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These are the best drones under $500. Credit: Reviewed / Adam Doud

The Best Drones Under $500 of 2024

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These are the best drones under $500. Credit: Reviewed / Adam Doud

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Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.

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Editor's Choice Product image of Potensic T25

Potensic T25

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The Potensic T25 is small, and its capabilities are somewhat limited, but you're unlikely to find a better drone in this price range. Read More

Pros

  • The camera can tilt downward
  • Fairly accurate GPS
  • Hovers in place without wandering

Cons

  • Very small frame
  • 300-foot limit
Product image of Holy Stone HS200D

Holy Stone HS200D

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The HS200D is relatively easy to use, but it doesn't handle obstacles all that well. Its so-so camera is the biggest drawback. Read More

Pros

  • Relatively easy to fly

Cons

  • So-so camera
  • Long charging times
  • Doesn't handle obstacles very well
Product image of Holy Stone HS100

Holy Stone HS100

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This is a lower-cost photography drone with a quality camera and a number of features to support beginner pilots. Read More

Pros

  • In-flight stability
  • Auto-return feature

Cons

  • Short flight time
  • Occasional quality issues
Product image of Ruko F11 Pro

Ruko F11 Pro

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This 4K-equipped photography drone flies easily, with a long runtime and numerous functions to make piloting easier. Read More

Pros

  • High-quality 4K camera
  • Numerous flight modes
  • 30-minute flight time

Cons

  • Occasional controller issues
Product image of Deerc D50

Deerc D50

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This low-cost, yet effective, photography drone features a 2K high-def camera and numerous automated flight modes for easy flying. Read More

Pros

  • Simple, user-friendly flight modes

Cons

  • Short flight time
  • Short-range transmitter
  • Potensic T25
  • Holy Stone HS200D
  • Holy Stone HS100
  • Ruko F11 Pro
  • Deerc D50
  • What You Should Know About Drones Under $500
  • More Articles You Might Enjoy

When it comes to drones—whether it's a matter of flight time or features—you really get what you pay for. Since we've already given you our top picks for drones under $200, we thought we'd up the ante and recommend some great products from the next tier of drones.

If you're looking to buy a drone for under $500, they're really in a class of their own. They have stable GPS, nice cameras for capturing photos and videos, and typically include at least a 2-axis gimbal. They'll also stop and hover when you release the sticks, to the point where you could go get a drink and come back before wanting to return it home. They’re that good.

While most drones in this price range are quite good, there are certain features that set some of them apart. From rock-solid flying to 1080p video camera, the DJI Spark (available at Amazon) is our top pick. While this drone has a lot to offer, if it's not your cup of tea, worry not. With price points and features in mind, there's a drone for every type of flier on this list.

Editor's Note:

The recommendations in this guide are based on thorough product and market research by our team of expert product reviewers. The picks are based on examining user reviews, product specifications, and, in some limited cases, our experience with the specific products named.

Product image of Potensic T25
Potensic T25

The Potensic T25 is a fairly affordable drone. What sets it apart from other drones is the GPS and gimbal. When you cross into the above $200 territory, you’re going to start seeing gimbals and GPS on just about every drone. The T25 has both.

That said, there is a very good reason why the Potensic is in the sub-$200 range. It’s very small compared to its siblings in this price range (about half the size) and it doesn’t fly for as long as the others. It has an app with some follow me functionality, but it doesn't work super well. The camera does manage 1080p resolution, but it relies heavily on automatic settings to adjust for things like exposure and focus. It’s passable, at best.

But there’s still a lot of value in this little drone and that's why it’s on this list. For the budget-conscious consumer who wants to dip a toe in the drone waters, this is a really decent option. It won’t go much further than 300 feet without losing signal in FPV mode, though.

Speaking of FPV mode, the camera on this drone is capable of tilting downward so you can see what is below you. This isn’t a gimbal because it doesn’t help you maintain the horizon when in flight, but it does allow you a wide field of vision while in the air. GPS is also fairly accurate. You can release the sticks on this drone and it will hover where you left it until you start flying again. It is capable of moving with some amount of precision, maneuvering through the obstacle course with only the occasional hiccup.

When you consider the other options on this list and then consider that this costs half of the next cheapest drone, that’s hard to ignore. If you’re looking for the best bang for your buck kind of drone, this one is right up there. It’s not a great drone, to be sure, but it is a good drone at a great price.

Pros

  • The camera can tilt downward

  • Fairly accurate GPS

  • Hovers in place without wandering

Cons

  • Very small frame

  • 300-foot limit

Buy now at Amazon
Product image of Holy Stone HS200D
Holy Stone HS200D

The Holy Stone HS200 is a really good budget-friendly drone. If you’ve looked up drones on Amazon, you’re probably familiar with the name. The HS200 is a perfectly fine drone. Flying it was a smooth experience, although it required more adjustment than other drones to stay put.

One fact to mention is that it takes a long time to charge. The advertised time is approximately two hours, which aligns with our testing, but that’s a lot of downtime. Plus, to charge the battery life, you need to plug a micro USB cable into it.

Overall, I found this drone to be less maneuverable than others when it came to obstacles, as it struggled the most with precision movements. You can generally maneuver the drone where you want it to go, but obstacle avoidance is a problem.

The camera has some issues as well. it compensates with a sort of half dark/half light composition. On the positive side, it handles contrasting colors nicely, as they're not completely blown out. It may not be HDR, but it’s not the worst camera we’ve ever seen.

Pros

  • Relatively easy to fly

Cons

  • So-so camera

  • Long charging times

  • Doesn't handle obstacles very well

Buy now at Amazon
Product image of Holy Stone HS100
Holy Stone HS100

The Holy Stone RC drone is a lower-cost, quality option great for drone-photography beginners. This drone includes a number of features to make flying easier, including a large body and powerful motors for stability, altitude hold, headless mode, and one-key takeoff and landing. The 2K Wi-Fi camera offers a 120-degree field of view, a selfie-and-follow mode, and live video streaming to your phone—in addition to recording and capturing stills. Run the drone from an app on your phone, the included transmitter, or a combination of the two. With an 18-minute flight time, protected by an auto-return feature when the battery gets low, this drone will let you capture stunning aerial photography anywhere you go.

Pros

  • In-flight stability

  • Auto-return feature

Cons

  • Short flight time

  • Occasional quality issues

Buy now at Amazon
Product image of Ruko F11 Pro
Ruko F11 Pro

The Ruko F11 Pro Photography Drone delivers professional quality in an easy-to-fly package. It includes 4K camera stills and 2.9K high-def video, as well as 120-degree field of view and a 90-degree vertical adjustment on the fly. Multiple flight modes enable both beginners and more experienced drone pilots to get the most out of this drone. The auto return, follow mode, tap to fly, and point-of-interest features give you all the flexibility you need to enjoy the landscape yourself while still capturing every moment. And 30 minutes of flight time allows plenty of time to get the footage you need. At just over a pound, this drone is lightweight and portable enough to take with you wherever you go.

Pros

  • High-quality 4K camera

  • Numerous flight modes

  • 30-minute flight time

Cons

  • Occasional controller issues

Buy now at Amazon
Product image of Deerc D50
Deerc D50

For an easy entry into drone photography, the DEERC drone is a low-cost, decent-quality option. The 2K ultra-HD camera shoots stills, video, and transmits real-time images to your phone. The remote controls are simple and varied—set a flight path with waypoints, control it by tipping your phone with gravity control, and give commands to the drone with voice and hand-gesture control functions. The 12-to-15-minute flight time is fine for most hobbyists, as is the short 327-foot transmission range.

Pros

  • Simple, user-friendly flight modes

Cons

  • Short flight time

  • Short-range transmitter

Buy now at Amazon

What You Should Know About Drones Under $500

Credit: Reviewed / Adam Doud

When it comes to drones, there are certain tiers at which the bar gets significantly raised. That’s because when you move into the $200 to $500 range, you get into a much better class of drone. You’ll get 4K drones, GPS drones, and typically ones that include at least a 2-axis gimbal. They will also stop and hover when you release the sticks on the controller.

With this kind of machine, you've really excited the “toy class” of drones. It’s a little like Double-A baseball in that it may not be quite good enough for “the show” but you’re not exactly playing in the beer leagues either. Further, there’s a huge difference in what you’ll find above $500 as well, but we’ll save that for a different article.

Mostly what you’ll find in this class is power, build quality, maneuverability, and camera. The motors are going to be directly driven rather than geared. What that means is the shaft to which the blades are attached connects directly to the motor instead of using a gear mechanism. The main difference is that these motors are going to be more powerful, with more torque, and less prone to breakage. In toy drones, plastic gears often die before the motors or the blades.

Because of that, you’ll get more power and maneuverability and better control over the aircraft. In other words, you can nudge right up to a wall or fence and be sure you won’t pile into it. Additional sensors in this class like the aforementioned GPS also help considerably. Some even have additional sensors, like collision sensors (but this isn't too common among $500 drones).

The cameras in this class will take footage that you’ll actually want to show off to people. For the most part, drone cameras are similar to the ones in smartphones. In this class, you’ll be getting a better class of camera. Maybe not as good as the Google Pixel 3 or Samsung Galaxy Note, but these cameras get the job done. As in most things in photography, your available light will make or break you.

Finally, these drones are just built better, as there are fewer corners cut. Some of the drones in the sub-$200 range are plastic frames with a thin candy shell over them. Some drones will even break apart on their first landing. You won’t find that here. Drones in the $200 to $500 class are sturdier than most but make no mistake, they’re still breakable. Most drones over a grand will get you 4K video capture and superb build quality.

Meet the testers

Adam Doud

Adam Doud

Contributor

Adam has been a reviewer in mobile technology and consumer electronics for six years. He is a podcast producer who hosts the DGiT Daily podcast and the Android Authority podcast. When he's not testing products or speaking into a microphone, he's biking, geocaching, or shooting video.

See all of Adam Doud's reviews
Jean Levasseur

Jean Levasseur

Contributor

Jean Levasseur became a professional writer over a decade-long career in marketing, public relations, and technical writing. After leaving that career to stay home to care for his twin boys, Jean has continued to write in a variety of freelance roles, as well as teaching academic writing at a local university. When he's not reviewing tools or chasing toddlers around the house, he's also an avid fiction writer and a growing woodworker.

See all of Jean Levasseur's reviews

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