The best drones under $200 in 2020[and what to avoid]

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Best Drones under $200 in 2020 (and what to avoid)

best drones under $200 list in 2020

Looking for a good quality drone under $200 can be tough as you're not yet in the more professional budget area.

However…

In this article you'll learn about what specs to look for in a drone of this price, what to expect and what are my top picks for a few categories.

Contents
ImageNameGimbalRangeBatteryPrice
eachine-ex4-drone-thumbnail-jjrc-x121.JJRC X123 axis1000m25minCheck Price
zlrc-sg906-beast-drone-thumbnail2.ZLRC SG906 PRO2 axis500m25minCheck Price
xk-x1-drone-thumbnail3.WLtoys XK X12 axis500m18minCheck Price
jjrc-x9-heron-thumbnail4.JJRC X9 Heron2 axis400m15minCheck Price
eachine-913-thumbnail5.Funsky 913none200m16minCheck Price

What to look for in a drone under $200?

At this price, every dollar counts in getting yourself a better or worse drone and the differences can be significant.

 I'm going to cover the main features of basic camera drones, not FPV or otherwise niche quadcopters.

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).

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Image Stabilization

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 2020 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 sidenote, if you want to learn more about what drones are, check out my article on the types of drones out there .

things to know about drone gimbal stabilization
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Drone Return to home (and GPS)

drone return to home explained

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:

  • return to home on loss of signal
  • return to home on low battery power

The “home” point is nothing else but the spot where you first launched your drone from.

I also made a list with 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.

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Battery life and Range

Checking a drone’s battery life will help you make calculated decisions 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 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).

drone lipo batteries explained
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What are the Best drones in this price range?

This is a quick Ranking of my top picks for the best camera drones I’d recommend for different people with different needs, all considering your budget is under 200 dollars.

I have a more detailed review of each one bellow the article. Use the quick navigation above to get there.

This list is in order of what I consider to be better overall AND what value for money that drone has. 

All these quadcopters are super high quality and you can’t really go wrong. It’s up to you to decide!

The best under $200

  • Great GPS stability
  • 3 axis gimbal (very stable)
  • Camera Isn't fisheye
  • Comes with a great case
  • great flight time
  • 1km range
Check Price

5.SJRC F11 Pro (long range and battery life)

2k 25FPS

28min battery

1km

No image stabilization

The SJRC F11 Pro is the 2k version of the original, a drone with tons of battery life and great build quality.

It doesn't have any image stabilization however, but the image quality is quite top notch.

You can change the camera angle from the transmitter, which also happens to be quite compact.

This is a GPS drone that can return to home when signal is lost and has a visual range of about 500m (and 1km controller range).

Like all the drones on this list, it comes with powerful brushless motors, that are more durable in time. 

The foldable design and the fact that it comes with a very usable carrying case, makes it quite perfect for travel.

One small downside would be that the image has some fisheye effect to it, but that's also because of the wide angle of the lens.

When it comes to battery life, you'll be getting about 25 minutes in real life.

Check Price and reviews

Advantages

  • 2k camera
  • foldable design
  • 28 min battery life
  • Can be controlled by body signals
  • GPS locator

DISAdvantages

  • fisheye camera
  • no gimbal

4. Funsky 913(Best GPS drone under 250g)

1080p

16 min battery

200m

no gimbal

The funksy 913 must be the best beginner drone under $200 in my opinion.

It made it on this list after I tested it myself and got mind blown by its build and image quality.

The main fact I love this drone is because it's super silent (much more than any other drone I've tested).

It's small enough to fly without a permit in most countries (including USA) and it still has TONS of power.

It comes with brushless motors and some really high quality plastic.

Unfortunately you can't change the camera angle while you're flying, only before flight, but even though it doesn't come with a gimbal to stabilize it, the footage is creamy smooth.

The three bladed propellers allow it to fly quite fast, yet you can still set it up to fly slowly for taking better footage.

I found its GPS to be some of the most stable ever and the return to home is quite precise.

Check Price and reviews

Advantages

  • Small size
  • Super stable GPS
  • Great camera quality
  • micro SD card slot
  • SUPER SILENT
  • fun to fly

DISAdvantages

  • battery life isn't that amazing

3.JJRC X9 Heron ( Best selfie drone under $200)

1080p

15min

400m

2 axis gimbal

jjrc x9 heron controller

The first drone on this list with a capable 2 axis gimbal, the JJRC X9 heron is a drone that I reviewed recently and comes with some impressive specs.

It's not perfect, but the 2 axis gimbal and lightweight frame make it quite a good travel companion.

It does have an optical flow camera for better stability during flight, along with GPS.

Comes with return to home option (even in low battery).

One disadvantage would be the fact that it doesn't come with GLONASS(the russian version of GPS). This means the flight stability is a bit inferior compared to some other drones on this list.

Check Price and reviews
My complete review

Advantages

  • 2 axis stabilized video
  • good 1080p camera
  • small and lightweigth(259g)
  • optical flow camera

DISAdvantages

  • GPS is not very stable (doesn't come with GLONASS)

2.WLtoys XK X1( best camera drone under $200)

1080p

18min

500m

2 axis gimbal

The Xk X1 from WLtoys is a drone that I tried and reviewed hands on, and was really impressed with the quality of footage I got from it.

The gimbal is one of the best I saw in the industry, while the camera is not half bad either.

If you're looking for the best footage under $200, this might just be it.

You can control the camera to move up and down, but it's not that smooth, as you have to press buttons instead of using a scroll wheel.

The carrying case that it comes with is absolutely great, same quality as the actual Phantom 4, that this drone resembles.

The drone does return to home very precisely and also flies quite stable.

Check Price and reviews
My complete review

Advantages

  • Great GPS stability
  • 2 axis gimbal (very stable)
  • Great 1080p camera
  • Camera can move up and down
  • Great carrying case

DISAdvantages

  • Not foldable

1.ZLRC SG906 Pro (Best Foldable drone under $200)

1080p

25min

500m

2 axis gimbal

zlrc sg 906 pro drone

The ZLRC SG906 Pro made a huge leap from the original, just because it added a better camera and a good 2 axis gimbal.

Just like the original, it comes with a great build quality, brushless motors and great battery life.

You can use this drone for exploration, as it comes with a 50x in app zoom (you do lose quality though).

It flies super stable also thanks to its optical flow sensors underneath and GPS+GLONASS system.

The standard controlling range is 1km, but 500m is what you should expect from the visual range(FPV)

Check Price and reviews

Advantages

  • Great GPS stability
  • 2 axis gimbal (very stable)
  • Great 1080p camera
  • Camera can move up and down
  • great flight time

DISAdvantages

  • it's advertised at 4k, but in fact 1080p camera

1.Eachine Ex4 - 3 axis stabilized drone (my favorite)

1080p

25min

1000m

3 axis gimbal

The eachine ex4 is a drone I recently reviewed on youtube, and even if it's like 3 usd over $200, I think it's quite worth it. It's a super compact drone that comes with 3 axis image stabilization and a 1080p camera, a solid stable gps and a range of 1km that I tested myself. I recommend you watch the video review I did on it right here at the top.

Check Price and reviews

Advantages

  • Great GPS stability
  • 3 axis gimbal (very stable)
  • Camera Isn't fisheye
  • Comes with a great case
  • great flight time
  • 1km range

DISAdvantages

  • Dynamic range isn't great

How do you make money with your drone, though?

Okay, so you got your new and fancy drone, but how do you stand out from any dad out there who has the same drone and watched some tutorials online?

I did exactly that and barely had any success. 

But now I’m charging 5x as much as before and even have to refuse clients from time to time.

I even bought about 7 online courses… and I didn’t make much progress.

So how did I finally make it to this level?

If you want the short answer, I learned everything from this guy Alex, who’s making $200 per hour with his drone. And he’s even teaching exactly how to do that.

This is pretty much what you need to know:

how-to-make-money-with-drones

1. Make sure you have a proper drone.

If you have any of the latest DJI Drones, like the Mavic Air 2, for example, you’re ready to start making money.

No need to overthink this, but if it’s any help, check this comparison of the best camera drones compared in 2020.

types of drones

2.Learn how to create the best content to stand out

You won’t stand out from the next dad who bought a DJI drone for Cristmass in the eyes of your clients if you don’t do this.

It’s WAY more important to know what you’re doing than the gear you have.

You’ll need to learn and master the following:

  1.  
  • Flying your drone(to stand out from people with basic drone shots)
  • Preparing for the flight and weather in advance
  • Learn the best drone settings (you need a proper setup template)
  • Create the Video Script (it's way easier if you know what to shoot)
  • Have a set of great cinematic shots you know how to do
  • Know how to edit the video so it stands out
  • Learn how to color grade

This is why you HAVE to invest in a proper way to learn things (instead of watching tutorials here and there).

3.Find clients that pay 5x more than regular

But not so fast.

You won’t make a penny if you don’t know how to find your clients.

I have struggled finding clients even when my videos were getting pretty good.

Until I learned a few tricks and how to find and approach them so they won’t be able to say no.

And what’s best, I learned how to get the price I asked for.

How can you do the same?

I have tested quite a few courses online and watched tons of videos on youtube, but frankly, I have learned more from one single course than from everything else… and all that in like a weekend.

Made back the money from this investment in myself in a single week and then much more.

 

How do I learn all of this? From youtube?

You could simply go online and learn everything in terms of video from youtube, forums, facebook groups etc.

However, let me tell you, it’s the worst way to learn all of this(and the slowest).

You won’t have a Complete Step By step guide on how to do everything.

I found myself frustrated, even after I learned how to do most of the video stuff that I still lacked some knowledge and I didn’t know why my shots weren’t standing out.

I got some general promotion ideas from some articles online, but again… I didn’t have much success and was charging too little for my time.

This is exactly where I learned how to make $200 per hour with my drone (From A to Z)

This course is hold by Alex Harris, who’s an international video creator, director, and drone operator with tons of experience.

And I had a great time stealing his know-how(and greatly profited from it, lol).

I recommend you watch his video presentation bellow and check out the course sales page. It’s quite cheap, considering you’re getting 320+ minutes of everything you need to know, step by step and 80+ minutes on how to actually find the ideal clients for you.

Click Here to Get $50 off the course

I'm a big drone enthusiast, the owner of DronesGator.com and I also make weekly videos on my drone YouTube channel.

2 Comments
  1. Reply
    Chris June 13, 2020 at 6:32 pm

    Hello Paul, I’ve seen your videos about cheap drone so I decided to buy a Tello for my first but I got bored since I live at a neighbour that too windy and realised that I got the Tello for my birthday and my Mom said why didnt you get a drone which cost 190$ and then I said What? Since I didnt know she let me go that far and could just gone for the ZLRC 907 Beast since it has a gimbal and so on.. And I thought about it and this was my decision = Buy a Mavic Mini. And I agreed because why not and I could learn at a younger age for aerial photography (Im 14 btw) but mainly the Mavic Mini is expensive but does make sense due to its capabilities. Saw a Mav Mini for 400-500$ new (CE) and I have to somehow make money and when I need enough I could convince my parents to give a few more dollars to buy it. So basiclly I made a brochure in my Insta page that im starting a service for photographies in the Tello and videos(at low altitudes for better results) and any tips and would love to contact you more through emails if thats no problem.
    Sincerely,
    Chris

  2. Reply
    Br June 14, 2020 at 4:36 am

    Hey, all the links bring up Amazon, but have a lot of drones and not the one from your list. All the links do the same thing. Just wanrpted to let you know. Maybe I missed it, but I couldn’t see the video review you made of the Eachine EX4. Thanks. Just wondering, do any if these have audio. I’m looking for one that will follow, orbit, do way points and such. Do any if these have those capabilities? Thank you

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