. Whether you’re looking for a highly portable sub-250g model or a larger and more powerful drone offering the best image quality and camera functionality available in a prosumer model, we have you covered.
The best drones typically offer the most advanced functionality available, ranging from the best cameras to impressive safety and flight features. One key feature to look out for is obstacle avoidance because although this feature can’t work miracles and completely avoid the risk of crashes, it can certainly reduce them.
Subject tracking is another useful feature you’ll find on the best drones, and is one that makes light work of capturing video of moving subjects. This, combined with advanced obstacle avoidance technology, provides pilots with the tools they need to easily capture dynamic videos using autonomous flight.
These features are just the tip of the iceberg, but another consideration that has to be made is the size and weight of the drone you would like. Larger and more powerful models can be flown in stronger wind and typically offer the best image quality available, while smaller sub-250g models are less restricted by regulators and are much more comfortable to carry. As always, it’s a fine balance.
If the best drones available are more than you require, check out our best beginner drones guide where we cover the best options for absolute beginners. If the camera is the most important aspect of the drone for you, take a look at our best camera drones guide. And if you’d prefer to enter the exciting world of FPV drones, our best FPV drones guide explores some of the best ready-to-fly kits money can buy.
The Quick list
Best drone overall
The DJI Mavic 3 Pro is the world's first consumer drone to offer three cameras, and offers the best image quality available in a consumer model, alongside professional features.
Best single-camera drone
If you're simply looking for the best drone with a single camera, look no further than the DJI Mavic 3 Classic with its impressive Four Thirds Hasselblad camera.
Best non-DJI alternative
The Autel EVO Lite+ is a powerful drone with a 1-inch sensor and professional features that's much less expensive than the DJI Mavic 3 series drones.
Best professional mini drone
The DJI Mini 4 Pro is an excellent pro-spec sub-250g category drone. Overall features and image quality are excellent, and the camera can be rotated 90 degrees for upright shooting.
Best dual camera drone
The DJI Air 3 is an impressive dual camera drone offering a range of advanced features to provide impressive all-round performance in all areas.
Best portable camera drone
The DJI Mavic Air 2S is a medium size consumer drone offering a 1-inch sensor and excellent image quality alongside a wide range of useful features.
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Best drone for beginners
The DJI Mavic Mini 3 is a small and lightweight beginner drone offering excellent image quality alongside ease of use and DJI reliability at an affordable price.
Best FPV Drone
The DJI Avata is the easiest FPV drone to fly and offers excellent 4K video capture. Whether you're an FPV beginner or an experienced pilot, the DJI Avata won’t let you down.
Best premium FPV drone
The DJI FPV may be a few years old now, but it remains an excellent choice for speed and 4K video capture alongside the ease of use you expect from DJI drones.
Best for children
Inexpensive, lightweight and easy to use, the DJI Ryze Tello is an option worth considering for beginners, children and safe indoor flights.
Best drones we recommend in 2024
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Best drone overall
✅ You're looking for versatility: The three cameras on offer on this drone give you the ability to shoot different perspectives and different focal lengths at the same time, which can help produce more creative content.
✅ You want to shoot high-quality slow-mo: With this drone, you don't have to choose between quality and frame rates. You can shoot 5.1K up to 75fps, 4K up to 120fps and FHD up to 200fps.
❌ You're on a budget: With all the features on offer, this is quite an expensive drone and may be overkill for casual hobbyists.
🔎 DJI Mavic 3 Pro One of the best foldable drones on the market, this allows you to get stunning videos and offers great flexibility with three cameras that can film at the same time. The only real downside is the price, but we think beginners and pros would be pleased with this purchase. ★★★★★
The DJI Mavic 3 Pro is truly one of the best consumer drones on the market, with stunning image quality that will satisfy both amateurs and professionals. It is the world's first consumer drone to come with three cameras, unleashing a whole new world of creative potential.
The main showstopper is the 24mm Four Thirds Hasselblad camera, which can capture 20MP photos and 5.1K video and has an adjustable aperture between f/2.8 and f/11. This is flanked by a very useful 70mm medium telephoto and a 166mm telephoto to complete the trio.
It features the hallmark Mavic folding design and, like the other models, we found you could get around 30 minutes of flight time from it. It also comes with two different smart controller options, both featuring 5.5-inch touchscreens, so there's no need to hook up your smartphone.
The Mavic 3 Pro is very intuitive and easy to fly for a drone of this class since it comes with a number of flight and safety features such as Advanced Return to Home, AirSense ADS-B to detect aircraft, GEO 2.0 geofencing, obstacle sensing and automated flight patterns for video.
Although this is undoubtedly a pricey drone, it's been released at a similar price to older models, making the additional camera fantastic value. If your budget can stretch to it, you will not be disappointed with the incredible features offered by the Mavic 3 Pro.
- Read our full DJi Mavic 3 Pro review.
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Three cameras and two smart controllers |
| Functionality | Easy to fly, with obstacle sensing technology |
| Performance | Excellent image quality and videos up to 5.1K |
Best single camera drone
✅ You want excellent image quality at a more affordable price: This drone contains the same impressive Hasselblad 20MP camera as the other DJI Mavic 3 models, but keeps the price down by doing away with the additional cameras.
✅ You want something easy to fly: With two different controller options and an Advanced Return to Home feature, you should be able to get the hang of this drone quite quickly.
❌ You're after an affordable beginner drone: While this is more affordable than the other DJI Mavic 3 drones, it's still quite pricey and there are several other cheaper options on the market for beginners.
🔎 DJI Mavic 3 Classic This is a great option for people who want the image quality of the DJI Mavic 3 drones without paying extra for additional cameras that they don't have need for. Although it's still not cheap, it's easy to fly and would make a good investment for keen beginners. ★★★★½
The DJI Mavic 3 Classic offers a more cost-effective alternative to the rest of the Mavic 3 series for those who don't require an additional telephoto camera on their drone. It is still equipped with the impressive 20MP 24mm Hasselblad camera found on the other drones in the series, so you won't have to sacrifice any image quality in the process. This camera can shoot in JPEG or Raw, has an adjustable aperture between f/2.8 and f/11, offers 3x digital zoom and can film 5.1K video up to 50fps.
There are two controller options with this drone, depending on your budget. You can opt for a controller with a retractable phone holder or pay a bit more to get a smart controller with a 5.5-inch touchscreen, which we found improved the overall user experience. This drone has the typical foldable design of the Mavic range and flight time was around 30 minutes during our testing.
Even beginners will be able to get the hang of flying this drone quickly thanks to all the on-board flight assistance. The Mavic 3 Classic features Advanced Return to Home, obstacle avoidance using multiple vision sensors and the highly effective ActiveTrack 5.0 for subject tracking. The High-Speed Quick Transfer feature also makes it super easy to share your results with clients or on social media since you can transfer files to your smartphone over WiFi at a rate of 80MB/s.
If you don't need a second camera, you can make a decent saving on this drone in comparison to the other Mavic 3 drones without losing many of their other great features and functionality.
- Read our full DJI Mavic 3 Classic review.
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Single Hasselblad 20MP camera and controller options |
| Functionality | Easy to fly, with good safety features |
| Performance | Fantastic image quality with 12.8 stops of dynamic range |
Best non-DJI alternative
✅ You're looking for top-quality video: This drone shoots up to an impressive 5.4K, which easily gives the DJI drones a run for their money.
✅ You want photographic flexibility: The adjustable aperture on this drone is very handy for experienced photographers set on capturing the perfect shot.
❌ You don't like using an app: The controller doesn't come with a built-in screen and relies on the AutelSky app on your smartphone to work.
❌ You want something ultra-portable: Even when folded, this drone measures 210×123×95mm and weighs 835g, so it's not the easiest to carry around with you.
🔎 Autel Evo Lite+ This drone offers extremely good image and video quality at a very competitive price, making it a good alternative to the DJI drone range. Whilst it's not the smallest or lightest drone out there, it comes with a relatively long battery life and good wind resistance, helping you to make the most of your aerial adventures. ★★★★½
Autel's EVO Lite+ offers an appealingly cost-effective alternative to the DJI drone range. Despite its competitive price, it comes with a high level of camera functionality and a range of other advanced features.
The EVO Lite+ boasts a 20MP camera with a 1-inch sensor and an equivalent focal length of 29mm. Videographers will be pleased to see an adjustable aperture on this model, ranging from f/2.8 to f/11 and allowing you greater control over the exposure when in flight. You can shoot up to 5.4K and capture 4K in 60fps. For still images, the ability to shoot in both Raw and JPEG is welcome, and the camera offers an ISO range of 100-6400, with results similar to entry-level DSLR and mirrorless cameras.
It comes with a controller that looks similar to gaming controllers and attaches to your smartphone to be used with the AutelSky app. The folding design makes it easy to transport, and you can choose from a range of colors including Classic Orange, Deep Space Gray and Arctic White. The high-capacity 6175mAh battery kept this 835g drone in flight for just over 30 minutes during our testing.
Other features include a very sensitive collision avoidance system, 38mph wind resistance, QuickShots automated flight patterns and Dynamic Track to enable the drone to track moving subjects. We think this drone offers excellent value for money, especially if you buy the Premium Bundle, which comes with additional batteries, spare propellers, a set of ND filters and a shoulder bag.
- Read our full Autel Evo Lite+ review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | High-quality folding design with 20MP 1-inch sensor |
| Functionality | Level 7 wind resistance, subject tracking and collision avoidance |
| Performance | Excellent image quality with up to 5.4K video |
Best professional mini drone
✅ You want a regulator-friendly drone: Sun-250g drones are subject to fewer restrictions than larger drones, which means they’re able to be flown with less fuss.
✅ You need a fully featured sub-250g drone: The DJI Mini 4 Pro offers features comparable to the flagship DJI Mavic 3 prosumer models making it the best sub-250g drone by far.
❌ You need higher wind resistance: The Mini 4 Pro can handle reasonably strong wind, but the larger and more powerful DJI Air 3 and Mavic 3 models are much more adept in stronger winds.
❌ You need dual cameras: The Mini 4 Pro has one excellent camera offering an equivalent focal length of 24mm, but the DJI Air 3 offers dual 24mm and 70mm cameras for added versatility.
🔎 The DJI Mini 4 Pro is the best sub-250g drone to date, offering advanced pro-spec features and excellent image quality. Plus, not only is it perfect for professionals, it’s a great option for beginners, too.★★★★½
The DJI Mini 4 Pro is the most advanced sub-250g drone available, offering flagship features and functionality that make the model truly worthy of the ‘pro’ moniker. This is incredibly important because it provides advanced pilots and professionals with a regulator-friendly drone that’s subject to fewer restrictions than larger models but with the most advanced features currently available.
Advanced features include Omnidirectional Obstacle Avoidance, improved subject tracking, Advanced Return to Home and several video upgrades. The drone is easy to set up and fly, which is great for beginners and experienced pilots, while the Mini 4 Pro is a smooth and responsive flier. The image sensor, and the camera, are the same as the Mini 3 / Mini 3 Pro so image quality is similar, although image processing is claimed to have been improved.
The image quality produced by the Mini 4 Pro is excellent, especially for such a compact drone, thanks to the 12/48MP 1/1.3-inch sensor with large 2.4μm pixels. This is housed within a camera offering an equivalent focal length of 24mm with a fixed f/1.7 aperture, that can be rotated 90° for portrait format shooting of both photos and videos. Video can be captured in both standard and flat color profiles with slow motion possible up to 4K. While photos can be captured in both Raw and JPEG formats.
- Read our full DJI Mini 4 Pro review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Under 250g with a 12/48MP camera |
| Functionality | Smart controller, omnidirectional obstacle avoidance and advanced subject tracking |
| Performance | Shoots high-quality photos and videos in both portrait and landscape formats |
Best portable camera drone
✅ You're looking for excellent optics in a small package: This is the smallest and lightest of the drones that come with a one-inch sensor, so it strikes an ideal balance between image quality and portability.
✅ You're a videographer in need of top-quality video: The video resolution on this drone reaches an impressive 5.4K and it can also film in 4K at 60fps, leaving plenty of room for cropping and editing in post-production.
❌ You need an adjustable aperture: The aperture on this drone's camera is fixed at f/2.8 so you'd need to use ND filters to control shutter speed when filming video.
🔎 DJI Air 2S The main selling point of this drone is that it offers portability whilst not compromising on excellent image quality with its one-inch sensor. That makes it ideal for keen photographers and videographers who like to carry a drone with them on days out, but the fixed aperture may be a deal-breaker for some. ★★★★½
The DJI Air 2S is the most compact and lightweight drone with a one-inch sensor. Folded up, it only measures 7.1 x 3 x 3.3 inches (180 x 97 x 77mm) and weighs just 21 oz (595g), making it an extremely portable drone while still offering fantastic image quality. The propeller arms fold in for transport and fold out for flight, and all parts of this drone feel sturdy and reliable.
The camera on this drone is excellent overall. It features a 20MP one-inch sensor with a full-frame equivalent focal length of 22mm and up to 8x digital zoom. Although you wouldn't want to zoom in too far and risk the drop in image quality, we found 2x zoom extremely helpful for getting a more detailed look at subjects without having to fly the drone in too close.
You can shoot up to an impressive 5.4K video and 4K video at 60fps, creating some stunning shots. The only downside is that it comes with a fixed f/2.8 aperture so you can't control the exposure while it's in flight and will need to use a set of ND filters for filming video.
Like many of the other DJI drones, the Air 2S is packed with features that make flying it safe and easy. It's equipped with front, rear, bottom and top obstacle sensors, AirSense ADS-B technology to detect aircraft and multiple automated flight patterns that mean even beginners can shoot complex-looking video footage. We think it offers great value for money if you're looking for a portable drone that can still maintain high image quality and functionality.
- Read our full DJI Air 2S review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Light and compact with a one-inch sensor |
| Functionality | Advanced Pilot Assistance System and AirSense technology |
| Performance | Sharp images with little fall-off and digital zoom |