Best drones by category

Best drones for beginners

Easy, stable and forgiving drones for your first flight — with GPS, return-to-home and no FAA registration for most picks.

Best drones under $300

Real GPS camera drones that cost less than $300 — no toys.

Best drones under $500

The best camera drones you can buy for less than $500, ranked.

Best drones under 250 grams

Sub-250 g drones you can fly recreationally without FAA registration — ranked by camera, safety and value.

Best camera drones

The drones with the best image quality you can buy in the US, from travel minis to pro flagships.

Best drones for travel

Light, foldable drones that fit in a daypack and produce great vacation footage.

Best selfie drones

Drones that follow you automatically for vlogs, hikes and sports.

Best drones with obstacle avoidance

Drones that brake or fly around trees and walls — ranked by sensor coverage.

Best drones for real estate

Drones that deliver sharp, bright listing photos and smooth walkthrough video.

Drones with the longest flight time

Camera drones that stay in the air the longest per battery.