7 Best Small Drones on the Market

The UFO 4000 is a small drone that comes with fun red, white, and blue LED lights, making it a favorite toy drone pick for kids or adults who want to fly for fun.

The UFO 4000 is a great beginner option, especially if you’re looking for one of the best small drones out there for learning how to do stunts and tricks. Its propeller guards help make it tough and durable, and its straightforward remote control with 1-Key Start/Stop and easy joystick directional controls help make it suitable for both kids and adults.

Capable of performing 360° mini flips and packed with features for such a low price, including 2 speeds, 4 channels, 2 speeds, Altitude Hold, and Headless Mode, the UFO 4000 is one of our top picks among the small drones currently on the market.

Key Specs & Details

• Simple remote control. A remote controller with 1-Key Start/Stop and easy joystick directional controls
• LED lighting system. The UFO 4000 features durable propeller guards wrapped with glowing red, blue, and white LEDs making the drone durable and easier to see
• Stunt flights. The UFP 4000 comes with 4 channels, 2 speeds, Altitude Hold, and Headless Mode, and is capable of performing 360° mini flips.
• Great flight time. Enjoy up to 18 minutes of flight time—great battery life for a toy drone.
• Extra battery. The UFO 4000 comes with a second battery, which will help you stay in the air even longer.

Of all the models we chose for our list of the best small drones on the market, the Scoot Mini Drone is the only one that flies hands-free. Its ability to fly with advanced hands-free technology makes it a great drone for both kids and adults, since there are no remote control skills needed to fly.

With an enclosed frame and infrared obstacle sensors, the Scoot Mini Drone is safe for use indoors and comes with a USB charging cord, making it easy to charge anywhere.

Don’t want to wait forever just to charge your drone? The Scoot Mini charges quickly, and is ready to fly again within an hour.

The Scoot Mini has a respectable battery life of 8 minutes, giving you time to practice tricks and different maneuvers with your friends wherever you choose to fly.

Key Specs & Details

• No remote control required. This hand-controlled drone is ideal for all ages due to its ease of use. It features up w/ 1-Key Take Off/Landing and Altitude Hold
• Multiplayer games. Join in on the fun and play different games with Scoot’s simple and intuitive hand gesture flight modes.
• Advanced sensor technology. The Scoot hand-controlled drone has built-in infrared motion sensors that can detect obstacles and improve safety while in flight.
• Fly anywhere. Scoot’s small size, hands-free controls, advanced sensors, and enclosed design make it great for flying in any room in your home, office, or other indoor spaces or outside.

The Cheerson CX-10 Mini is incredibly easy to fly and is a great option on the list of best small drones. Also, at around $20 it’s the least expensive small drone you’ll find on this list, and it’s a great value at that price.

The Cheerson CX-10 Mini’s small size makes it a great option for indoor flying without the fear of crashing. It has three flight modes—beginner mode, intermediate mode, and advanced mode.

If you’re just starting out, using the Mini’s beginner mode is a great way to get a feel for the controls before moving onto higher sensitivity modes. The ability to scale up the difficulty level on how you fly is definitely a contributing factor in why we chose the Cheerson Mini for our list of the best small drones on the market.

Key Specs & Details

• Flight time. 8-minute flight time.
• 4 channels. 4 channel mini rolling quadcopter
• Throw to fly. Just throw the Mini in the air and you’ll be flying.
• Real 6-axis gyro. Turn in multiple directions with the Mini’s 6-axis gyro.
• LED lights. Light up the sky with the Mini’s bright LED lighting system.

With the U49WF FPV Camera Drone we’ve now left the toy drones behind and entered the second part of our list—small camera drones.

The U49WF comes with some useful flight modes, which you usually don’t see at this price point, making it a great value among the best small drones on the market. Some of these modes include Altitude-Hold and Headless Mode.

The U49WF also has an FPV (first-person view) screen with Camera Live Video, so you can see exactly what the HD camera of your drone sees in real-time. It comes with an extra battery, to help you fly for even longer before having to charge, and a solid 720p camera for capturing clear HD still and video.

But the most impressive thing about the U49WF FPV Dronemight be its flight time. At 30 minutes, the U49WF is in the top range for battery life of most camera drones out there, which, combined with its 720p camera, make it a solid choice for the beginner or intermediate drone pilot looking to get into aerial photography.

Key Specs & Details

• HD camera. Capture cool aerial photos and video with the U49WF’s HD camera—easy Android and iPhone control let you get stable HD footage from every angle.
• Easy to fly. 3 speeds and 1-key control make the U49WF super easy to fly for both kids and adult.s
• Safety features. Rest assured that you and your kids will fly safely with the U49WF’s out-of-range alarm and bumpers.
• Extra battery. The U49WF comes with an extra battery, allowing for up to 30 minutes of total flying time, as well as spare motors.
• 2.4Ghz controller.
• Multiple flight modes. Drones for beginners hardly ever have the latest features, but the U49WF has sveral of them, including Altitude Hold, Headless Mode, Full Trim, and Real-Time WiFi FPV.

The DJI Tello is another great small camera drone, and it’s one of the least expensive of the best small drones with a camera on this list.

The idea behind the DJI Tello was to make an entry-level drone model that was easy to fly, durable and well-built to survive potential crashes (which can happen when you’re first learning how to fly), and which could also be fun for both kids and adults to fly.

And it worked. With the ability to fly up to 17mph within a radius of 300 feet, the DJI Tello is just the type of drone you want to take outside and fly for fun. Also, at just three ounces it’s small enough that you don’t have the FAA’s requirements for drone registration don’t apply to it when flown recreationally.

But the Tello isn’t just for fun—it can also be used to capture some great aerial photos and videos. The Tello is equipped with dual antenna transmission, which not only improves flight maneuvering but also assists in image stabilization.

It comes with a good built-in camera, which can shoot 5mp stills and video up to 720p at 30fps. If you want to upload images or videos directly to your phone, the Tello can synchronize right to your smartphone instead of an SD card for quick sharing.

Did you know? Although it’s most commonly associated with DJI, the Tello was actually created in collaboration with three companies: DJI, Intel, and Ryze.

Key Specs & Details

• Flight time. 13 minutes of battery life give you plenty of time to capture aerial videos and photos.
• Camera. The Tello’s camera comes equipped with 720P video at 30fps, and 5mp stills.
• VR headset. VR headset compatibility for first-person viewing
• Speed. Up to 17mph.
• Flight radius. Up to 300 feet.

The Holy Stone 2.7K GPS drone proves that you do not have to drop hundreds of dollars for a great starter drone. The 2.7k camera system features 5G image transmission, ensuring crisp pictures every time. The included follow-me, tap fly, and point of interest modes allow you to capture cinematic footage or even capture a selfie.

Enjoy up to 18 minutes of flight time with the intelligent flight battery system. The rugged design of the HS270 and its altitude positioning system ensures a stable and safe flight experience. The ease of operation and the number of robust features make this the perfect drone for beginner drone pilots.

Features and Specs

• 2.7K DRONE WITH CAMERA: Experience high-resolution images and videos with a 90° adjustable angle that enables broader views.
• FOLDABLE DRONE QUADCOPTER: The easy-to-fold drone arms are ideal for traveling.
• ADVANCED STABILIZATION: GPS positioning system accurately locks the target and hovers. Its stable hovering allows you to take more high-quality photos.
• EASY TO FLY: Wind-resistant design with transmission range up to 1900+ feet.

Weighing just over half a pound (249 grams), the DJI Mavic Mini is almost as light as the average smartphone, making it a perfect mix of size and power on this list of the best small drones on the market.

Its small size helps the Mavic Mini stay in the air longer than similar small camera drones, giving it 30 minutes of flight time. Because it’s so small you can fly the Mavic Mini without needing to register it with the FAA when flown recreationally (unlike the Tello, the Mini barely makes the FAA’s cut—drone registration requirements kick in at .55 pounds).

But don’t let its small size fool you. The Mavic Mini packs a lot of power in its small size, and is a great camera drone option for both the beginner and the intermediate drone photographer.

With a camera that supports 12MP aerial photos and 2.7K Quad HD videos, and several QuickShot modes like Dronie, Circle, Helix, and Rocket, the Mini can help you capture crisp, high-quality aerial footage.

Key Specs & Details

• Camera. Mavic Mini supports 12MP aerial photos and 2.7K Quad HD videos.
• Stabilization. A 3-axis motorized gimbal provides superior camera stability and ensures clear, ultra-smooth footage.
• Flight modes. Shots that look like they came from a Hollywood film set are just a few taps away with Mavic Mini’s QuickShot modes, which include Dronie, Circle, Helix, and Rocket. Just select your QuickShot and Mavic Mini will execute an elaborate preset motion while recording.
• Compact and powerful. The compact yet powerful Mavic Mini is the perfect creative companion, helping you capture your moments in a way that effortlessly elevates the ordinary.
• Lightweight. The Mavic Mini only weighs 249 grams.
• No need to register when flying recreationally. Due to its light weight, you can fly the Mavic Mini in the U.S. and Canada without the need to register your drone with the government.