Top 5 Best Budget Drones in 2025
Here are the best drones based on design, ease of use, camera quality, durability and flight time.
Taking to the skies has never been simpler thanks to the best drones. Modern quadcopters can capture some amazing images and movies and are quite easy to fly. Additionally, whether you’re a vlogger, cameraman, or just looking to have some fun, there is a drone out there to fit almost every purpose and budget.
My name is Nikita, and I have been doing aerial photography for years. I am also a qualified drone pilot and a reviews writer. Together, we have more hours of drone testing experience at Tom’s Guide than we can remember.
The DJI Air 3S is, in my opinion, the best drone available. Although not much has changed from the Air 3, its dual-camera setup allows for even better stills and stunning 4K video with excellent low-light performance. However, you will have to register it with the FAA due to its weight. I gave the DJI Mavic 4 Pro a 5-star rating because of its 100MP sensor and 6K/60fps capabilities, but it’s the greatest camera drone overall because it’s hefty and expensive.
There are many factors to take into account while purchasing a drone, such as flying duration and intended use. This is where our guide is useful. We have tested the handling, controllers, endurance, camera quality, and other aspects of all the best models. Our top choices for drone pilots of all backgrounds are listed below.
Table of Contents
Best overall
1. DJI Air 3S
Best mini drone
2. DJI Mini 4 Pro
Best camera drone
3. DJI Mavic 4 Pro
Best for beginners
4. DJI Flip
Best budget
5. DJI Neo
1. DJI Air 3S
One of my favorite drones is the DJI Air 3S. I had fun trying it, and I hardly ever leave home without it now. It’s the perfect drone for photographers, video producers, trip vloggers, and even fun-seeking fans. During testing, I was really impressed by its capacity to record 4K/60 fps video, take RAW pictures, and shoot in D-Log M to capture a larger dynamic range.
The Air 3S provides a wide range of creative options with the enhanced capability of shooting 4K/120fps slow motion film and even 9×16 video for social media. A 50MP wide-angle camera and a 48MP medium tele camera with a 9x zoom make up the dual camera setup. Additionally, this drone has cutting-edge return-to-home technologies and next-generation smart obstacle avoidance that function even in places without satellite signals.
Additionally, the Air 3S surpasses its predecessor, the Air 3, with 10-bit D-Log M video recording and an enhanced 42GB internal memory.
The Air 3S performed exceptionally well in our tests, handling winds of up to 12 m/s and producing excellent still and video images, particularly in low light. The footage that was produced was incredibly stable. Flying was also a breeze thanks to the RC-2’s responsive controller. Compared to the $2,199 Mavic 3 Pro, the $1,099 Air 3S is a more cost-effective choice with comparable features. The Fly More package, which includes a shoulder backpack and extra batteries, is also quite affordable. However, because the Air 3S weighs more than 249g, you will need to register with the CAA in the UK and the FAA in the US. To find the most recent flight limitations, it’s also helpful to download the DJI Fly app.
All things considered, the Air 3S is a feature-rich, high-performance drone that is ideal for anyone wishing to record aerial footage of a professional caliber.
2. DJI Mini 4 Pro
The DJI Mini 4 Pro is a stepping up from the DJI Mini 2 and Mini 3, but it has a more sophisticated camera. Ingeniously, the camera on the DJI Mini 4 Pro can rotate 90 degrees, making it easier to take vertical photos and videos, which is great if you want to record the whole skyscraper or want something that’s easier to share on social media. It’s also very good at tracking moving subjects, and with the help of additional object detection sensors, it can avoid objects like trees as it follows you around you.
The most recent model in the series is exceptional because it performs better in low light and produces useable footage without the noise and grain that other drones produce. The controls feel more responsive than ever because to its 1080p 60fps transmission, which is further enhanced by the fact that it has the greatest video transmission feed of any drone to date.
3. DJI Mavic 4 Pro
The DJI Mavic 4 Pro is the only drone we’ve rated so highly (so far). It’s the most powerful consumer drone yet, and the greatest camera drone money can buy. The Mavic 4 Pro, which has three cameras (100MP Hasselblad, 50MP Tele, and 48MP Medium Tele), produces beautiful images with accurate color reproduction. It’s essentially a winged Hasselblad.
When it comes to photography and videography, the Mavic 4 Pro excels. With its Hasselblad camera, it’s the first DJI consumer drone capable of capturing 6K/60fps video in addition to 4K/60fps horizontal and vertical and FHD/60fps video.
In addition to having a microSD card slot, the Mavic 4 Pro has 64GB of internal storage (or 512GB if you buy the Creator Combo). The Creator Combo bundle also includes the new DJI RC Pro 2 controller, which makes flying easier. It has a 7-inch mini LED touchscreen with a brightness of 2000 nits, which is incredibly bright. Rotating the controller’s screen at a 90° angle also rotates the drone’s gimbal if you want to shoot vertically, eliminating the need to manually switch between settings.
4. DJI Flip
Among the drones we’ve evaluated, the DJI Flip is arguably the most user-friendly and offers an excellent mix between features and cost. You get 48MP photos, 4K/60fps video, and a variety of shooting and filming settings for less than $500.
Since the Flip only has forward-facing obstacle avoidance, there is a lower likelihood of damaging the props if you run into something, which is a real possibility, than with most of DJI’s other drones because its rotors are protected by guards. That’s better than the Mini 3, which has no protection, but not as good as the Mini 4 Pro, which has 360 degrees.
Its little size is what we adore. The Flip resembles a Star Wars droid because its rotors fold into the body, just like the HoverAir X1 Pro / ProMax. Additionally, the prop guards keep items safe while in your bag.
The Flip’s video performance was on par with the more expensive DJI Mini 4 Pro. The colors and detail in the video we captured astounded us. The Flip’s flight time, while is still a respectable 31 minutes, is significantly less than that of the Mini 3, which can last for over an hour thanks to its longer battery. This is a concession to the Flip’s cheaper pricing.
5. DJI Neo
The DJI Neo should be on your radar if you’re on a tight budget but still want a drone that captures stunning images and stunning video. The Neo has a ton of professional features for a drone that is meant for beginners. It is ideal for travel because it is incredibly portable and small.
The Neo is very simple to fly and control with the RC-N3 controller or even just the DJI Fly app on your smartphone. However, it lacks object avoidance, so we had to exercise more caution when flying this drone than with some other DJI models, such as the Mini 4, which do. However, obstacle avoidance is expensive, so we wouldn’t anticipate it on a low-cost drone.
With the help of DJI’s sophisticated stabilizing algorithm, the Neo, a tiny but powerful drone, was able to record 4K video at 30 frames per second and take detailed stills during every one of our flights. It does not, however, have a true 3-axis gimbal, as the Mini 3 does.
The Quick Transfer feature enables you to swiftly download the video to your phone, but it lacks an SD card slot, so you must rely on the 22GB of internal storage, which is another difference from DJI’s other drones. Finally, the Neo’s flying length of roughly 18 minutes is about half that of DJI’s other drones, but considering the low cost and excellent video this drone captures, all of these are reasonable concessions.