Drones under $200 - Ultimate Table Comparison
Let's compare the best drones under $200 in a table (the best one you've seen) and also see which one is better for a certain job (like the best camera, range or battery life).
Finding a good quality drone for under $200 can be a difficult task, as you are not in the more professional budget area yet. However, I've narrowed down the selection to include only high-quality brushless drones with 2 or 3-axis gimbal stabilization, which offer much better footage and overall quality compared to standard toy drones.
In this article, you will find a comprehensive table comparison and ranking of the best drones in this price category. You will also learn what to look for when selecting a drone.
If you're in a hurry chose one of the 3 presented down below, and prioritise the first one, as it's the best camera drone in this price range.
Buying a drone under $200 means you'll have some limitations, but if you follow the main guidelines below you'll be able to cover the most important specs in a camera of this price.
Here are the most important things to look for in a drone under $200:
You'll find the footage score (made by me) in the table below it's very important as it's an evaluation based on a lot of experience, taking into account everything in terms of camera, from stabilization, jello effect, resolution, and general overall quality.
Recently, drones under $200 have started to get 2 and 3-axis stabilized gimbals, some better than others. However, make sure you get one with a gimbal as it will make the biggest difference in the overall image.
The live feed (camera) range can be shorter than the one for the controller, and most manufacturers advertise the controller range, which is kinda useless since you'll mainly fly as far as you can see on the live feed.
Most drones in this price range advertise 4k, but they're in fact 1080p or 2k drones that only take 4k photos. In the table below I make the distinction between these two numbers.
Let's compare the best drones under $200 in a table (the best one you've seen) and also see which one is better for a certain job (like the best camera, range or battery life).
| Drone | Price | Footage Score | Battery life | FPV Range | Video Res | Photo Res | Gimbal | Jello | GPS | Return Home | EIS | Brushless | Foldable | Obstacle avoidance | Follow me | Weight | Orbit Mode | Waypoints |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eachine Ex4 Pro | Check Price | 7 | 25 min | 3 km | 2k | 4k | 3 axis | no | GPS | yes | no | yes | yes | no | yes | 435g | yes | yes |
| kf101 | Check Price | 7 | 30 min | 1.2 km | 2k | 2k | 3 axis | no | GPS | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | yes | 578g | yes | yes |
| Kaione Pro max | Check Price | 6 | 25 min | 1 km | 4k | 8k | 3 axis | some jello | GPS | yes | yes | yes | yes | optional | yes | 280g | yes | no |
| SG906 pro 2 | Check Price | 6 | 28 min | 0.8 km | 2k | 4k | 3 axis | some jello | GPS GLONASS | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | yes | 552g | yes | yes |
| JJRC X17 | Check Price | 6 | 30 min | 0.8 km | 2.7k | 5k | 2 axis | no | GPS | yes | no | yes | yes | no | yes | 500g | yes | yes |
| ZLL SG108 PRO | Check Price | 6 | 25 min | 0.8 km | 2k | 4k | 2 axis | some jello | GPS | yes | no | yes | yes | no | yes | 278g | yes | no |
| KF102 | Check Price | 5 | 25 min | 1.2 km | 2k | 4k | 3 axis | some jello | GPS | yes | no | yes | yes | no | yes | 332g | yes | |
| SG907 MAX | Check Price | 4 | 25 min | 0.8 km | 2k | 4k | 3 axis | some jello | GPS | yes | no | yes | yes | no | yes | 309g | yes | yes |
| mjx bugs 19 | Check Price | 4 | 22 min | 0.3 km | 4k | 4k | None | some jello | GPS | yes | no | yes | yes | no | no | 245g | no | no |
| LYZRC L106 PRO | Check Price | 4 | 25 mins | 0.8 km | 2k | 4k | 2 axis | some jello | GPS GLONASS | yes | no | yes | yes | no | yes | 329g | yes | no |
Keep in mind that you shouldn't expect high-level camera drones like some of the newer DJI models. If you think you can expand your budget a bit, I recommend you check out my top drones under $500 list, or my latest comparison between the Mavic Mini, Mavic Air and Fimi X8 ( all great camera drones).
If you want to get stable camera footage, good quality video, and no shaking or jello it can be quite hard to figure out with one of these drones under $200 have the best camera, as the differences can be immense. Fortunately, I made a detailed comparison between the footage of all and reached a conclusion.
The best camera drone under $200 is the KF 101, which comes with a 3-axis gimbal, GPS, and a 30-minute battery life. The footage is considerably sharper and better stabilized than most others.
Battery life is important for getting enough time to film as long as you want or explore without fear, and fortunately, drones under $200 have improved a lot in this area.
The longest battery life drone under $200 is the JJRC X17, which can fly for 30 minutes in perfect conditions and 25 minutes in normal conditions. It comes with a 11.1V 2850mAh battery and efficient brushless motors.
The KF 101 is also a drone with a long-lasting flight, but the JJRC X17 has the edge as the battery is a bit larger.
Most drones under $200 have similar ranges, around 1km usually, as they use the same 5g wifi technology however, there is an exception on this list that makes it to the top.
The Longest Range Drone under $200 is the Eachine Ex4 Pro which can fly for up to 3 km away and return back home in case of a lost signal. Buying the pro version gives you 3 km compared to the 1 km of the standard version.
If you want, there are also lots of ways to improve your drone's range with a minimum investment on your part.
If Photos are your main concern, then you should know that these drones also differ a lot, yet there's one that made quite a huge difference in my opinion.
The best photography drone under $200 is the SG906 Pro 2, using a 4k camera and takes very sharp photos which are even better than the footage it can take.
These are my top drones under $200 ranked in a list that's easy to understand and with more details about each one of them.
All these quadcopters are super high quality and you can’t really go wrong. It’s up to you to decide!
2k
30 min
1.2 km
3 axis gimbal
PROS
CONS
The KF 101 takes the spot for the best camera drone $200 can buy and it comes with a range of amazing features like Brushless motors, stable flight thanks to the GPS and optical sensors, and a 30-minute battery life.
The battery life is in fact closer to 25 minutes in real life (as all manufacturers mention the flight time in perfect scenarios).
Another way this drone stands out is the controller, which is quite well made, comes with an LCD screen that shows distance, height, range, and how much battery is left.
The app is also one of the better out there, very similar to DJI ones and it doesn't feel cheap at all.
2k
28 min
0.8 km
3 axis
PROS
CONS
One of the most popular drones in this price category, and for a good reason, the SG906 Beast has a stunning camera, especially good for photography, and a 3-axis gimbal for stabilizing the footage.
While there are some jello effects in the video, it's nothing that can impede a lot with the footage quality.
It is more stable in the air compared to similarly priced drones because it has 2 satellite systems, including GPS and GLONASS, the Russian system.
The drone also comes with a follow-me option that works pretty well and a headless mode, which is especially useful for beginners.
2k
30 min
3 km
3 axis
PROS
CONS
The Eachine Ex4 Pro is the newer version with an improved range and is probably one of the best camera drones you can buy for this price. The only drawback I see is that you can't really find it on sites like Amazon, but you can usually find it on aliexpress.
It's a tiny and lightweight drone with a 3 axis gimbal that comes with quite a spectacular battery life and usability.
2.7k
30 min
0.8 km
2 axis
PROS
CONS
The JJRC X17 is a very solid drone made for long-time flights and it certainly doesn't disappoint in terms of camera quality.
It comes with regular flight modes like orbit mode, waypoints, and even follow me, and is just as good as any on this list in terms of flight. It's easy to use and that's why I highly recommend it.
4k
25 min
1 km
3 axis
PROS
CONS
If you're looking for a drone that can stop when it encounters obstacles in front, the Kaione comes with obstacle-detecting sensors that are optional when you buy it.
Otherwise, it's a great 3-axis stabilized gimbal drone under $200 and comes with the regular GPS, return to home, and even higher resolution than the others on this list, 4k for video and 8k for photos. But don't let that get to you, other things are more important.
2k
25 min
0.8 km
2 axis
PROS
CONS
Another drone that made it on the top of my list, this time with the advantage of being lightweight. This can help with transportation a lot and even though it has a 2-axis gimbal, the footage is pretty decent for the price still.
1080p
22 min
0.3 km
none
PROS
CONS
Consider buying the MJX Bugs 19 drone for its affordable price, GPS positioning, long flight time, and smooth brushless motor. While it has a few limitations, it provides excellent value for its price and is suitable for both beginners and experienced drone pilots.
2k
25 min
0.8 km
3 axis
PROS
CONS
One of the most popular drones from my list which you can buy on amazon, the SG 907 is one of the cheaper ones if your budget is really tight, yet offers some of the best features you can find in the other quadcopters too, like GPS, return to home and a 3 axis gimbal.
2k
25 min
0.8 km
2 axis
PROS
CONS
Let's see some more speciffic details about the best drones under $200 and how to choose a drone in general.
Having a drone under 250 grams is easier to carry and doesn't require registration, but is there such a drone under $200?
The best drone under 250 grams and under $200 is the MJX Bugs 19 which comes in a foldable format, with brushless motors and no gimbal.
Obstacle avoidance is a feature of more expensive drones, yet even so I found one that has a similar option even at this price range.
The Kaione Pro Max is the best drone with obstacle avoidance under $200 and it comes with an obstacle sensor mounted on top which can make the drone stop before hitting an object.
Checking a drone’s battery life will help you make calculated decisions about when and where to operate it. The least thing you’d want is to see your drone crashing in the sea because you were not aware of how long its battery could last.
Luckily, most drones show a live battery indicator and also come with the option to return to home on low battery or loss of signal (at least that's the case with the drones I recommend in this article).
Another thing you should consider is the drone’s range, as it depends on what you plan to do with the drone.
I have also compiled my ultimate list with long range drones, if you want to focus more on this specific trait.
The range of a drone can greatly vary depending on the wifi interference, whether you bought it from Europe (CE mode has lower range usually) or USA(typically the best range).
The return to home feature usually comes with any GPS drone (which all on this list are).
It's helpful in many situations, however, the most prevalent ones are:
The "home" point is nothing else but the spot where you first launched your drone from.
I also made a list of my favorite Return To Home Drones, and they are sorted by price, so you can pick the best one for your budget.
Most drones that come with GPS will not only hover steadily in the air but also have the RTH option and usually a few flight modes too, like circle around, waypoints, and so on.
Proper image stabilization in a camera drone is probably the most important factor you should look for if you want to take great photos and videos that are not shaky.
I had to update this article for 2023 as some new drones have been released, that strangely enough actually come with 3-axis gimbals at prices as low as this.
You'll find all of them on this list.
As a side note, if you want to learn more about what drones are, check out my article on the types of drones out there .
Become an FAA-Certified Drone Pilot
Use the code DRONESGATORÂ for $50 offÂ
