1. The list in brief ↴
2. Best overall
3. Best premium
4. Best cheap option
5. Best FPV drone for beginners
6. Best FPV drone for video
7. Best budget drone for video
8. Best for children
9. Best for flight practice
10. Best powerful beginner drone
11. Best cheap bundle
12. Buying advice
13. How we test
We've reviewed the best beginner drones on the market to help you launch yourself into the skies for the first time. Flying a drone can be a fun and exhilarating experience, but with so many drones flooding onto the market in recent years, it can be tricky to know where to start. Our guide will help you to decide which drone is right for you, with a range of models to suit every need and budget.
Some of the cheaper options on our list can be a good way to test out your flying skills without having to worry so much about having a very expensive crash. However, the pricier models often come with advanced features to help you fly your drone more easily and safely, so they can be a great option as well. Depending on the model, you might find features such as obstacle avoidance sensors, automated flight paths, return-to-home functions and GPS positioning to help you hover your drone against the wind. All of these can help you get to grips with flying your drone more quickly.
All of the drones on our list have been tried and tested by our experts, so have a read-through to see which one appeals to you. With Black Friday approaching, we're expecting to see some great deals on some of these drones. Take a look at our guide to buying a drone on Black Friday to see how you could bag yourself a bargain or spot a drone deal over on our Black Friday deals hub.
If you're new to drone flying, make sure you're aware of the drone regulations for your region before you set off, and you can also check out our drone photography tips and beginner's guide to drone video. And if you're ready to explore more advanced and specialist drones, we also have guides to the best camera drones and best FPV drones.
The Quick List
Best beginner drone overall
The DJI Mavic Mini 3 offers the best image quality available in a beginner model, with the ability to rotate the camera 90° for portrait format shooting.
Best premium beginner drone
With up to 4K video capture, a flat color profile and obstacle avoidance sensors, the DJI Mavic Air 2 is a powerful and versatile medium size drone.
Best cheap beginner drone
If you’re looking for the best beginner drone on a budget, the Potensic Atom SE is exactly what you need with up to 4K video and great build quality.
Best FPV drone for beginners
The BetaFPV Cetus Pro Kit comes with everything you need to get started with FPV flight including FPV goggles, a controller, drone, batteries and accessories.
Best FPV drone for video
The DJI Avata may be a professional-level FPV drone, but it’s also incredibly easy to fly and capture immersive 4K video when controlled with the DJI Motion Controller.
Best budget drone for video
With a 3-axis gimbal, up to 4K 30fps video capture and the ability to shoot in the flat F-Log color profile, the Fimi X8 Mini is fantastic for aerial video on a budget.
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Best drone for children
The DJI Ryze Tello is an extremely basic indoor drone that comes with propeller guards and can be controlled using a smartphone. Plus, it’s inexpensive.
Best for flight practice
The Holy Stone HS700E is an inexpensive drone that flies well making it ideal for learning flight basics, although photo and video quality is lacking.
Best powerful beginner drone
The Holy Stone HS720G is a cheap and cheerful beginner drone that will allow you to take to the skies without breaking the bank.
Best cheap bundle
The Potensic T25 is an inexpensive drone that follows the traditional non-folding drone design but comes in a comprehensive kit to help you get started.
Best beginner drones we recommend in 2023
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Best beginner drone overall
✅ You're a social media content creator: It has excellent image and video quality, plus it can shoot vertically, which is ideal for social media content.
✅ You don't want to register it: It's in the sub-250g category, so no registration needed!
❌ You're on a tight budget: While it's certainly very affordable for a drone of its caliber, anyone working with a tight budget might need to consider something slightly cheaper.
🔎 With identical image quality to the Mini 3 Pro, the DJI Mini 3 comes with a more beginner-friendly price at the cost of a handful of missing features. ★★★★
DJI drones are well-known for being incredibly easy to fly while offering excellent image quality. So, if you’d like to enjoy these key benefits alongside excellent build quality and a beginner-friendly price, the DJI Mavic Mini 3 could be the perfect drone for you. And at just 248 g with a folding design, it’s incredibly small and lightweight and is subject to fewer restrictions than larger and heavier models.
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.
Photos can be captured in RAW and JPEG formats, while video can be captured at up to 4K at 30fps in the Normal color profile, although not in the flat D-Cinelike profile. There’s no collision avoidance in this model like the Mini 3 Pro, so you have to take care when flying close to obstacles such as trees. But there are Quickshots, which are automated flight patterns that allow you to capture professional-looking videos with just the touch of a button — these are great for inexperienced fliers.
- Read our full DJI Mini 3 review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Small and lightweight folding design. |
| Performance | Easy to set up and fly. |
| Functionality | Up to 4K 30fps video. |
Best premium beginner drone
✅ You want to create social media content: With high-quality images and video, plus vertical shooting, this would be a great option for content creators.
✅ You want to grow with it: This drone is great for beginners and has enough features to keep you happy when your skills improve, too.
❌ You don't have a big budget: There's no dancing around the fact that this drone is expensive, so you'll need to be serious about your craft.
❌ You don't want to register it: This drone weighs 570g, so you will need to register it in order to fly.
🔎 The Mavic Air 2 is a serious upgrade from the Mavic Air, with an excellent set of features and impressive performance for this price. ★★★★
The DJI Mavic Air 2 is a small and lightweight model that’s larger than the Mavic Mini 3 and Fimi X8 Mini but packed with many more flight, camera and safety features. The Mavic Air 2 features a folding design and a weight of 570g making it highly portable. What’s more, with advertised flight times of up to 34 minutes and a top speed of 42mph in Sport mode, it’s a highly capable drone in terms of performance, as we discussed in our DJI Mavic Air 2 review.
With a 1/2-inch 12MP sensor, the Air 2 can capture photos in both RAW and JPEG format, as well as video at up to 4K at 60fps. The Air 2 can capture video in the D-Cinelike profile for color grading in a professional workflow as well as the Standard profile that’s suitable for the majority of users. For photos, there are multiple shooting features including high-resolution 48MP stills that are saved as JPEGs.
When it comes to safety features, the Mavic Air 2 provides front and rear obstacle sensors alongside sensors on the bottom of the airframe. To aid with collision avoidance, the Advanced Pilot Assistance System (APAS) 3.0 can be set up to fly the Air 2 around objects when detected or to brake. Plus, there’s GPS positioning to hold the drone in position while it’s hovering so it doesn’t drift in the wind and to provide it with the Return to Home functionality.
- Read our full DJI Mavic Air 2 review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Classic DJI shape with simple fold-out arms. |
| Performance | Max 34 min flight time. |
| Functionality | Quick shots, Hyperlapse; Spotlight 2.0; Active track 3.0, obstacle avoidance sensors. |
Best cheap beginner drone
✅ You're on a budget: This is one of the more affordable beginner drones on this list.
✅ You don't want to register it: It's in the sub-250g category, so it doesn't need registering.
❌ You want lots of camera controls: The only camera setting you can control is exposure compensation, everything else is automatic, plus it's FPV style.
❌ You want collision avoidance: This drone doesn't have it, so you'll need to be careful when flying.
🔎 The Potensic Atom SE redefines what inexpensive beginner drone models are capable of alongside great build quality, but camera control is limited despite producing reasonably sharp images. ★★★★
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. We found the flight controls had a tendency 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.
The onboard camera is fairly good for the price. It uses a 1/3-inch 12MP Sony CMOS sensor with a 118-degree field of view to produce 4K video up to 30fps. You can also shoot still images in both JPEG and Raw, but more experienced photographers may find the camera functionality a little limiting since most of the settings are automatic. However, with only slight vignetting on photos and no vignetting on videos, we think most beginners would be happy with the image quality on this drone.
- Read our full Potensic Atom SE review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Small folding design (similar to DJI). |
| Performance | Image quality ok but not amazing. |
| Functionality | Limited controls and flight patterns. |
Best FPV drone for beginners
✅ You're on a budget: This is a very affordable beginner FPV-style drone and comes with a host of extras and accessories.
✅ Your priority is learning how to fly: This drone is aimed at those looking to improve their flying skills first.
❌ You want to capture photo or video: It can't record videos or shoot photos, so photographers will find it useless.
❌ You want to fly for a long time: The battery life is only up to 5 minutes, so you'll need to have either a lot of patience or a lot of spare batteries.
🔎 With a low cost and a complete kit with everything you need to get started, the BetaFPV Cetus Pro provides a low-risk entry point to learning how to fly FPV drones when compared to more expensive models. ★★★★
FPV (first-person view) drones are well-known for allowing pilots to capture the most impressive video footage possible. But they’re notoriously difficult to learn how to fly in Manual/Acro mode, which is the mode that allows you to roll, flip and dive the drone to capture that impressive immersive video.
The Cetus Pro kit is a complete beginner’s FPV kit and includes everything you need to start learning how to fly FPV for just $226 / £190. The kit includes the Cetus Pro Brushless Quadcopter, a LiteRadio 2SE Transmitter, VR02 FPV Goggles, two batteries, a USB battery charger and cable, four spare propellers, a propeller removal tool, a USB-C cable and a carry case. Spare parts are also available should you have a serious crash.
The Cetus Pro Brushless Quadcopter uses powerful brushless motors to power the four propellers, which are protected by propellor guards to protect them during inevitable frequent crashes. And at just 117 × 117 × 35mm and 45.8g with the battery included, this palm-sized drone is small enough to fly indoors or outdoors. And with three flight modes including Acro, and three speed modes, you can start slowly and build up the modes as your skills increase.
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 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?
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Built to withstand crashes. |
| Performance | Very short flight times (5 mins per battery). |
| Functionality | Turtle Mode flips the drone when upside down. |
Best FPV drone for video
✅ You want long flight times: Each battery has up to 18 minutes of flight time, which is impressive for an FPV drone.
✅ You want a drone you can grow with: It has specs and features to please beginners and more experienced fliers.
❌ You're a photographer: You can capture JPEGs, but as the horizon will almost always be wonky, there are better options for photographers.
❌ You don't want to register it: It weighs 410g, so it'll need to be registered.
🔎 FPV drones are notoriously difficult to fly, but with the DJI Avata anyone can capture immersive FPV video footage in stunning 4K resolution at up to 60 fps, and it’s a whole lot of fun to fly, too. ★★★★
FPV drones are difficult to fly in Acro/Manual mode, but the DJI Avata allows even beginners with no FPV experience whatsoever to capture immersive and high-quality 4K video. The beauty of this drone is that it can be flown manually by expert FPV pilots using the DJI FPV Remote Controller 2, available separately, but beginners and anyone else can use the DJI Motion Controller which is incredibly easy and intuitive to use, as we mentioned in our DJI Avata review.
The DJI Avata is a cinewhoop drone so it has prop guards around the propellers to protect both the drone and objects in the event of a crash, but where it differs from traditional FPV drones is that it uses GPS positioning and downward sensors in some flight modes, which is great for beginners. The Avata is 180x180x80cm and weighs in at 14.46 oz/410 g with a battery, and as well as being able to accommodate a microSD card, there’s 20GB of onboard storage.
The video quality from the 48MP 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor with an f/2.8 lens (12.7mm equivalent focal length) is excellent and can be captured in 4K up to 60 FPS, 2.7K at up to 100 FPS and 1080p at up to 100 FPS with DJI Goggles 2. With the DJI FPV Goggles V2, 2.7K and 1080p video can be captured up to 120FPS. The specs are impressive as the Avata is easy to fly, making it a fantastic FPV drone for beginners.
- Read our full DJI Avata review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Robust cinewhoop design. |
| Performance | Excels at capturing video. |
| Functionality | Features augmented reality home point and Return to Home function. |
Best budget drone for video
✅ You're on a budget: If you don't have the budget for a DJI drone, this is as close as you can get, specs-wise.
✅ You want a drone you can grow with: It has specs and features to please beginners and more experienced fliers.
❌ You want collision avoidance: This drone doesn't have it, so you'll need to be careful when flying.
🔎 If you’re looking for a non-DJI drone that provides similar flight and camera features at a slightly lower cost, the Fimi X8 Mini is the closest you can get. ★★★★
If you’re looking for a non-DJI drone that provides similar flight and camera features at a slightly lower cost, the Fimi X8 Mini is the closest you can get. This drone features a 1/2.6-inch 12MP sensor capable of capturing photos in RAW and JPEG, as well as video in 4K at up to 30FPS. Video can also be captured in F-log for color grading in professional workflows and the 3-axis gimbal helps to ensure smooth video footage.
The Fimi X8 Mini offers Smart Tracking Modes, time-lapse, flight path planning, panoramic photos and live streaming, so there are many of the features you’ll desire as your flying skills grow. GPS positioning is provided by GPS, Glonass and Beidou for holding position and initiating Return to Home, but there’s no collision avoidance available.
There are two battery options available for the Fimi X8 Mini; with the standard battery, the drone weighs 258g and offers up to 30 minutes of flight time, while the drone weighs 245g with the pro battery and offers up to 31 minutes of flight time. The most important thing to consider here is that using the pro battery means you wouldn’t have to register with the FAA (US) or CAA (UK) to fly the drone, although if you opted for the standard battery you would need to.
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Similar to DJI drones. |
| Performance | Easy to use, but watch out for the confusing battery options. |
| Functionality | Shoots RAW and JPEG stills, video in 4K at up to 30FPS. |
Best for children
✅ You're on a budget: It's incredibly affordable for those new to the world of drones.
✅ You want to learn the basics: It's a great option for kids or complete newbies who want to focus on learning the basics of flying.
❌ You're a content creator: The photo and video quality isn't particularly impressive, so content creators will want to look at other options.
❌ You want to fly it outside: It's not suitable for use in anything more than a light breeze.
🔎 The DJI Ryze Tello is the perfect drone for those only just starting out to fly drones, it’s small, and easy to use and the propeller guards and onboard sensors make accidents much less likely, and therefore flying the drone even more enjoyable. ★★★★
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 up to the drone and away you go. 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 has a few nice safety additions, such as sensors on the bottom to help it avoid collisions and propeller guards to protect the propellers (and your home objects) should a crash occur. We were impressed by its 100m range, which is pretty good for a WiFi-controlled drone, and it also comes with some fun preset aerobatic moves that kids are sure to enjoy.
Of course, there are a few compromises made in order to keep the price down. There's no gimbal to help you get that ultra-smooth video effect, and the battery life to charging ratio is a bit disappointing since it takes around an hour to charge for only about 11 minutes of flying time. But if you can live with these restrictions and a lower quality of camera, this would make a very affordable first drone to help you get the hang of flying.
- Read our full DJI Ryze Tello review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Incredibly lightweight — only 80g. |
| Performance | High speed for its size with very responsive controls. |
| Functionality | Some cool 'trick flight' features. |
Best for flight practice
✅ You don't want to spend loads: As far as drones go, it's not the cheapest but it's still pretty affordable.
✅ You aren't bothered about capturing amazing footage: We noted that image quality was the weak point of this drone, so if you're only looking for basic images to share with friends and family, this could suit you just fine.
❌ You're a photographer: Image quality is seriously lacking, so photographers will be unimpressed.
❌ You don't want to register it: It weighs 557g, so you'll need to register it in order to fly.
🔎 The Holy Stone HS700E is a capable beginner model in terms of flight with useful features including GPS positioning and automated tracking modes that are let down by image quality. ★★★
The Holy Stone HS700E makes a good option for beginners learning how to fly drones for the first time thanks to its impressive array of flight features at a relatively low cost. The design combines powerful motors with large propellers to keep the drone steady when hovering, although it doesn't fold down for transport or storage like some models, so you'll need to detach the propellers to keep them safe.
It comes with a controller featuring a telescopic phone holder that folds down for storage. The controls seemed responsive and reliable in our tests, and the two flight modes featured on this drone are both moderate and therefore well-suited to beginners. You can even activate a beginner mode to restrict the altitude and distance while you gain confidence in your flying.
Additional features include GPS positioning and a return to home function that can be set to automatically activate whenever the signal between the controller and drone becomes weak or drops off completely. It also has some very useful subject tracking functionality, but the lack of collision avoidance means you'll need to keep a close eye on it at all times.
The only thing that really lets this drone down is its camera. It has an equivalent focal length of 14mm, a 130-degree field of view, a fixed f/2.0 aperture and a small 1/3-inch sensor that takes 4K video and the equivalent of 8.2MP images. Unfortunately, this produces soft images with strong chromatic aberration and sometimes barrel distortion as well. Depending on your priorities, the flight features and price point could make this a good option for you, but keen photographers may need to shell out for something with higher image quality.
- Read our full Holy Stone HS700E review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Resembles the design of DJI Phantom models. |
| Performance | Image quality is very poor, but overall it flies well. |
| Functionality | FHD at 60FPS and 4K at 30FPS. |
Best powerful beginner drone
✅ You don't want to spend loads: As far as drones go, it's not the cheapest but it's still pretty affordable.
✅ You aren't bothered about capturing amazing footage: If you're only looking for basic images to share with friends and family, this could suit you just fine.
❌ You're a photographer: Image quality isn't particularly impressive, so photographers will want to go for another option.
❌ You want loads of features: The features on this drone are quite lacking and basic.
🔎 If you’re looking for an inexpensive beginner drone to master flight controls before upgrading to a more advanced and expensive model, the Holy Stone HS720G could be worth considering. ★★★
The very best drones, even beginner models, can be expensive. So if you’d prefer a budget model that you can use to get to grips with flight controls, the Holy Stone HS720G is a basic model that comes at a low price that won’t break the bank. Features are extremely basic and limited, but the HS720G does offer GPS positioning alongside flight modes including Point of Interest/Orbit, Follow Me and Tap Fly pre-plotted flight routes.
There are no collision avoidance sensors so you have to fly with care when close to obstacles, but in our Holy Stone HS720G review, we found it flies well overall and the controls are responsive and are identical to more advanced models. This means you can get used to controls and camera operation in tandem before inevitably upgrading to a more advanced model in the future.
Camera functionality is extremely basic with control over brightness, saturation, ISO and white balance. Photos can only be captured in JPEG format and these are in a 4K (3840 x 2160 px) 16:9 ratio which will allow you to make up to 10 x 8-inch prints after cropping — fine for casual sharing, but photographers will likely want to shoot images in RAW. Video can be captured in 4K at 30FPS and FHD (1080p) at 60FPS.
Holy Stone drones are sold in the UK and US exclusively through the Holy Stone store on Amazon so they’re easy to buy. The HS720G comes in a basic kit that includes a carry case, the drone, a controller, a USB charging cable, a set of spare propellers and a screwdriver for changing propellers. This basic kit costs just $300 / £260 making it a cost-effective model offering JPEG photo capture and 4K video for beginners.
- Red our full Holy Stone HS720G review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Lightweight folding design. |
| Performance | Basic camera functionality. |
| Functionality | Around 21 minutes flight time. |
Best cheap bundle
✅ You don't want to register it: It's small and lightweight (sub-250g) so won't need to be registered.
✅ You're focused on learning to fly: It's an inexpensive option for those who just want to learn the controls and basics of flying.
❌ You want good quality footage: Unsurprisingly, the video and photo quality isn't the best.
❌ You want to travel with it: It does come with a carry case, but it doesn't fold for transportation, so you couldn't carry it in your camera bag.
🔎 The Potensic T25 is a basic drone ideal for learning how to fly and how the controls work, but the limited camera quality and functionality mean that it’s certainly not a winning option when it comes to shooting photos and video. ★★★
The Potensic T25 is a basic drone ideal for beginners learning how to fly drones and how their controls work, but the limited camera quality and functionality mean that it’s certainly not a winning option when it comes to shooting photos and video. But when you consider the low price, it remains an inexpensive option for those looking to get started with flying drones.
Exact specifications are unavailable, but the Potensic T25 is small and weighs less than 250g with the manufacturer claiming it doesn’t need to be registered to fly. This would suggest it weighs 249g or less. In terms of its design, the T25 follows the traditional drone design seen in the DJI Phantom series where the camera sits between two landing stands, and the drone doesn’t fold for transportation.
The Potensic T25 bundle comes with two or three 1000 mAh batteries offering up to 10 minutes of flight time each. And thanks to GPS positioning the drone will hover in position and you can enjoy features including subject tracking and Return to Home. Camera functionality is limited, and there’s no stabilization so videos aren’t smooth, but video can be captured at 2K. For the price, size, accessories and features, the T25 is a cost-effective option that would help you to get started.
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Doesn't fold for transportation. |
| Performance | Photo and video quality is average. |
| Functionality | Battery offers 10 mins flight time. |
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.
