When drones first came out they were expensive. You’d have to be willing to spend upwards of $1000 to own one. But, as with all technologies, the pricing has plummeted. You can now own a drone for less than $50.
Of course, the quality of a $50 drone isn’t much when compared to drones in the $1000 range. But by finding the best drone under $50 you can learn how to fly one, let your kids learn too, and slowly progress your drone skills so when you do go for a more expensive one, you’ll be able to fly them with ease.
At A Glance: Our Top 3 Drones Under 50
In this article, we dig into the details of the best drones under $50 on the market today, so you can find the best one to start your droning career with.
Best Camera Drone
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![]() | Best For Beginners
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Best Of The Best
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The Holy Stone HS370 FPV Drone is the perfect drone for anyone wanting to get into drone photography.
The drone comes with a 720P HD camera so you can aerial videos and photos while learning how to control it. It’s quite an easy drone to fly. There’s a single button that makes it take off and land, making the tricky parts as easy as possible.
Once flying, you can draw a path for the drone to follow, use altitude mode to keep it flying at the same height for great pictures, and when you’re done, hit the return key and it’ll come back to you.
With a range of 60 meters and a 24 minute flight time, you can keep it in the air for long enough to take some good shots and learn to fly it like a pro. You can even hit the 360 flip buttons for it to do some acrobatics.
The video does work in real-time but the connection can drop out quite often. And, while you can use it outside, it doesn’t like the wind so stick to calmer days.
The batteries also take a while to charge (40 mins) but overall it’s an excellent drone for under $50, and the perfect place to start your drone photography career.
The EACHINE E010 Mini Quadcopter Drone is a flying drone without a camera and is the best drone under 50 for anyone, kids or adults, to learn with.
The drone is easy to control for anyone to learn with and it can be used indoors and outdoors, so a learner can slowly progress into an open environment. It has multiple modes for a learner to get their head around, just like a full-size drone would. You have 3 speeds to choose from, low, medium, and fast so you can progress slowly.
You can engage compass mode that makes the drone change direction when you change the direction of the remote for easier control. Once you’re a bit more confident, hitting 3D flip mode will let you start doing tricks so you can really master how to fly these things with immense skill.
It has a small range of 30 meters and a limited flight time of 5 minutes, but it does tend to last a bit longer in practice. There is a home button too, so you never lose it.
The best thing about this drone is its durability. You can keep crashing it and it’ll keep working, ideal for beginners.
The HUBSAN X4 H107L 2.4G 4CH Mini RC Drone is one of the best drones under 50 for beginners and experts alike. If you’re looking for a first drone to take you to pro-level, this might just be it.
The Hubsan drone lets you pick what capacity you want it to fly at. You can choose between 60% at beginner level and up it all the way to 100% once become a pro. It also has an excellent flight range of up to 100 meters, so you can push your flight skills slowly towards the limits of more expensive drones.
Everything is done manually from take-offs to landings, but it does have a low-power automatic landing function so that it never crashes due to no battery. Once you have a feel for it acrobatic flying is possible. The drone has quite a lot of power when in expert mode so rolls and flips are very possible. Plus the extra power makes it good in the wind too.
Overall, this is perfect for a learner who is serious about becoming an expert. It might be a little too powerful and technical for kids though.
The Goolsky FQ17W RC Drone is another camera drone for under $50 that is great for kids and anyone who wants to learn how to do some drone photography before upgrading.
The camera isn’t the best at 0.3MP but for under $50 you can’t complain. It does let you see real-time video though so you can get the hang of taking great aerial shots.
Flying the drone couldn’t be easier thanks to its one-key take-off and landing. Once in the air, you can adjust the speed, draw a track for it to follow, and use altitude hold mode so you can get consistent aerial video. There is also a gravity induction mode that lets you fly the done left, right, forwards, and backward by simply moving the angle of the controller.
It has an 8 minute flight time and a solid range of 50 meters which is more than enough for you to get the hang of things. It’s also foldable for portability and you can squeeze it into your pocket.
Overall it’s great for beginners to drone photography but unfortunately doesn’t handle crashes well.
The SNAPTAIN H823H Mini Drone is made for kids and it’s the best drone under $50 if you’re kid wants one to play or learn with.
It’s a durable little drone that handles crashes well and the props are fully encased so no fingers are cut accidentally while it’s being handled. You can use it indoors or outside, but it does have a limited range and flying time, so indoor flights are probably best.
Flying the drone is super simple. There is one button for take-off, landing, and a home button so you’ll never lose it, or crash it during the trickiest parts of flight operation. Once in the air, you have 3 speeds to choose from and progress through as your skills improve. With its 6-Axis Gyro flying system, you can even begin learning acrobatic moves like 360 flips and rolls.
There’s also a headless mode so the drone orientates itself from your perspective so you won’t have to figure out any directional issues once it’s in the air.
Overall it’s a great starting drone for kids but it’s small and the range is limited so it’s best used inside.
There are two types of drones out there; flying and camera drones.
Flying drones are like remote-controlled aircraft. There’s no camera and they are fun to fly around and do tricks with, plus a good choice to learn with before you upgrade to an expensive camera drone.
Camera drones come with an in-built camera so you can shoot aerial photos and videos. Or simply have a camera so you can see where you’re going and when racing them around.
Make sure to pick the right kind of drone for you, and both types are featured in the reviews above.
Every drone in the world has a limited connection range between it and its remote, plus a limited battery life that governs its flight time. Make sure to check the specs of the drones you’re looking at so that you know exactly the range and flight time before purchasing to avoid any disappointment.
The connection range can be anything between 20 and 100 meters in a drone under $50, and the flight time 5-25 minutes.
The longer the range and flight time, the better for an adult, but with kids, you may want to reduce it so they don’t lose their drone.
If you’re looking for the best drone under $50, then you’re likely shopping as or for a beginner drone pilot. There is nothing more disappointing than having your new toy break on its first crash so pick one that will handle a few tumbles and last.
Things like one-key landing, take-off, and return make flying a drone and getting it back after a flight a lot easier. If you’re shopping for a beginner or child, make sure you pick a drone with these flight modes as it’ll make learning a lot easier and less frustrating.
The best drone under 50 with a camera is the Holy Stone HS370 FPV Drone. With 720p HD recording, simple flying controls, altitude hold, and a one-touch return home button, it’s the perfect drone to learn and hone your drone photography skills with.
The best drone under 50 for beginners is the EACHINE E010 Mini Quadcopter Drone. This little drone is durable and will survive the crashes of a beginner pilot plus it has all the settings needed for you to hone your flight skills. There are 3 speeds, 3D flip modes, a compass mode, and a one-button return to home function so you never lose it.
The best drone under 50 overall is the HUBSAN X4 H107L 2.4G 4CH Mini RC Drone. This drone is powerful and comes in both beginner and expert modes. There are no helpful buttons for take-off and landing, making it perfect for anyone who is serious about getting their flight skills to a pro-level. It handles the wind well, is super responsive, and has a solid range of 100 meters.