The best drones are often a combination of the best camera technology and the most advanced features. They can also range wildly in price because they're aimed at different uses and types of pilots, so while having a big budget can be useful, it's not always going to be necessary to use all of it.
The best drones include FPV drones, multi-camera drones, sub-250 g drones and even specialist professional models. So, whatever you're looking for, or even if you're unsure, our guide will put you on the right track to finding the best drone.
We'll be delving into the unique features alongside size, weight, flight performance and, of course, camera performance. Every drone is slightly different, so understanding the intricacies and pros and cons of one model over another will help make the most informed decision.
Honestly, it's difficult to go wrong with the best drones because they're all fantastic; it's always best to get things right to avoid the hassle and expense of trading in if you find the model you've chosen isn't quite right for you. So, to be sure you're in the right place, also check out our best camera drones, best beginner drones and best FPV drones guides.
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 2 is incredibly easy to fly and offers excellent 4K video capture. Whether you're an FPV beginner or an experienced pilot, the DJI Avata 2 is a fantastic FPV drone.
Best entry-level drone
The DJI Mini 4K is the least expensive model in the DJI line-up, offering beginners solid performance alongside impressive image quality for a drone of this level.
Best FPV drone kit
The Emax Tinyhawk III Plus Freestyle RTF Kit is the best traditional FPV drone kit we've tested with excellent performance and an HD VTX for a clear FPV feed to the goggles.
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. ★★★★★
If you'd like the best all-rounder with features, functionality and camera performance that will suit the requirements of most pilots, the DJI Mavic 3 Pro could be the drone for you. With three cameras, you're spoilt for creative choice and although this is a prosumer drone, it's a great option for beginners, too. Check out our DJI Mavic 3 Pro review where you can discover more about this impressive model.
It features a 24mm Four Thirds Hasselblad camera which captures images at 20MP. Its aperture is adjustable from f/2.8 and f/11, suitable for a wide range of situations and photographic effects, and you can also record video up to 5.1K. On either side of the Hasselblad, you'll find a 70mm medium telephoto camera and a 166mm telephoto, having a wide range of zoom lengths covered.
It features the hallmark Mavic folding design, and like the other models, we found it could provide around 30 minutes of flight time. 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 follows in the footsteps of the hugely popular DJI Mavic Pro 2, with just one impressive camera. Although this time, it features a larger Four Thirds sensor alongside the adjustable aperture. For many pilots, the main Mavic 3 camera is all they need, and this is exactly where the Mavic 3 Classic comes into play.
The camera on here in the excellent 24mm Hasselblad camera, capable of capturing 20MP stills or 5.1K video, so you're getting the best-of-the-best in terms of image quality. You can shoot in either JPEG or Raw, adjust the aperture between f/2.8 and f/11 and make use of a 3x digital zoom.
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 in our DJI Mavic 3 Classic review, 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 or third 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. What's more, the camera on offer is the best available on any consumer drone.
- 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
DJI may rule the roost when it comes to the drone market but there are competitors out there, including Autel. One of our favorite non-DJI drones is the Autel EVO Lite+. Much cheaper than a DJI alternative, it comes with a wealth of fancy features and excellent camera functionality.
Not everyone wants a DJI drone, and that can be for many reasons including cost. And while there are many mid-range alternatives available, none are close to the performance of the Autel EVO Lite+. Thanks to an excellent camera, impressive collision avoidance and advanced features, the EVO Lite+ is the best DJI Mavic 3 alternative available.
The camera on the EVO Lite+ offers a 20MP resolution alongside a 1-inch sensor with an equivalent focal length of 29mm. Its aperture can be adjusted between f/2.8 and f/11, which is fantastic for adjusting video exposure, and it can shoot video up to 5.4K, with 4K at 60fps.
Shooting in both Raw and JPEG is possible for still images, and the camera offers an impressive ISO range of 100-6400, which is similar to many 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 which came in handy a few times during our Autel EVO Lite+ review, 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 |