Best Drones Under $1000 in 2019- my top 7
Drones under $1000 are already in a price category that leaves room for a lot of quality and more advanced technology.
I’m talking about obstacle avoidance sensors, zoom lenses, better GPS accuracy, better builds and so on.
The drones on this list are the best I could find in between $500 and $1000 mainly. There are also DJI alternatives on this list that are very capable quadcopters and that you shouldn’t overlook just because DJI has the monopoly on the market.
Until now, we’ve seen that you need to make compromises when it comes to buying camera drones that are priced lower, in the $100 to $300 range, but on this list there’s very little compromise to be made and they are all already professional grade drones with very capable stabilized cameras and useful flight modes.
Transmitter
The transmitter at this price range might be the most notable difference sometimes, as some may come with screens included, others may just connect to the phone. Portability is also an important factor.
Battery life
Battery life is definitely something you should take note of, as the longer you can keep the drone in the air, the less worry you’ll have that you might miss a certain event.
Range
I’ve written an article regarding long range drones, but most on this list can go for a few kilometers, so no worries here.
Build Quality
Foldable drones are preferred, thanks to the better portability, but make sure the build itself is top notch, as that’s what you deserve at this price. All the drones I chose are top quality builds, so no worries.
Camera
This is probably where you’ll make the most difference between the drones, depending on what quality you need, how many fps and if you want it to zoom in or not and much more.
This table is not necesarily ordered by what’s the best one, as I tried to put a variety of different quadcopters that can appeal to a wider audience. Therefore make sure you choose what you like best, as they’re all pretty much in the same range of quality.
| Product | Battery life | Range | Camera | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | DJI Mavic Air – 4k compact drone for everyone | $10.00 | ||||
 | Parrot Anafi Drone review | $520.00 | ||||
 | Dji Mavic Pro 1 – Still a good drone in 2019? | $885.00 | ||||
 | Xiaomi FIMI X8 SE drone review | $499 | ||||
 | Autel EVO drone Review – The perfect DJI Mavic Alternative | $999.00 |
Battery Life
25min
Range
5000m
Camera
4k with lossless zoom
Image stabilization
3 axis gimbal
The price of the Parrot anafi is way under the price of $1000, actually I put it on my list of drones under $500 so it’s more than welcome as one of my most recommended drones with 4k camera that can even shoot upwards and even does 2 times lossless zoom.
It’s probably the cheaper alternative to the Mavic 2 Zoom, and I mean WAY cheaper.
It may not have optical sensors in front to avoid obstacles, but it still comes with the optical stabilization at bottom that helps it land better and fly more stable close to the ground.
Here are the box contents for the standard package:
- quadcopter
- drone case
- controller
- propellers (spare)
- USB C Cable
- Battery
- 16 gb micro SD card
Battery Life
23min
Range
7000m
Camera
4k
Image stabilization
3 axis gimbal
The Mavic Pro needs no introduction anymore, as it’s the pinnacle of drone technology. Lately it went down in price as the model is getting a bit older, but because now you can find it under $1000 it makes sense to still consider it a viable choice.
I have compared it with the Mavic 2 pro and the Mavic Air and it’s still a very capable drone with great camera sharpness and all the nice flight modes you’re used to.
The foldable design and many accessories available for it make it a great choice that’s also pretty portable.
It was top of the game not so long ago, so you know it can still be successfully used in professional photo and video settings easily.
I am really impressed by the build quality of these drones compared to what the chinese have been releasing lately.
Battery Life
23min
Range
4000m
Camera
4k
Image stabilization
3 axis gimbal
mavic air is trully a drone with impressive technology and flight sensors that makes you think how did they manage to fit so much stuff in such a small package.
The image quality is stellar, on par with the Mavic Pro, but you’re getting everything in an even smaller and more modern package.
There are even more flight modes, combined to what the DJI Spark had, this makes it one of the more complete drones under $1000 with almost no compromise.
Battery Life
30min
Range
5000m
Camera
4k (2.7k in 60p)
Image stabilization
3 axis gimbal
As you can see above, I underlined the fact that this drone is unique though the fact that it shoots 2.7k in 60p. Which is something I wanted for a long time considering I usually shoot in 2.7k anyway.
The drone and controller are both very well made, typical for Xiaomi and the app is also pretty good too.
A thing about this drone, although it may look like it has optical flow sensors in front, it in fact doesn’t.
But the Fimi does come with optical flow sensors underneath to better hold its position in the air.
The only downside of this drone is that the gimbal doesn’t have any ground clearance and you have to launch it from a plane surface.
Otherwise, it’s flight modes are all working great, and the gimbal does an extremely good job overall.
