Best beginner drones 2024: Get started with some of the best options available

If you've been amazed by those breathtaking aerial photos and videos you see online, diving into the world of the best beginner drones is a fantastic way to join the fun! While drones might appear tricky at first, today's beginner models are super user-friendly, making flying a breeze.

Beginner drones come in a range of quality and features, with some even rivaling the very best drones on the market. The great thing is, there's a beginner drone for everyone's taste — whether you prefer a lightweight option or a budget-friendly one to practice with before moving up, there's something for everyone in the beginner range.

If you’d like to try this approach to drones yourself, be sure to take a look at our guide which discusses whether you should buy a cheap drone to hone your flying skills. We also highlight one of the most cost-effective options for this in this guide, so look out for the Potensic A20. This is an extremely basic indoor model with no camera, but there are plenty of more powerful outdoor drones that we recommend in this guide.

There are also many other options available, and if you’d like to enter the exciting world of FPV drones where immersive flight and equally exhilarating video capture are possible, check out our best FPV drones guide where some of the best ready-to-fly FPV kits are outlined. And if capturing the best quality aerial photos and video is more your thing, one of the best camera drones could be exactly what you’re looking for.

The Quick List

Best beginner drones we recommend in 2024

Best beginner drone overall

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DJI drones are famous for their ease of use and superb image quality. If you want a drone with these advantages without breaking the bank, consider the DJI Mini 3. It's built with beginners in mind, has great durability and comes at a reasonable price. Plus, weighing just 248g and sporting a foldable design, it's super portable and faces fewer flight restrictions than bigger drones.

The Mini 3 uses the same camera as the more advanced Mini 3 Pro, albeit with some reduced functionality. But the key point here is that image quality and the main features the camera has to offer are identical, as we found in our DJI Mini 3 review. The camera offers a 24mm equivalent focal length, a fixed f/1.7 aperture, a 1/1.3-inch 12MP sensor and the ability to rotate the camera 90° to shoot photos and videos in both landscape and portrait orientations.

You can take photos in both RAW and JPEG formats with this camera, and it can record video at up to 4K resolution at 30 frames per second using the Normal color profile. However, it doesn't support the flat D-Cinelike profile for video. Unlike the Mini 3 Pro, this model doesn't have collision avoidance, so you need to be careful when flying near things like trees. But it does have Quickshots, which are pre-programmed flight patterns that make it easy to capture professional-looking videos with just a tap, perfect for beginners.

• Read our full DJI Mini 3 review

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Best premium beginner drone

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The DJI Air series drones have come a long way since their first model, which was similar to the Mini series of DJI drones. The Air 3 takes things even further by featuring not just one, but two high-quality cameras. These cameras use the same fantastic 1/1.3-inch sensor found in the Mini 3 and Mini 4 Pro. Each camera has its own sensor, offering focal lengths equivalent to 24mm and 70mm, along with the ability to shoot vertically, record 4K slow-motion video and capture 48MP photos.

The Air 3 sits within the medium size and weight band with a weight of 25.4oz / 720g and a foldable design that makes it much more compact for transportation and storage. Size and weight will be a negative for some people, but the advantages these bring are more power than smaller drones and a maximum wind resistance of 27mph. Plus, larger batteries provide flight times of around 35 minutes before return to home is automatically initiated when the battery reaches 20%, which we found in our DJI Air 3 review.

You might think all these features are too much for a beginner, but with GPS positioning, collision detection from all sides and advanced return-to-home capability, this drone is incredibly safe and simple to fly. Of course, you still need to be cautious, but it's packed with top-notch safety features. 

On top of that, it captures great photos and videos, tracks subjects well and you won't outgrow it as your skills grow.

• Read our full DJI Air 3 review

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Best cheap beginner drone

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The Potensic Atom SE is a neat, sub-250g drone with a folding design and good, strong build quality. We think it's fantastic value for money for those just starting out, and the fact it only weighs 245g means that it can be flown closer to built-up areas and is subject to fewer regulations than larger drones. Measuring only 88 x 143 x 58mm folded up, it's also super-compact to transport anywhere you like.

The controller attaches to your smartphone and is comfortable and straightforward to use. Despite its affordability, you still get some helpful additional features like GPS positioning, Return to Home, and some basic automated flight modes to get you going. During our Potensic Atom SE review, we found the flight controls tended to be a little oversensitive, and this drone doesn't come with any obstacle avoidance technology, so you'll have to be careful when learning how to fly it.

Considering its price, the camera on this drone is pretty good. It uses a 1/3-inch 12MP Sony CMOS sensor with a wide 118-degree field of view. With this setup, you can record 4K video at up to 30FPS and take still photos in both JPEG and RAW formats. However, if you're a more experienced photographer, you might find the camera's settings somewhat limited, as most of them are automatic. Despite this, the pictures generally come out well, with only a slight darkening around the edges in photos and none in videos. Overall, we think most beginners would be satisfied with how well the camera performs on this drone.

• Read our full Potensic Atom SE review

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Best cheap 3-axis gimbal drone

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The Potensic Atom is the more advanced model in the Atom range, giving you complete manual control over the camera for taking photos and videos. If you're looking for a beginner drone that provides smooth 4K video with a 3-axis gimbal, this is the most affordable option we'd recommend.

This drone is small and lightweight, measuring only 3.5 x 5.6 x 2.3 inches (88 x 143 x 58mm) when folded and 8.3 x 6.0 x 2.3 inches (210 x 152 x 58mm) when unfolded. It weighs just 249g (8.8 ounces), so you don't have to register it to fly. On a single charge, it typically flies for around 25 minutes, which we think is pretty good. Plus, it can handle winds up to 24mph, which is rated at level 5 wind resistance.

In use, the Atom is easy to set up and fly, with GPS positioning holding the drone in position when hovering and providing a reliable return to home and subject tracking functionality. There’s no collision avoidance, which is unsurprising given the low cost of the drone. But, with careful flying this won’t be a problem — we found it an absolute breeze to fly in our Potensic Atom review.

The Atom can record video in various resolutions: up to 4K at 30FPS, 2.7K at 30FPS and 1080p at 60FPS, offering beginners both flexibility and simplicity. You can also take photos in both RAW and JPEG formats. In terms of camera features, it sits between the DJI Mini 2 SE and the DJI Mini 3, albeit leaning closer to the latter. We think if you're new to drones and want something affordable but still worthwhile, the Atom could be a good choice for you.

• Read our full Potensic Atom review

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Best FPV drone for beginners

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FPV (first-person view) drones are famous for allowing pilots to capture incredible video footage. However, learning to fly them in Manual/Acro mode, where you can perform rolls, flips, and dives for those immersive shots, is notoriously challenging.

The Cetus Pro kit is ideal for newcomers getting into FPV flying, and it includes everything you need to get started for just $226 / £190. You'll get the Cetus Pro Brushless Quadcopter, a LiteRadio 2SE Transmitter, VR02 FPV Goggles, two batteries, a USB battery charger with cable, four spare propellers, a propeller removal tool, a USB-C cable and a convenient carry case. Plus, if you ever have a big crash, spare parts are available for replacements.

The Cetus Pro Brushless Quadcopter has strong brushless motors that power its four propellers, all guarded by protective propeller guards to keep them safe during frequent crashes. It's incredibly compact, measuring just 117 × 117 × 35mm and weighing only 45.8g with the battery included, making it suitable for indoor or outdoor flights. Plus, it offers three flight modes, including Acro, and three speed modes, allowing you to begin at a slower pace and gradually progress as your skills improve.

The camera on the Cetus is used purely to provide a live feed to the analog goggles so you can enjoy an FPV view. The Cetus and the VR02 FPV Goggles do not, however, have the capability to record video so this drone is purely a learning tool, as we mentioned in our BetaFPV Cetus Pro review. The only additional accessories you might need in order to get started are an additional four-battery set that costs $26 / £21, and a battery charger for six batteries that costs $20 / £16.

• Read our full BetaFPV Cetus Pro review
• Read more: What are FPV drones?

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Best FPV drone for video

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Flying FPV drones in Acro/Manual mode can be tough, but the DJI Avata makes it possible for even complete beginners without any FPV experience to capture stunning 4K video. The beauty of this drone is that expert FPV pilots can manually fly it using the DJI FPV Remote Controller 2 (sold separately), while beginners and anyone else can opt for the DJI Motion Controller, which is super easy and intuitive to use, as we mentioned in our DJI Avata review.

The DJI Avata is a cinewhoop drone designed with prop guards to safeguard both the drone and surrounding objects in case of a crash. What sets it apart from traditional FPV drones is its use of GPS positioning and downward sensors in certain flight modes, making it beginner-friendly. 

Measuring 180 x 180 x 80cm and weighing 14.46 oz/410g with a battery, it has microSD card compatibility and comes with 20GB of onboard storage.

The video quality from the 48MP 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor paired with an f/2.8 lens (which is like having a 12.7mm equivalent focal length) is outstanding. It can shoot in 4K at up to 60FPS, 2.7K at up to 100FPS and 1080p at up to 100FPS when using DJI Goggles 2. When using the DJI FPV Goggles V2, you can capture video in 2.7K and 1080p at up to 120 FPS. These specifications are impressive, especially considering how easy it is to fly the Avata, making it an excellent choice for beginners diving into FPV drones.

• Read our full DJI Avata review

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Best indoor beginner drone

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Getting your first drone can feel overwhelming, especially considering even simple beginner models can be pricey. Add in the worry of crashing or losing it, and spending a few hundred dollars can seem like a big gamble. One way to ease into it is by starting with an affordable indoor drone like the Potensic A20 Mini Drone.

This drone doesn't have a camera, just a light at the front to show which way it's facing. It's really small, measuring only 3.10 x 1.25 x 3.50 inches (7.87 x 3.18 x 8.89cm) and weighing 6.7oz (190g), so it's unlikely to cause any damage if it crashes indoors. Plus, it has propeller guards to protect the drone, objects and people in case of a crash.

There's no camera, so it won't suit anyone looking to take photos or videos with it, plus the features are quite basic and it isn't recommended for outdoor use, as we found in our Potensic A20 review. These features can either be an advantage or disadvantage depending on what you want to use the drone for. If you're purely looking to advance your flying skills, then it could be a great option for you.

The A20 uses the same controls as much more expensive drones, which makes it a fantastic learning tool for beginners. There’s even a hover feature that makes it behave almost identically to camera drones so you will undoubtedly gain flight confidence with the A20. The kit also comes with three batteries that take 10 minutes to charge and provide 10 minutes of flight time, so you can charge as you fly to extend flight times as much as you like.

• Read our full Potensic A20 review

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Best for children

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The DJI Ryze Tello is probably the easiest drone you'll come across to fly straight out of the box, making it ideal for beginners and kids, and it comes at a very attractive price of around $/£100. It's a small and compact drone with a 5MP camera built into the nose and it can capture 720p HD video.

This drone is controlled via an app on your phone, so you can simply download the app, connect it to the drone and away you go. During our DJI Ryze Tello review, we found the controls nicely responsive, without being oversensitive like some drones we've tried. The small design makes it easy to use inside, which is a good thing given that it can be thrown off course by anything more than a light breeze when flying outside.

It's got some great safety features, like sensors underneath to prevent crashes and guards around the propellers to keep both them and your home safe if it does bump into something. We were amazed by how far it can go — up to 100 meters on WiFi control, which is really good. Plus, it has some fun built-in moves that kids will love trying out.

Of course, to keep the cost down, they had to make some trade-offs. For example, it doesn't have a gimbal for really smooth video, and the battery life is a bit disappointing — it takes about an hour to charge but only gives you 11 minutes of flight time. However, if you're ok with these drawbacks and don't need the best camera quality, this could be a fantastic, budget-friendly drone to start learning how to fly.

• Read our full DJI Ryze Tello review

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Best affordable lightweight drone

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If you're a beginner looking for your first drone and want something lightweight without having to spend too much, the Holy Stone HS360S could be worth considering. It features a foldable design and has reasonable flight performance, although there are some drawbacks that would put more experienced pilots off.

During our Holy Stone HS360S review, we commented that the build quality is fantastic for the price, and its sub-250g weight means you won't have to register it to fly, which is something beginners won't want to do. We were a little let down by the short flight times. They claim you'll get 20 minutes of flight time from each battery, and when we tested it we got around 15 minutes before Return-To-Home was initiated. It's not terrible, but as your skills grow you'd likely get frustrated with this.

It flies pretty well considering its cost, and it has a bunch of useful features including Follow Me subject tracking, Image Follow, where the subject can be selected in the HS Fly app, as well as Spiral Up, One-key Ascension, and Catapult automated flight patterns. Plus, there are Timelapse and Panorama functions. We thought Subject Tracking was surprisingly good. One feature it doesn't have, though, is collision avoidance, so you'll need to be careful if you're flying it around trees, and make sure you can see it at all times.

The biggest letdown of this drone is the very basic camera and image quality. The camera can capture 4K video at 20 fps, 2.7K at 30 fps, and photos in JPEG format in 4K dimensions (3840 x 2160px) which equates to a sensor resolution of 8.3MP. Sounds fine in theory, but there's heavy processing of both the photos and videos making it look overprocessed and frankly, quite bad. If you just want to take photos to share with your friends and family, it's fine, but it's not a drone for photographers. Plus, there's no image stabilization so any footage you capture will likely be shaky.

• Read our full Holy Stone HS360S review

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Best powerful beginner drone

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Building on the features of the Holy Stone HS720G, which used to sit on this list, the newer Holy Stone HS720R is their first drone to include a 3-axis mechanical gimbal, offering image stabilization to produce better images. Overall, the two drones are extremely similar, with this one feature being the main difference between the two. 

We mentioned in our Holy Stone HS720R review that the image quality is exactly the same as in its predecessor, which is a shame as that's one area where Holy Stone doesn't excel compared to other brands. We did think the video quality was better than the still image quality, and although neither is suitable for professional use, we think beginners will be happy with it.

It's a small and light drone that folds up neatly, though it's a bit too heavy to fit in the super light category. It's slightly bigger and heavier than the HS720G, but you won't really notice the difference. It can fly for up to 26 minutes, though in our tests, it lasted around 24 minutes.

We noticed the drone would drift a bit while hovering, but it's not a major issue. They've also made the connection between the drone and the controller much better, which we appreciated. With the previous model, we often had problems with disconnects and interruptions, but with the HS720R, there were none at all.

• Red our full Holy Stone HS720R review

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Buying advice

Many drones aimed at beginners are basic models in terms of camera functionality and overall features. But what they do have to offer is the same basic controls as larger and more expensive models, so you can get a feel for how they work without the fear of losing a small fortune if you’re unlucky enough to crash.

Even if you have a large budget, it doesn’t hurt to buy a cheap model that costs less than $250/£250 to get started, some even cost less than $50/£50. Then once you feel confident with the controls and have inevitably outgrown the camera functionality and overall features, you’ll know when it’s time to move up to the next level.

One important point you must consider as a beginner is the weight of the drone you’re aiming to buy. Drones that weigh less than 249g don’t require you to register with the FAA (US) or CAA (UK) to fly them legally which removes one small hurdle in the path to drone flight. So, once you’ve chosen the model that’s right for you, get ready to see the world in a completely new and exciting way.

How we tested

Beginner drones are typically tested over several days in different locations, environments and weather conditions (excluding rain) to test flight performance, flight features, overall handling and image quality for both photo and video capture. All beginner drones offer a variety of features so only those available can be tested, but all features are explored to cover performance and ease of use.

Drones are flown using manual flight patterns to test the connection between the aircraft and the controller, latency between the two, the accuracy of the controls, app connection and reliability and flight in general. And if automated flight patterns and collision avoidance are available, these are always tested to asses accuracy.

All testing is conducted in a way that meets local aviation laws and restrictions to ensure that all flights are safe and legal. Drone laws vary from region to region, so you must check local laws to ensure that you’re following the guidelines for your country before embarking on your first drone flights.