The Best Drone
We analyzed 11,676 reviews from 33 websites to find the best drone. Sources included:
+28 More
Top Drones
Why Consider This:
The Mavic 2 Pro features a Hasselblad-branded camera (DJI bought a majority stake in the camera brand in 2017), which captures 20-megapixel photographs and 4K videos that look more colorful than those captured by the competition. Its ability to sense and avoid obstacles in all directions and steadily hold its position even in moderate winds lets you focus on your cinematography instead of worrying about keeping the drone steady.
People Like:
- Insanely good image quality on the Pro.
- Omnidirectional obstacle avoidance and improved tracking.
- Better battery life, more reliable remote control connection.
People Dislike:
- Hyperlapse video is shaky and limited to 1080p.
- Occasional weird colors with auto white balance.
- The Zoom can only do 2x Zoom at 4K. Expensive, especially the Pro.
96
Owner Score
1,343 Reviews from 2 Sites
95
Media & Critic Score
2 Media Reviews
Why Consider This:
If you’re just getting into drone photography for personal use and social-media sharing, the DJI Spark is a less expensive model that still includes collision avoidance. Compared to our top pick, the Spark has shorter battery life and range, and it can’t capture 4K video (just 1080p), but it weighs half as much and folds up to about the size of your hand. It still includes the important features you need from a video drone, including image and flight stabilization and an included controller, and it has gesture controls and smart-flight modes like ActiveTrack.
People Like:
- Controller-free gesture controls
- Absolutely tiny
- Automatic Quickshot modes
People Dislike:
- Spotty Wi-Fi connection with smartphones
- Short flight time
- Easily swayed by the wind
90
Owner Score
3,481 Reviews from 7 Sites
83
Media & Critic Score
3 Media Reviews
Why Consider This:
The Mavic 2 Zoom looks and flies identical to the Mavic 2 Pro, but it trades out the Hasselblad camera in favor of a different camera that can zoom 2 times optically and 2 times digitally (with software that avoids losing detail), for up to 4x usable “lossless” zoom. However, filming with more than 2x zoom will require you to shoot at 1080p instead of 4K. It’s a great choice for aerial photographers and videographers who need to work from a distance, whether they’re shooting a child’s soccer match or wildlife. Like our top pick, it features DJI’s obstacle avoidance and smart-flight mode tech, plus a 31-minute battery life and foldable body.
People Like:
- Smooth, sharp 4K video.
- 2x optical zoom lens.
- Obstacle detection system.
People Dislike:
- Could use more internal memory.
- Omits DCI aspect ratio.
- High price
96
Owner Score
1,316 Reviews from 7 Sites
87
Media & Critic Score
3 Media Reviews
How Critic.ly Saves You Time
When it comes to reviewing the best drone, critic.ly is different than other sites. How?
Unbiased & Unsponsored: Critic.ly aggregates and analyzes reviews from real owners and industry critics. We remove spam, sponsored reviews, and other forms of bias to make sure you get the best possible sense of what people actually think about products.
Our reviews of the best drones were based on 11,676 reviews from 33 websites.
Get the Best Deal: Critic.ly aggregates sales from around the web, so you can get the best deal from a seller you actually trust.
Find the Right Product: Critic.ly lets you search and compare products from thousands of sites in one place.
How to Find the Right Drone
Drones (or, more specifically, quadcopters) are small aircraft that can be equipped with a camera to give you the ability to shoot bird’s-eye-view photos and videos. They could be of interest to any photographer or videographer interested in reaching normally inaccessible spaces that would otherwise require a crane or helicopter, such as those high up in the air or across a body of water.
Regardless of which drone you choose, know that there’s an evolving body of regulations surrounding drone flight and appropriate usage that you should get familiar with before buying and flying. Depending on wear you live.
The drones covered in this guide might be of interest to certain professionals, including someone who wants to film a wedding, inspect gutters, or capture footage of a house going up for sale. But professionals shooting a film might want to look at higher-end options that allow you to mount your own camera equipment on the drone. There are also specialized options for people who want to inspect farmland and industrial equipment, which can call for specialized sensors. Thanks to improvements in technology and rapidly declining prices, you can get a decent photography drone for as little as $400.
If you want to get a drone for general use, this list is for you.
Drones We Eliminated
We research and analyzed 7 drones. Here's what we concluded about the ones that didn't make the cut.
22-$659
Runner Up
Highly rated (94 owner score, 90 expert score), but a slight notch below the best.
12-$1,599
Runner Up
Highly rated (85 owner score, 83 expert score), but a slight notch below the best.
14-$75
Runner Up
Highly rated (93 owner score, 78 expert score), but a slight notch below the best.
16-$630
Runner Up
Highly rated (77 owner score, 75 expert score), but a slight notch below the best.
Sources & Methodology
Critic.ly uses a combination of machine learning and human editors to help you find the best products.
We start by aggregating and analyzing reviews from real owners and industry critics. We remove spam, sponsored reviews, and other forms of bias to make sure you get the best possible sense of what people actually think about products.
We convert every review to a weight average score from 0 to 100.
For this article, we analyzed 11,676 reviews from 33 sites to find the best drone.