Silent drones - Top quadcopters rated by noise level
I'f you're interested in silent drones, there's more than the decibels that you should be looking for, but that's a pretty good start.
If you're looking not to get yourself annoyed or be a bother to other people when flying, the pitch of the noise is something you should also take into consideration.
In this article we'll have a look at some of the most popular drones from DJI and how noisy they are, along with a suggestion for a cheaper GPS camera drone that had the most pleasant sound I ever heard in a drone.
Propellers
There are many things that matter, but the most importat are:
- prop pitch (inclination of the blade)
- if the ends are tipped (dji silent propellers)
- size
Motors
Motors can be either brushed or brushless, on this list there will only be brushless motors, as they tend to be more silent and higher quality.
Speed of rotation
If the propellers are bigger and they spin slower, the sound is going to be more pleasant and less bee-like.
DJI Drones noise levels compared
The drones on this list won't be only DJI, but this table and video from WeTalkUAV might help you figure out exactly how to diferentiate between drone sound levels.
Bellow there's gonna be my top 2 recommendations if you don't have the time to research further.
One of them is the most silent cheap gps drone I've ever tested, good for beginners and hobbyists.
And the other is a more expensive professional drone that's more silent than anything else you can find currently on the market.
Don't forget that for drones over 250grams you need to register your drone.
Dji Mavic Pro Platinum
- Silent propellers (and optimized motor rotation)
- 4k camera
- 3 axis gimbal
- foldable design
- 23 min battery life
- 7km max distance
70 Decibels (at 1m distance)
Funsky 913
- 1080p camera
- silent propellers (special design made for racing drones)
- brushless motors
- great build quality
- GPS
- compact size
68 Decibels (at 1m distance)
Noise
70 decibels
Range
4.1 mi (7 km)
Camera
4k – 3 axis stabilization
Silent propellers
Yes
Mavic Pro Platinum is a slight change from the original Mavic Pro, that can fly for 2 minutes longer, has a platinum color and of course, silent propellers.
The original DJI Mavic is one of my favorite drones that I still recommend to this day, as one of the better camera drones you can buy.
Thing is, you can't entirely reproduce how silent the mavic Platinum flies by just adding some silent propellers to the Mavic Pro.
DJI has made slight tweaks in the design, motor and ESC specs so the battery is used more effectively and the drone flies smoother and with less noise.
Reasons you should buy it
- If you want the quietest camera drone from DJI
- If you don't want to worry about losing signal a few houndred meters away
- Long battery life and a pleasant sound compared to other drones
- Use it professionally at events without annoying people
Reasons you shouldn't
- If you only want a beginner drone to fly and have fun in your spare time
Noise
68 decibels
Range
300m
Camera
1080p -no stab
Silent propellers
Yes
The Funsky 913 surprised me a lot with its super silent propellers and motors and it's really low price makes it so worth buying.
Of course, this drone is more in the hobby/beginner category, but for a budget under $200, this is one of the best choices you can make.
It does come with solid GPS and a really REALLY good build.
The plastic it's made from feels fantastic and the 1080p camera actually can deliver some usable footage.
It isn't stabilized, but as you can see in my video review bellow, you can definitely stabilize in post processing and end up with a nice final shot.
Reasons you should buy it
- Precise Return to home
- The most silent drone I ever heard
- Extremely good quality build makes it feel professional
- Small frame and transmitter means you can take it anywhere with you
Reasons you shouldn't
- If you want a more expensive drone with a gimbal for image stabilization
Noise
72 decibels
Range
5 miles – 8km
Camera
4k – 3 axis stab
Silent propellers
Yes
Both Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom are really some of the best drones you can buy right now for professional photos and video.
However, this drone also makes for one of the most quiet drones I have ever flown, and that's exactly the reason why this is my main use drone.
The propellers come with a silent design from the package and the noise of the motors is lower pitched and considerably more pleasant than even smaller drones like the Mavic Air.
Being just slightly louder than the Mavic Platinum, this deserves a really good spot on this list, as it comes with a lot of features that you might be interested in like:
- huge range of over 8km
- almost halv an hour battery life
- either zoom camera or 1 inch sensor
- great night time photo and video
- sensors for obstacles in almost every direction
Reasons you should buy it
- Pleasant sound, if you don't want to annoy people at events you're filming at
- it's basically uncrashable thanks to all the sensors
- Get reliable footage even in low light conditions
- Very precise return to home in case signal is lost
Reasons you shouldn't
- If you're not making money or planning to make money with a drone soon.
Noise
74 decibels
Range
300m
Camera
Gopro or 1080p included
Silent propellers
No
The Bugs 3 also known as the Force F100 on amazon (being the same drone with slightly different designs) is one of my highest rated drone especially thanks to it's REALLY low price.
This drone can also come in the package with an included action camera made specially for it. With that you can see the live feed directly on your phone through the included app.
However, I find this to be really nice to use with a GoPro, as the footage you can get from a drone that's under $100 is going to be quite impressive.
It has brushless motors, which is amazing for this price range and somehow it's really silent and I love it for that fact.
It is indeed considerably bulkier than the others on this list, but it's more than capable to carry your camera and the build quality is outstanding.
Reasons you should buy it
- If you already have an action camera or gopro
- Probably the best drone for this price range
- If you want a powerful drone to carry a heavier object
- Doing stunts and flips with it
Reasons you shouldn't
- If you care a lot about portability (this one is pretty big, but can fit in a backpack)
Phantom 4/ Pro – 80 dB
The phantom series has always been very noisy so when the Mavic was released, people were amazed by how non invasive it was compared to the old quadcopter model.
Inspire 1 and 2 -83 db
This drone is on a whole different professional level, but even so, you must take into account that it's a huge and very noisy drone.
Mavic Air – 76 db
Even if it's smaller compared to the standard Mavic, this drone makes quite an annoying high pitched sound.
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