The Ten Best Drones Under 200 – Cool Tech
Our Top Pick
MJX Bugs 3
No products found.
No products found.
Introduction
With the increased demand, the new players seem to have taken over the top position with a number of new additional features that make them stand out from the rest. That is why we are going to take you through the buyer’s guide for the best drones under 200 by looking at the key factors to consider before buying a drone.
Even though you might not get the top-notch quality of a drone under 200, there are very nice drones in the market that can equally perform various operations such as racing, having fun and videography among other activities. But before you set out to buy your dream UAV, there are numerous factors to consider some of which are highlighted below.
The cost of your perfect drone
In spite of the fact that your budget falls below 200, it does not imply that you go for the cheapest drone. Don’t let the price make you settle for something that will disappoint you within the shortest period of its use. For instance, a $ 50 drone might look good and more appealing than that going for a $ 100 but when you look at its features, you may end up asking yourself if you have really made the right decision. First of all, will you be able to fly it? Will the drone meet your expectations?
Most of the cheaper models of drones lack auto-balance as well as auto-altitude and many other functions that make flying easier and enjoyable. If you find your quadcopter lacking essential features, it is likely that you will feel frustrated after spending that kind of money buying it.
Therefore, it is prudent that you spend a little more money on a drone that has the best features to enable you to fly it comfortably while performing its functions. Spend more on a drone that will surpass your expectations and with just $200 or less; you can purchase a better gadget.
Does the drone come with a camera?
Drones have taken photography and videography to another level. As such, the first feature you might be looking for in a drone is a camera. A number of the best drones under 200 come fully equipped with cameras while other brands, despite looking highly appealing and flashy, don’t have cameras. As a matter of fact, those types of drones are mainly under $200 but you can still buy them if they have mounting options for cameras.
Still, on the camera, you should look out for First-Person-View (FPV) feature which is crucial when shooting videos and taking pictures while operating your drone. The FPV allows you to look at the monitor which displays live video transmitted from the quadcopter camera when controlling the drone.
Best Drones Under 200 Comparison
No products found.
No products found.
No products found.
No products found.
No products found.
No products found.
No products found.
No products found.
No products found.
No products found.
No products found.
Altitude hold-This is a must-have feature for any drone that comes with FPV or videography. Altitude hold is included in the drone to simplify flying operations and enable you to have an easy time while capturing top quality videos without necessary being a professional pilot.
Headless mode-It is the main feature that determines where the front part of the drone should face. Headless mode, also known as the carefree or rather the head free mode makes it possible to differentiate between the front and the back. Basically, there are LED lights as well as different colored propellers to enable you to tell which direction your drone is facing. When you activate the headless mode, your drone will fly in the direction where you push the transmitter stick to the face. As a beginner, this is the perfect mode for you because it eliminates the urge to constantly check the direction your drone is pointing. It also makes the flying a lot easier and safe at the same time.
Auto liftoff and the landing-Although not necessary, this feature can be very helpful if you are learning how to fly and land the drone safely.
Movable Camera-Sadly, most of the drones in this category will have stationary cameras facing forward. This is not a good idea for the videography, hence the need for a drone with a movable camera.
Controller-Some drones can be controlled using a smartphone but others come in handy with controller options to make flying the drone easier.
Battery life and flight range-Drones rely on the battery to fly. In this case, you need to consider the time it will take to fly that particular drone before the battery dies out. Some drones can fly non-stop for the duration between 7 minutes and 20 minutes before the battery runs low. For the range, different drones have different coverage in terms of meters they can fly from their initial positions. This ranges from 50 meters to 500 meters for the best drones under 200 on the market.
Best Drones Under 200 Reviews
1. MJX Bugs 3 Review
No products found.
No products found.
- GoPro camera ready
- Good flight time
- Good stability
- Fixed gimbal
- Limited advanced features
- Not for beginners
None
18 min Flight Time
4 hrs Charge
400 m Range
This drone can function as a ready to fly FPV racer, or as a entry level aerial photography drone.
This drone does not have an altitude hold mode. It has the standard low and high operating modes. There is a bright white LED installed in the nose, along with four colored LEDS at the front and back of the drone. These help to determine the drone’s orientation.
This drone features powerful brushless motors which give you the correct robustness to attach a GoPro or other sports camera. However, this drone is not strong enough of lifting a 3-axis gimbal system. The camera gimbal is fixed so the videos can have a bit of jitter. But this drone is still great for aerial photos and inspection work.
This drone does lack some advanced features such as headless mode, and one button return to home. However, what this drone does have it does well. In this case, the drone design simplicity has resulted in a more reliable product. The manual flying required for this drone does not make it a good fit for beginners.
No products found.
2. Altair AA108 Review
No products found.
No products found.
- Sleek design
- One button takeoff/landing
- Stable flight
- No camera gimbal
- Low resolution camera
- Proprietary battery
HD
8 min Flight Time
1 hr Charge
100 m Range
This drone has altitude hold, as well as a return to home function. Until the last few years, these features could only be found on more expensive GPS equipped drones.
On one battery charge, you can get up to 10 minutes of flying time. However, this is with the camera turned off. While recording video, you can expect the flight time to drop to 8 minutes.
The onboard camera has a wide 120 degree field of view, and records videos in HD 720p quality. The camera is fixed to the body without a gimbal, so there is no image stabilization. You can use the camera in FPV mode by mounting your smartphone to the controller. Using the FlyingSee app (available for Android and iOS devices), you are able to setup a wifi FPV system. Using FPV, the flight range drops to about 25m.
This drone features one button take off and landing, headless mode, and altitude hold. The drone also has three flight skill levels, which make this drone suited for pilots of all experience levels. The Altair AA108 delivers excellent flying performance at an affordable price.
No products found.
3. Potensic F181DH Review
No products found.
No products found.
- Altitude hold
- Good camera
- FPV live feed
- No return to home
- Slight FPV lag
- No camera gimbal
2 MP
10 min Flight Time
1 hr Charge
80 m Range
This drone features altitude hold which uses an air pressure sensor to hold the drone at a fixed altitude. This allows you to obtain high quality videos and photos. The one key takeoff and landing function makes the drone easier to fly for any level of pilot, and better to control.
The controller has a built-in LCD screen which allows you to view the FPV feed from the drone. This saves you the trouble of having to attach your smartphone to the controller, and setup the wifi connection to the drone.
The flight dynamics is very stable thanks to this drone’s gyroscopic flight stabilization system. The F181DH has six gyros to ensure smoothness of flight. This information is used by the flight computer to produce a highly responsive drone response.,
In the box, you get a 4 GB SD card, and an extra battery. You can expect to get about 12 minutes of flight time from one battery charge. Be sure to give the motors a rest between flights so you do not overheat and burn them out.
The F181DH is a very fun FPV drone that comes with everything that you need to start flying right away and recording quality videos right away.
No products found.
4. DBPower UDI U842 Review
No products found.
No products found.
- FPV capability
- Durable design
- Attractive look
- Affected by wind
- Mediocre prop guards
- FPV lag and stutter
HD
8 min Flight Time
150 min Charge
70 m Range
The FPV mode on this drone is made possible by attaching your smartphone to the controller. Simply install the appropriate smartphone app, and you can see what the camera sees, and receive important information such as batter levels. There is a low voltage alarm.
The headless mode feature is great for beginners. You can turn this feature off once you have gained some more flying experience. This drone does do flips at a push of a button.
The drone also has a one key return to home feature. When activated, the drone flies in a straight line directly back to you. Be sure there isn’t a large tree between you and the drone.
The drone comes with an extra battery, which is a great bonus. You can expect to get about 8 minutes of flying time per battery charge. However, when the first battery runs out, you should wait at least 10 minutes before inserting the second battery and get back to flying. This will give the motors and circuits to cool down.
This drone many features that is sure to satisfy drone pilots of all experience levels.
No products found.
5. Force1 F100 Review
No products found.
No products found.
- Responsive controls
- Very quiet motors
- Ready to fly
- No FPV feed
- Limited advanced features
- Controller pairing annoying
None
20 min Flight Time
2 hr Charge
500 m Range
To get even more performance from this drone, you can remove the camera and the landing legs for some extra power and speed.
The F100 does come with an extra battery to increase your flying time fun. Be sure to give the motors a 10 minute rest between flights so you don’t burn them out. This drone comes with a 7.4V 1800 mAh 2S batter. If you want more power, you can add a 3S battery.
The camera mount does not include a 3-axis stabilized gimbal, so you will not produce perfectly smooth videos. However, the drone is strong enough to support the mounting of a camera and gimbal system.
The very quiet motors make this drone suitable for filming weddings and sporting events. This drone does not come with an FPV feed, but you can buy a small camera/transmitter kit and install it yourself.
This drone is not intended for amateur flyers, which is why it does not have a headless mode. However, this is very high performing drone and will allow you to capture some amazing aerial photos and videos.
No products found.
6. Holy Stone HS300 Review
No products found.
No products found.
- High definition camera
- Very quiet operation
- Responsive controls
- Long battery charge
- Slightly bulky
- Weak propellers
5 MP
15 min Flight Time
3 hr Charge
150 m Range
This drone is on the heavier side, so It is no surprise that the included battery is a 7.4V S2 2000 mAh LiPo. You can expect a flight time of 15 minutes without the camera active, and 10 minutes when you are streaming video. Also, the more aggressively you fly, the more you will reduce the flight time.
The range of this drone is 150m of responsive lag-free operation. This is sufficient for most people who are starting out with aerial photography.
The included 1080p 5 megapixal camera allows you to capture stunning aerial footage. This drone has a basic vibration dampening mount that helps to remove image motion jitter. This allows for very smooth and professional looking videos. Included is a 4GB micro SD card which is the storage for your recordings. You do need to attach your smartphone to the controller to watch the FPV video feed from the drone.
Sadly, this drone does not have GPS functionality, but this is asking for too much given its price point. It does have one touch return to home, and altitude hold.
The Holy Stone HS300 is a ready to fly video drone that will deliver excellent images and videos.
No products found.
7. Potensic F183DH Review
No products found.
No products found.
- FPV live stream
- Altitude hold mode
- Extra battery
- No headless mode
- No camera gimbal
- Basic controller
2 MP
10 min Flight Time
1 hr Charge
100 m Range
This drone has FPV functionality and comes with an LCD screen that fits into the controller. This saves you from having to attach your smartphone, and configure the wifi connection to the drone.
The onboard camera is a 2 megapixel 720p sensor which is slightly on the low end of performance, but the FPV mode is supported by a 5.8 GHz transmission which will prevent most video lag. There is no camera gimbal, so there is very little in the way of motion stabilization. Video is recorded onboard the drone using a 4GB data card, while the live FPV stream is transmitted to your controller.
This drone does not come with a headless mode, so it is not very beginner friendly. If you have not flown a drone before, you may want to practice on a cheaper model before moving up to the F183DH.
The altitude hold mode allows you to hover the drone in place, and obtain more stable video and images. The one key takeoff and landing makes it easy to get the drone into the air.
Overall, the Protensic F183DH is an excellent drone that flies very well. The balance of flight performance and available features is why this is featured on my best drones under 200 list.
No products found.
8. Force1 U49C Review
No products found.
No products found.
- HD Camera
- Stable and durable
- Extra battery included
- Low flight time
- Range can be better
- Thrust can be improved
2 MP
15 min Flight Time
80 min Charge
70 m Range
The flight time is rather impressive. Most quadcopter in this price bracket only manage to reach a 10 minute flight time. This drone kit comes with an extra battery, and some extra motors as well. So this gives you a full 30 minutes of flight time. Be sure to give the quadcopter a 10 minute rest between flights. This is to reduce wear on the motors. On the off chance, you do burn out a motor, you can simply use one of the included spares to make repairs and get back into the air.
The included 720p HD camera is better than most other drones in this price bracket. The camera certainly can’t compete with other high-end drones, but it does take decent videos and images. Be sure to keep the drone stable and fly slowly to get the best videos. This drone does not have FPV capability.
This drone features a design that resembles the 818A. The fixed propeller guards do a good job of protecting the blades from the eventual impacts with trees and walls. The downside is that the prop guards catch the wind making this drone not robust to flying in windy environments.
Overall the U49C is a stable and durable drone that you will have a lot of fun flying.
No products found.
9. Hubsan X4 502S Review
No products found.
No products found.
- GPS navigation
- Follow me mode
- FPV drone feed
- Brushed motors
- Low resolution camera
- No prop guards
2 MP
10 min Flight Time
40 min Charge
250 m Range
The affordability of this drone is driven by the fact that it uses brushed motors and a 720p camera. This drone features a follow me mode, return to home, and anti-signal loss protection. The minimalist, modern design of this drone makes it very pleasing to the eye. It is very light, but has a durable build quality.
This drone comes equipped with a 720p camera mounted in its nose. The resultant videos are mostly jitter free. The FPV feed is smooth with a barely noticeable amount of lag. If you fly close to the maximum range, you can see this effect.
The controller has a 4.3” LCD screen that has a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. It’s not fantastic, but it does the job. It displays the FPV feed from the drone in a clear manner, and has other useful flight information such as battery levels, GPS position, altitude and the heading.
This drone also has altitude hold which allows you to focus more on the video capture instead of flying. The follow me mode is a great feature for taking a video of you while you are doing something sporty.
You won’t be disappointed by this drones affordable follow me functionality, along with its decent camera quality.
No products found.
10. Eachine Racer 250 Review
No products found.
No products found.
- Fun to fly
- Secure battery compartment
- Tiltable FPV camera
- Complicated setup process
- No radio or receiver
- Limited to 3S battery
2 MP
14 min Flight Time
60 min Charge
1.5 km Range
Don’t judge this drone by its packaging or its looks. It’s designed to fly very fast, which it does very well. This drone is a plug and fly model. You need to attach your own receiver and configure your radio before it is ready to fly.
This drone comes with everything needed to fly except for a radio and receiver. This drone includes a video transmitter with an on-screen display, and a cloverleaf antenna. Once you have configured the drone, you are ready to take it for its first flight. You will also want to have a set of FPV goggles handy to get the full FPV flying experience.
This drone is a great step towards making FPV racing affordable. However, the complex configuration can put off someone not used to handling drone components.
You can expect to get about 14 minutes of flying time, but expect to take an hour to charge the battery. A few extra batteries are a must for a racing drone such as this. You can fly this drone out to a distance of 1.8 km before losing control signal.
If you are looking for a fast flying drone to get a taste of FPV drone racing, then the Eachine Racer 250 is a good choice for you.
No products found.
Best Drones Under 200 Infographics
Best Drones Under 200 Summary
As the technology improves, so does the quality of drones and ultimately, their availability made easier for anyone interested to buy them. Most significantly, you need to learn rules and regulations governing the use of drones in your home area before buying and starting to use them. Otherwise, drones are quite enjoyable flying objects if you know which is the best drone under 200 for you.
Summary
Drones are not as nearly as expensive as they were a few years ago. This review presents the ten best drones under 200 dollars that are fun to fly. Quadcopters in this category are not toys and have many advanced features such as GPS, improved cameras, and highly stable flight controllers. Also, they are fun to fly.
Related Posts
The Ten Best Cheap Drones for Beginners
Drone Repair and Maintenance Tips You Need to Know
Global Upcoming Drone Applications
The Quadcopter Parrot Bebop Review
The Quadcopter Holy Stone HS170 Review
The Best Selfie Drones – Portable and Affordable
The Quadcopter Hubsan X4 Review
The Quadcopter Syma X5HW Review
How to Fly a Drone Quadcopter
The Quadcopter DJI Spark Review
