9 Best Drones Under $200 [2022 Edition] | 9 Cool Models Ranked
Looking for a drone under $200, we've got you covered.
In this article, Guest Post writer Stanislav Baciu from BuzzLogic will take you through a list of the top 9 drones on the market right now for under $200. Modern technology has provided us with a lot of cool new tech products over the years and one of the coolest gadgets out there right now are drones. Having one is kind of like having your own miniature spaceship you can fly around and maneuver to go in any direction you want and if you have a camera drone you can take amazing photos and videos from different heights and angles. With so many different drones out there on the market though, it can be difficult and overwhelming to try and figure out which one is best for you. In this article, Stan highlighted each drone’s unique features, as well as the pros and cons that each one has, making it easier to compare them and figure out which drone best suits you and your needs. But first, let’s discuss some important features to be aware of when searching for the best camera drone for you.
Best Drones Under $200
1. Holy Stone HS110D FPV RC Drone
4. Holy Stone HS200 FPV RC Drone
Features To Consider
Different camera drones come equipped with different special features. Some only come with the basic features that most drones on the market have, while others come with features that are more unique or advanced. Things like gesture control, voice control, dual GPS systems, and 3D virtual reality headset compatibility are more advanced features that many moderately priced drones don’t have.
Those features are sort of like bonus features. You don’t necessarily need them to fly the drone or capture photos and videos with it, but they definitely add to the flying experience and can make flying your drone more fun and interactive. However, there are also a lot of basic features that nearly every drone comes with, such as app control, headless mode, altitude hold mode, and a variety of speed modes. These basic features can be found in pretty much every single drone on this list, while the more advanced features mentioned above are only found in one or two drones on the list.
When searching for the best drones under $200 to review for this list, I made sure to find ones both with and without the more advanced, intelligent features. I did this because not everyone may need or want some of the more advanced features, while others may. Typically, the drones that include these intelligent features are a bit higher in price range because they use more advanced technology and design. I made sure to give an explanation that tells you what exactly each feature does as well so you can more easily decide if that is something that you can live without or if it’s something that you’d really like to have. I also mention whether I think each drone is suitable for people at a beginner level or not to aid you in choosing a drone that is right for your level experience, and expertise.
Now that you have a better idea of what exactly went into choosing the drones on this list and which features are more advanced versus which ones are more basic, let’s take a look at the 10 best camera drones and what features they each have to offer. I placed the ones that have more advanced capabilities and features at the top of the list and placed the one with more basic features at the bottom. Here are some in depth reviews of the best drones under $200.
Holy Stone HS110D FPV RC Drone – Unique Flying Experience
The Holy Stone HS110D FPV RC Drone is another great option for beginners. The altitude hold feature makes it easy to use, even if you’ve never flown a drone before, and the 3D VR headset compatibility combined with the ability to do 360 degree flips and rolls gives this drone a unique flying experience. This drone comes with a modular battery that allows approximately 10 minutes of flight time. While this flight time isn’t as long as the ScharkSpark Drone’s flight time, it is a fairly average amount of flight time in comparison to a lot of other drones. One thing to note about this drone is that the motor heats up fairly quickly, so it’s important for you to give it at least 10 minutes of rest between each flight to make sure that the motor doesn’t overheat. It is also important to be sure you only charge the battery with the charger that comes with the drone for safety reasons.
Features:
Altitude hold: The altitude hold feature allows for hands free coasting. This means that the drone will stay suspended in the air, even if you’ve taken your hands off of the joystick, making it easy to keep the drone in flight, especially for beginners.
3D VR headset compatibility: This drone is compatible with 3D virtual reality headsets, so if you have a smartphone that has the capability to connect to a VR headset, you can change to 3D mode on the control app, put your phone in the VR headset, and see things live and in 3D. This feature creates a unique, lifelike viewing experience that makes you feel like you’re up in the air flying with the drone.
360 degree flips and rolls: This drone has the ability to make 360 degree flips and rolls, allowing you to take some pretty cool in motion videos or photos from exciting views and angles.
For such an easy to use drone, there are a lot of advanced features that make this flying experience unlike many other camera drones. The ability to do flips and rolls, as well as view the drone’s flight path through a 3D VR headset creates a truly immersive flying experience for users of all levels of expertise.
$80.99 on Amazon
2. Potensic T25 GPS Drone – Easy To Track
The Potensic T25 GPS Drone can be controlled from a very far distance, giving it more exploring capabilities than a lot of other drones. The dual GPS and follow me mode allow you to easily keep track of the drone too, ensuring that you don’t accidentally lose it or allow it to fly off somewhere. The GPS feature on this drone also allows you to press a return to home button that will fly your drone back to whatever home site you set during take off. This feature is convenient since this drone is able to travel so far. Even at a great distance, you can still easily bring your drone back to where you started with it. This drone uses a high definition camera that is able to turn at an angle of up to 90 degrees, so you can take clear photos and videos at a wider angle.
Features:
Dual GPS: This drone has a built-in GPS system that allows you easily track your drone’s precise location. It also enables the drone to return to you automatically, even when the drone has low power or no signal.
Follow me mode: Follow me mode can be enabled when you connect your drone to your smartphone device. It allows the drone to latch on to your phone’s GPS signal and follow it wherever it goes.
Far control distance: You can control this drone from up to 300m away from it. This feature allows your drone to reach a greater distance and capture even cooler images and videos because of that.
Although, because this is a more lightweight drone, sometimes the pictures it takes can turn out a bit blurry because it isn’t very stable when flying, especially in breezy or windy conditions.
$139 on Amazon
3. JJRC H68G RC Drone– Long Fly Time
Similar to the Holy Stone HS200, the LBLA Drone is very easy to operate and remains stable while in the air thanks to its 6 axis gyro technology. It also has an ultra-long lasting battery that allows for more fly time than a lot of other drones out on the market.
Features:
Allows for 30 minutes of fly time which is a bit longer than the average drone on the market.
120° Wide-angle 720P HD Camera including adjustable angle by the remote control,
GPS return home feature
The main perk of this drone is the longer than average flight time that it’s capable of. However, there are a few other things that make this drone a great option, one of those being the lightweight yet durable design of it. This combined with the 6 axis gyro technology makes it very stable and easy to fly.
Although it does not give you instructions on how to connect the drone to your mobile device, once you are able to connect it, you are able to get clear photos and videos in real time right on your phone. This drone also has the ability to do 360 degree flips and rolls, so you can watch in first person as it performs an aerial show.
See Price on GeekBuying
4. Holy Stone HS200 FPV RC Drone – Easy To Operate
The Holy Stone HS200 FPV RC Drone is a great option because it is easy to operate. Thanks to its altitude hold feature along with its 6 axis gyro technology, you can fly this drone stably, allowing you to capture clear photos and videos with ease. This drone is equipped with a return home feature, although it is more so a feature that allows the drone to return in the same general direction rather than the exact GPS coordinates that it started in. It is still a nice feature to have but definitely not as useful as it would be if it had the capability to return to the exact location it started in. Like all drones, it is important to carefully follow the instructions that come with it. Some important directions to take note of are that you must allow a minimum of five minutes of cool down time in between flights to make sure that the motor doesn’t overheat and become damaged. Also, when connecting the drone to its controller, make sure that the drone is placed on a flat surface and that you turn the drone on before turning the remote on.
If you follow all of the directions given, this drone is very easy to operate and even has a one- key takeoff and landing button to make flying the drone much easier. This drone is also easy to charge thanks to the external charger that comes with it.
Features:
24G 4 channel technology: The 24G technology gives you the capability to play multiple models at the same time without any interference.
6 axis gyro technology: The 6 axis gyro technology adds increased stability. This is nice for beginner users who may not have the hang of flying a drone very stably yet. It also allows for better, less blurry photos and videos, as well as more control when doing 360 degree spins and flips.
Altitude hold: Altitude hold mode allows you to lock the drone at whatever height and position it’s in, making it easier for you to capture photos and videos. This is another great feature that makes operating this drone much easier for beginners.
Overall, this is a very easy to use drone (so long as you follow the instructions on how to properly operate it) that is suitable for both beginners and more experienced drone users. The altitude hold combined with the 6 axis gyro technology makes having a stable flight easy even for people who have never flown a drone before.
$99 on Amazon
5. Teeggi FPV RC Drone – Affordable And Compact
The Teeggi FPV RC Drone is an affordable option equipped with three modular batteries for extended flight time. This drone also has foldable blades so that you can fold it up and make it compact when it isn’t in use to make transporting it much easier. This drone offers an app control system that not only allows you to control the drone and view the photos and videos from it, but also allows you to save those photos and videos directly to your phone so that you can view them later or share them with family and friends. There are a lot of cool functions on this drone that give you a lot of control over the operations of it. Things like barometer height hold and headless mode makes both moving and stopping the drone easy for users of all experience levels.
Features:
3 modular batteries: This drone comes with three modular batteries, each of them with a flight time of 10 minutes. This means that you’ll get a total of half an hour of flight before you’ll need to charge the batteries.
Foldable blades: The four blades that this drone is equipped with are all flexible and foldable, meaning that when the drone is not in use, you can fold the blades in so that it is more compact and easy to carry.
Wide angle camera: The camera that this drone is equipped with is a 120 degree 720P HD wide angle camera. This means that the drone has the capability to take wide shots and capture high definition panoramic views that you can see on your phone.
This drone is one of the most affordable on the list, making it a great choice if you’re in search of something that’s budget-friendly. Although it does have some great features like the three modular batteries and foldable, compact design, it does still have some issues that are worth considering like the difficulty to control it and the small amount of speed settings.
See price on Amazon
6. ScharkSpark Drone SS41 – Simple And User-Friendly
The ScharkSpark Drone SS41 is the perfect drone for users of all experience levels. It comes equipped with user-friendly features that make it perfect for beginners as well as more experienced users.
Features:
Gesture control: This drone uses something called gesture control, which allows you to take photos and videos more quickly and easily by making simple gestures. To take a photo, you just hold up a peace sign, and to take a video, you hold out an open palm.
Optical flow positioning: It can be a bit difficult to control a drone and keep it flying steadily if you don’t have much (or any) experience operating a drone. The optical flow positioning feature that the ScharkSpark has uses high-precision orientation sensors to aid in keeping the drone steady, which makes it much easier for beginners to operate. This feature also helps photos and videos come out more clear due to minimal shaking and drifting.
App control: You can do pretty much anything from your smartphone nowadays, and controlling this drone is no exception. The APP control allows you to connect the drone to your smartphone, eliminating the need to use a bulky remote, although it does still come with one in case you prefer to use it.
In addition to the features mentioned above, this drone also comes equipped with an anti-shake feature and smart beauty lens. The anti-shake feature helps to ensure that photos and videos come out clear, while the smart beauty lens makes selfies look more vivid and of higher quality. The modular battery allows 14-16 minutes of flight time, which, in comparison to many other camera drones out there on the market, is a long time. Once the battery gets too low, the drone will flash its LED lights to let you know, as well as make an automatic emergency landing if you don’t land it in time.
See price on Amazon
7. SNAPTAIN A15 Foldable FPV WiFi Drone – Convenient And Intelligent
The SNAPTAIN A15 Foldable FPV WiFi Drone was built with the convenience of the user in mind. The foldable blades allow users to easily transport the drone, and the intelligent voice control capability and the fly-by-trajectory give you the ability to control the drone with ease. As you can probably tell based on the features mentioned above, this is one smart drone. This drone comes equipped with a variety of different modes including altitude hold mode, headless mode, gravity sensor mode, and three different speed modes that give you the power to perform a number of different functions. You can control the drone right from your smartphone too thanks to its app control feature. This drone also comes equipped with two batteries instead of one, which is convenient because it means you don’t need to wait for the battery to charge after each use. The biggest downside is that the batteries each only allow 7-9 minutes of flight time.
Features:
Foldable blades: The four blades that this drone is equipped with are all flexible and foldable, meaning that when the drone is not in use, you can fold the blades in so that it is more compact and easy to carry.
Voice control: One very convenient feature of this drone is the voice control option. This feature allows you to tell the drone commands such as “take off”, “land”, “forward”, “left”, etc., allowing you to easily and quickly have the drone perform commands. This feature is especially handy if you need to make a quick landing.
Fly-by-trajectory: When using the app control from your mobile device, you have the option to use the fly-by-trajectory feature. This feature allows you to draw out a path for your drone to fly in, so you don’t have to worry about steering it around. This technology is very advanced and unique to this drone.
While this is an extremely intelligent drone, it does still have its issues. The loss of connection from the remote can cause the drone to veer off path and even fly away in some cases, so it is important to follow the directions carefully when operating this drone. Power on the drone before you power on the remote and repeat this linking procedure every time you start up the drone and remote.
$69 on Snaptain
8. GoolRC T32 FPV Drone – Large And Multifunctional
The GoolRC T32 FPV Drone is great for people of all ages. It has the ability to perform flips and rolls as well as the ability to take selfies and other fun photos or videos. It is a rather large model but has four foldable blades, making it easy to fold up and carry with you anywhere. Even though this drone is great for things like capturing photos and videos, it is also a fun drone to fly around. It has the ability to perform 360 degree flips and rolls, which can be fun for people of all ages to play around with.
Although this drone is fairly durable, it is not crash resistant, so it is important to be careful when flying it. One good thing is that this drone is equipped with a 2.4G 4CH transmitter that makes it a lot easier to control and avoid crashing.
Features:
Foldable blades: The four blades that this drone is equipped with are all flexible and Foldable, meaning that when the drone is not in use, you can fold the blades in so that it is more compact and easy to carry.
720 HD camera: The high definition camera on this drone is perfect for capturing clear high quality photos and videos. You can take anything from selfies to landscapes to in- motion videos with this drone’s camera.
Altitude hold: Altitude hold mode allows you to lock the drone at whatever height and position it’s in, making it easier for you to capture photos and videos. This is great if you’re trying to take a selfie or group photo and need the drone to hold still for it.
Whether you’re looking for a drone to capture photos and videos or one to play around with and put on aerial shows, the GoolRC Drone is a great option. The main downside to take into consideration is its short flight time.
$75 on Amazon
9. SANROCK GD65A RC Mini Drone – Perfect For Kids
The SANROCK GD65A RC Mini Drone is the perfect option if you are looking for a small, easy to use drone for your children. This drone was specifically designed for kids and beginners and comes equipped with features like altitude hold, headless mode, and the ability to make 3D flips in the air. This is drone is both fun and easy for kids to maneuver and fly. The return home button that this drone comes equipped with another great feature, especially for children. They can easily fly their drone back to wherever they started the takeoff at by simply pushing a button. Kids tend to play a bit rough, so this drone was built with a durable exterior to help protect it if it crashes into a wall or the ceiling. It also has a replaceable motor, which is not the case with many other drones. This way, if it does become damaged, you can just buy a replacement motor rather than having to buy an entire new drone. One thing to note is that this is classified under mini drones. This means that it is not ideal to fly outside, so it is best to just use it as an indoor drone.
Features:
Altitude hold: Altitude hold mode allows you to lock the drone at whatever height and position it’s in, making it easier for you to capture photos and videos. This feature makes operating this drone much easier for kids and beginners.
Headless mode: Headless mode allows for easier control of the drone by making the drone move in whatever direction you’re facing rather than the direction it’s pointing in. It may be more difficult for a child or beginner to maneuver the drone using the joystick controls, so this feature makes it much easier for them when they’re first starting out.
3D flips and rolls: You can easily have your drone perform a 3D flip or roll by holding down the function button while simultaneously moving the direction lever. Kids of all ages will get a kick out of this feature and have lots of fun putting on aerial shows with their drone.
This small, easy to use drone is a perfect gift for your child (or for you). It may be small, but it can perform some pretty cool functions and has the ability to fly for a lot longer than some other bigger drones.
$69 on Amazon
Buying Guide
Now that you’ve gotten to take a look at what features each drone on this list has to offer, let’s discuss what exactly these features mean. Once you have a better understanding of what each feature entails, it will make choosing the right drone for you much easier.
App Control
App control is a feature that allows you to connect your drone to your smartphone device. This is a feature that nearly every camera drone has. If you see a drone that does not include this feature, I would steer clear of it.
This feature is great because it allows you to control the drone from your smartphone instead of from the remote control that comes with it. It is much easier and less bulky to carry around a phone than a remote control. This feature also allows you to watch live footage that the drone is taking, as well as save photos and videos to your phone that the drone captures. This feature allows for other features such as gesture control, voice control, GPS system, and VR headset compatibility to be possible as well.
Flight Time
Flight time is in reference to how long the drone is capable of flying at once. The length of the flight time all depends on the power of the battery that the drone has. Ten minutes is a pretty average flight time among many drones. However, there are some drones that can only fly for as low as 6-8 minutes because they use a weaker battery.
There are also some drones that have the ability to fly for up to 16 minutes a time because they use a powerful modular battery. There are also drones that use more than one battery, so that when one dies, the other one begins to power it. Let’s use the Teeggi FPV RC Drone as an example. This drone comes with three batteries that each allow for ten minutes of flight time, which means this drone is capable of flying an entire half hour before the batteries all die.
Headless Mode
Headless mode is a very popular feature that nearly all drones have. When you put your drone into headless mode, it will begin to fly in whatever direction your controller (or smartphone if you’re using app control) is facing rather than whatever direction the front of the drone is facing. This feature is useful because it eliminates the need to align your joystick controls with the direction your drone is facing in, making it much easier for both children and beginners to maneuver the drone. Although nearly all drones come equipped with headless mode, activating this mode is different from drone to drone, so be sure to read and follow the instructions that come with whatever drone you end up purchasing.
Altitude Hold Mode
Altitude hold mode is another popular feature that can be found in nearly all drones. This feature maintains the drone’s altitude, allowing it to sort of hover there in place by analyzing the pressure data that the barometric pressure sensor provides. This feature is great for taking a clear, non-blurry photo such as a selfie or of a landscape. It is also useful if you want to record a video from one angle rather than an on-the-move type of video.
One thing to note about this mode is that it tends to kill the battery quicker. It uses air pressure to hover up to whatever height and place you want to position it in, which takes a lot of work.
6 Axis Gyro Technology
Gyroscope technology, or gyro technology for short, is what allows the drone to operate and fly stably. This technology gives drones the ability to fly, hover, make turns, and do flips and rolls smoothly. 6 axis gyro technology gives the drone more capabilities than a model with a 3 axis does. However, a 6 axis drone doesn’t really have 6 axis in it; it just has 3 axis and two sensors. It also has three accelerometers that aid the drone in flying more stably even in breezy conditions. It is smart to look for a drone with 6 axis gyro technology if you are planning to fly your drone outside where it may become windy.
One Key Take-Off/Return Home
Many drones on the market come equipped with a one-key takeoff and return home button. What this does is allow you to easily begin your drone’s takeoff, as well as land it with the simple push of a button. This feature is especially helpful when flying a drone outdoors. Sometimes, your drone may fly off farther than you intended it to and can even fly out of your sight. The one-key return home button will bring your drone back to wherever you began the takeoff so that you don’t accidentally lose control of it and lose it forever.
3D VR Headset Compatibility
Some drones, such as the Holy Stone HS110D FPV RC Drone for example, have the capability to hook up to a virtual reality headset. This feature is simple to use and allows for a unique and immersive viewing experience that you can’t get with drones that are not compatible with VR headsets. All you need to do to use this feature is hook your smartphone device up to the VR headset, turn your drone onto 3D mode, and enjoy watching the drone’s flight path in a first person 3D viewing mode. You will feel like you’re actually flying around with the drone rather than just watching a video of its flight.
Typically, when a drone has this feature, it will also include something called gravity sensor mode that makes maneuvering the drone with your VR headset on much easier. Not all smartphones are able to hook up to VR headsets though, so it is important to be sure that whatever smartphone device you have is able to if you wish to use this feature.
Gravity Sensor Mode
Gravity sensor mode allows you to control and maneuver your drone without touching your remote control or smartphone. This mode, as I mentioned above, is especially convenient if your drone has 3D VR headset compatibility because if you have a VR headset on, you won’t be able to see the controls on your remote or smartphone. When in this mode, your drone will fly in whatever direction your smartphone is facing. This means that you can just turn left, right, forward, or backward and in whichever direction you turn, your drone will too. It adds to the virtual reality experience by immersing you even deeper in it.
Gesture Control
Gesture control is an advanced feature that not many drones have. The ScharkSpark Drone SS41 is one drone on this list that does come equipped with this unique, intelligent feature. Gesture control, as the name implies, allows you to control the drone by making simple hand gestures into your smartphone’s camera. You can hold up a peace sign to make the drone take a picture or hold out your arms to make it start taking a video, allowing both pictures and video to be taken in high definition. Plus, it makes taking them a lot more fun and interactive.
Voice Control
Voice control is another advanced feature that is not found in many drones. The one drone on this list that does include this feature is the SNAPTAIN A15 Foldable FPV WiFi Drone. This feature allows you to control the drone hands-free by simply telling it which commands to do.
You must have your drone hooked up to your smartphone device for this feature work, but since nearly every drone (especially one that offers voice control) comes with app control, that won’t be an issue. You can tell the drone things like “left”, “forward”, “takeoff”, and “land” and it will follow your directions without you having to mess around with joysticks or controls.
GPS System
Not all drones come equipped with a GPS system. In fact, many of the moderately priced ones don’t. The only drone on this list that comes equipped with one is the Potensic T25 GPS Drone. When a drone comes equipped with a GPS system, it gives you the precise location of the drone and vice versa. This means that not only can you track the drone to its exact coordinate location; it can also track you, allowing it to fly back to your exact location rather than just in the direction of it when you hit the return home key. This feature also allows you to use something called follow me mode that keeps the drone flying directly above you at all times. It’s a great way to keep track of your drone and ensure you don’t accidentally lose it.
Conclusion
Many people tend to think that if a drone that has lots of advanced features the it is automatically the best, but that isn’t exactly true. Different features allow for different capabilities, so if you only need a drone to perform basic capabilities, then buying one with a bunch of intelligent, advanced features isn’t necessary for you and your needs (and may be out of your budget). This is why knowing how different features work and what capabilities they give a drone can help you greatly when it comes time to determine which features you do and don’t need based on what you plan to do with the drone and your level of expertise. Some are more simple and basic, making these drones great for children or beginners, while others are equipped with more advanced features (and are a little expensive) that make them appealing for a more experienced drone user.
With something as technologically advanced as a HD camera drone, it’s important to pick the best one for your skillset and desired usage. I hope that this article has been informative and given you a better understanding of these features so you can find the best camera drone for you and your needs