Looking for the best deal on a new drone under $200. Who isn’t, right? Sure, you could buy an old refurbished DJI Spark for $200 on the nose – which doesn’t even have a remote, but you can also get a brand new 2019 model with GPS, 4K camera, and everything instead. As drone technology changes every single day and you don’t want to spend a significant amount of money on something that might be outdated tomorrow.
If you’re a total newbie, you don’t necessarily have to spend a lot of money on your first drone. For professional aerial filming, unfortunately, there’s not much you’ll be able to accomplish with a quadcopter in the $200 bracket, but you can definitely get a flying machine that will get you in the air for the first time, help you acquire flying skills and even let you capture some cool aerial footage. Anyway, it is very important to understand that you get what you pay for: in this price range, you should not expect high-end drones from top brands.
Best drone to buy under 200 (Top 5 for 2019)
As we are only in the middle of 2019, I selected just 5 drones – following to update the list to Top 10 at the end of the year.
1. ZLRC Beast SG906 – Most versatile drone under 200
Type: Cruising drone | Skills: Intermediate | Camera: 4K | FPV: 5G WiFi | Flight time: 23-25 minutes | Features: Foldable design, GPS, Optical flow-positioning and Intelligent flight modes | Package: RTF
Our top pick is the ZLRC Beast SG906 – it has a bit of everything. It is probably the only drone under $200 that has a dual positioning system (GPS and Optical flow sensor), brushless motors, and an on-board 4K camera. Furthermore, it features a space-saving foldable design.
Being powered by a 2500mAh battery, it has up to 25 minutes of flight time. Taking into consideration that the charging process takes about 5 hours, IMHO it would worth investing in multiple flight batteries from the beginning – especially that is available in combo with 1, 2 or 3 LIPO packs. Buy on Banggood
2. Eachine EX3 – Best overall drone under 200
Type: GPS camera drone | Skills: Beginner & Intermediate | Camera: 2K | FPV: 5G WiFi | Flight time: 20 minutes | Features: GPS positioning system | Package: RTF
Eachine’s EX3 is a nice entry-level drone that packs some cool extras that makes it a strong pick. It has GPS assisted return to home (RTH), Point of interest, and Tap to fly features. However, I think the most interesting part of this quadcopter is its visual active tracking system.
Compared to cheap toy drones, it has brushless motors instead of brushed ones. According to the manufacturer’s specs, the 7.6V/3400mAh battery pack allows up to 20 minutes of airborne time. Buy on Banggood
3. JJRC X7 SMART – Longest flight time under $200
Type: GPS camera drone | Skills: Beginner & Intermediate | Camera: Full HD | FPV: 5G WiFi | Flight time: 25 minutes | Features: GPS positioning system | Package: RTF
Although the JJRC X7 was launched last year, it still has one of the best flight times in its price range. We personally tested this drone and the results were close to the advertised specs. Maybe its 1080P camera does not provide the best image quality, but at least it has remote angle adjustment and on-board recording.
In order to enable all its features, you will need a smartphone with Enjoy-Fly APP installed. Through the APP you can activate “Beginner” mode, which limits flight distance to 200 meters as well as flight altitude to 120 meters.
4. Eachine EG16 WINGGOD – GPS drone with 3 batteries under $200
Type: Portable drone | Skills: Beginner | Camera: 2K/4K | FPV: 5G WiFi | Flight time: 14 minutes | Features: GPS positioning system and Optical flow sensor | Package: RTF
If you are looking for a budgeted drone that is just perfect when you are on the go, then Eachine EG16 is one of the best drones for this purpose. Measuring only 13.5 x 18.5 x 6cm when it is folded, will fit into almost any backpack. For only $138.99 you will receive not 1, but 3 flight batteries. This price includes a remote controller, charger, and 2 spare propellers as well. The frontal 5G WiFi FPV camera is capable to record 2K videos and take 4K still images.
According to the manufacturer’s specs, the 1800mAh battery allows up to 14 minutes of flight time. Its biggest drawback compared to the EX3 is the less reliable brushed motors.Buy on Banggood
5. iFlight Cinebee – 4K FPV drone under $200
Type: FPV racing drone | Skills: Intermediate & Advanced | Camera: 4K + 1200TVL | FPV: 5.8G | Flight time: Depending on battery capacity | Features: Whoop alike design | Package: PNP and BNF
If you are looking for a compact, but super-fast FPV racing drone, which is capable to record UHD videos you should definitively take a look at iFlight Cinebee 4K. In addition that it was among the first Whoops which became equipped with the dual-lens Caddx Tarsier 4K camera, it features a top-notch Succes Micro F4 flight tower system with BetaFlight OSD.
Unfortunately, like most FPV drones, it is sold as PNP or BNF package only. Even if it fits in the budget of 200$, you will need to spend some extra bucks for battery, charger, transmitter, and FPV goggles.
6. JJRC X9 Heron
Type: GPS camera drone | Skills: Beginner & Intermediate | Camera: Full HD | FPV: 5G WiFi | Flight time: 14-15 minutes | Features: 2-Axis gimbal and GPS positioning system | Package: RTF
Shortly after I published my “Best budget drones under $200 (2019)” article, I received a comment which suggests to include the JJRC X9 in the list. In addition to the full HD video recording, the Heron’s camera features 2-axis mechanical stabilization and 5G WiFi real-time image transmission.
It is available in two colors (black or white) and multiple package versions. Basic RTF box is advertised for $199.99 and includes the following: X9 drone, remote controller, flight battery, charger, and spare propellers. There is also a fly-more combo package with 3 batteries and a storage box.
Bottom line
In order to find the perfect low-cost drone, you need to decide on a budget and think about its main purpose. Do you want it for learning to fly, for selfie videos, or use it for first-person view flights? For how long do you want to stay in the air? What flight range you need? There are a lot of questions that need to be answered before you pull the trigger.
last updated on 6/10/2019
My favorite in this price range is the SJRC F11.
It is a joy to fly and it has very long legs. Recently I got almost 24 min. of flight time out of 1 battery with the camera recording.
I also fly the Hubsan Zino, the Fimi X8, the Power Egg and the JJRC X11 but to me, the F11 is the BEST flyer of them all.
And check out the price, they are getting cheaper by the week.
I think 1 and 2 should be switched. The bugs 4w I mean Eachine EX3 is a way more fun fly although it has cost me a lot in repair cost but now that I’ve gotten a handle on it its a lot better. Now the beast is no joke and I have a lot of love for it to its range is awesome its flying is so smooth and yet responsive and fun to but not having the SD slot is a big very big let down most times you cant even check the screen playback from the camera because it is delayed by like 10 seconds or more and that ridiculous ide rather fly blind but have my flight recorded on an sd card at least. But those are my 2 top drones in this category by far next bump up I love my Zino I hate that now there is a Zino plus but its camera is amazing and its high altitude flying is good to. Well there’s my two cents for whatever its worth keep droning.
I hate to disagree with you on that big a scale, but I do. You simply can’t recommend a drone which cist more than around 60 bucks, if it has no SD card slot. Simply ridiculous. Besides you totally forgot the JJRC x9, under 200$ with a 2 axis gimbal. Sloppy research.
Yes! you have perfectly right! The JJRC X9 deserves to be included into this list, especially that its actual price is $199.99 :).
As I said in my article the “Best drone under 200” list is open till end of the year, so any new suggestion is welcomed.