So, you are looking for the best cheap drones? Well, you are in luck, because there are a ton of choices for you. Consumer drones have exploded in the past few years and there are drones for all budgets if you are a beginner or searching for a cool present for your kids, the following drones will be perfect for your situation.
All these drones cost less than $50 and are suitable for everyone from, kids to adults, they also weigh less than 250g (some weigh less than 100g), so you will not need to register any of them if you live in the UK, Canada of the USA.
I should note that these are just my personal recommendation for the best drones under $50, if you go to Amazon or any other major online retail store, you will see a lot more choices.
Best Cheap Drones
#1. Holy Stone HS210
The Holy Stone HS210 is a mini drone that fist in the palm of your hands. It comes with some fun features like automatic hovering, 3D flips and headless mode. It also comes with propeller guards and is a great drone for kids. The drone comes with some decent features like auto hover, headless mode and the ability to take-off and land by pressing a button on the controller. It comes with three batteries and one battery will give a flight time of around 6 minutes.
Key Features
- Mini Drone
- 3D Flips
- Headless Mode
- One Button Take-Off
- 6 Minutes Flight Time
- Suitable for Indoor Flight
#2. Simrex X300C
The Simrex X300C is one of the coolest looking drones for under $50, it’s a foldable drone with a very nice design and comes in multiple colours (my favourite is the black and white). It comes with a 720p HD camera which is pretty good for a drone under $50, the Simrex X300X also comes with FPV, altitude hold and is compatible with certain VR headsets. It’s one of the best drones under $50 on this list and is suitable for everyone.
Key Features
- 720 Camera
- FPV
- Compatible With VR Headsets
- Smart Flight Modes
- Gravity Sensor Mode
- 8 Minute Flight Time
#3. Holy Stone HS370
There are many Holy Stone drones on this list and the HS370 FPV drone is one of their best drones for under $50. I really like the overall design of this drone with its black and red colour scheme and a nice HD 720p camera on its nose. It comes with propeller guards that will minimise any damage should you crash it and has FPV, altitude hold and one button take0ff and return feature. With a flight time of around 10 minutes, this drone has one of the best flight times on this list and comes with two batteries. Its a very fun drone to fly and suitable for both kids and adults.
Key Features
- HD Camera
- FPV
- Altitude Hold
- Ambarella Video Processor
- Fly The Drone With Your Smartphone
- 10 Minute Flight Time
#4. Snaptain H823H
This is one of the most popular drones for kids, it has hundreds of reviews on Amazon and has a 4+ star rating. It’s a very tiny drone that weighs less than 100g and has a nice overall look. The propellers are encased in a plastic cage so even if you crash it, there will be hardly any damage, this also makes it suitable for kids to play with. It comes with some cool features likes 3D flips, one-button take-off and return and also has three-speed levels. A great beginner-friendly drone that is made for indoor flight.
Key Features
- Nano Drone
- Great For Indoors
- One Button Take-Off And Return
- 3D Flips
- 6 Minutes Flight Time
#5. Holy Stone HS170
The Holy Stone HS170 is one of the cheapest drones on this list, its currently selling for less than $30 on Amazon and has been one of the best-selling cheap drones for beginners for the past couple of years. It has some nice features like 360° flips, 3-speed modes and has some cool LED lights underneath each rotor arm. The drone is very lightweight so is suitable for indoor flights, a decent drone to learn how to fly.
Key Features
- Headless Mode
- LED lights
- 6-Axis Gyroscope
- 6 Minutes Flight Time
#6. Snaptain SP350
The Snaptain SP350 is very similar in design to the Holy Stone HS210, it’s a very small drone and can be classed as a nano drone. It’s suitable for kids and complete beginners and is more of an indoor drone because of its size and weight. It does come with some nice features like circle fly, altitude hold, headless mode and 3D flips. It also has a throw and fly feature, this will allow you to throw the drone in the air for take-off without the controller. It has a decent flight time and is one of the recommended drones for beginners from Amazon.
Key Features
- 3D Flips
- Headless Mode
- Three Speed Modes
- LED Lights
- 6 Minutes Flight Time
#7. Potensic A20
The Potensic A20 is one of the oldest mini drones on the market, it was released a few years ago and still remains one of the best selling drones for under $50. It’s a lot similar to many other mini drones on this list and comes with many of the same features like altitude hold, one-button take-off and propeller guards. This is a good drone to learn how to fly and great for kids as its best suited to fly indoors.
Key Features
- Nano Drone
- Auto Hover
- Suitable For Indoors
- One Button Take-Off
- 6 Minutes Flight Time
- Comes With Two Batteries
#8. Drocon Ninja Drone
The Drocon Ninja drone is one of the more advanced drones for under $50, it has a foldable design, which is my favourite type of drone and comes with a decent 720p camera. With you can take some decent videos and images and also live stream video footage to your smartphone. The drone comes with gravity sensor mode which will allow you to control the drone by moving your smartphone around which will definitely impress family and friends. It comes with several other fun features and has a flight time of around 7 minutes. This is one of the cheapest drones with an HD camera and is highly rated on Amazon.
Key Features
- 720p HD Camera
- FPV
- Altitude Hold
- Foldable Design
- One Button Take-Off
- Gravity Sensor Mode
- 6 Minutes Flight Time
#9. Cheerwing U29S-E
Another drone with some advanced features that costs less than $50, the Cheerwing U29S-E is a nice-looking drone with a foldable design, this makes it even more compact and easier to travel with. It’s also a very light drone and is suitable for indoor flight, it comes with a decent 720p HD camera that has a wide-angle view. The drone comes with several fun features like FPV, altitude hold, one-button return home and gravity sensor mode. It has a 7-minute flight time, is compatible with VR headsets and comes with a nice carry case. This would make a cool gift for kids and even large kids (known as adults!!).
Key Features
- 720p HD Camera
- FPV
- Altitude Hold
- Foldable Design
- Gravity Sensor Mode
- App Control
- 7 Minutes Flight Time
#10. Eachine E61HW
Eachine are one of the most well-known brands when it comes to low-cost consumer drones and the E61HW is one of the best drones on this list. It’s a very nice looking drone, it has an all-black colour scheme that makes to look very futuristic and has some cool LED lights at the front that will allow you to fly the drone at night. It’s a very light drone, so I would personally only fly it indoors but it’s suitable for outdoors if there is absolutely no wind. It comes with a decent camera and comes with several cool features like FPV, altitude hold, gravity sensor mode and is compatible with certain VR headsets. A very fun drone to fly and suitable for everyone.
Key Features
- HD Camera
- FPV
- 3D Flips
- Compatible With VR Headsets
- Gravity Sensor Mode
- 6 Minutes Flight Time
#11. Syma X20
This is a very cheap drone that costs less than $25, its probably the cheapest drone on this list and would make a great drone for first time buyers who want to learn how to fly without spending too much money. It has a few nice features like 360° flips, altitude hold and one button take-off and landing. Not one of my favourites on this list but a decent drone and suitable for beginners
Key Features
- Mini Drone
- 3D Flips
- Auto Hover
- One Button Take-Off
- 5 Minutes Flight Time
#12. Cheerwing CW10
This is a very similar drone to a couple of others on this list, it has nice overall look, comes with propeller guards and because of its weight, it is mostly suitable for indoor flying. You can fly it outdoors but weather conditions have to be perfect with no wind. It comes with a standard 480p camera which is cool for a low-cost drone and also has FPV capability. Other features include altitude hold, 3-speed modes and one button take-off.
Key Features
- Standard 480P Camera
- FPV
- Auto Hover
- One Button Take-Off
- 3 Speed Modes
- 6 Minutes Flight Time
#13. Snaptain SP310
This is a good beginner-friendly drone, it has a nice design and I like its all blue colour scheme, there is a LED light at the front, which I initially thought was a camera. It has a pair of landing legs which are not really needed and propeller guards which will come in handy when flying indoors. Like most of the other drones on this list, it comes with a headless mode, altitude hold and one button take-off. One of the best things about this drone is actually it’s remote controller, the shape and design is quite unique for drone controllers.
Key Features
- Mini Drone
- Throw & Go Take-Off
- Auto Hover
- One Button Return
- 3D Flips
- 6 Minutes Flight Time
#14. Syma X5SW V3
Syma is another drone company known for its low-cost drones, the X5SW is still one of their best-selling drones despite being released a few years ago. Its one of the bigger drones on this list but still lightweight, weighing under 120g. It comes with a decent camera that will allow you to stream live video footage to your smartphone. It also comes with some cool features that will make it fun to fly and is suitable for beginners. One thing I don’t like about this drone is its remote controller which doesn’t look like a modern drone controller, however, that’s just my personal taste, overall it’s a good drone, especially at its price.
Key Features
- HD Camera
- FPV Capability
- Auto Hover
- LED Lights
- One Button Take-Off & Landing
- 3D Flips
- 7 Minutes Flight Time
#15. Snaptain SP300
Ever wanted a drone that you could fly with the mere movements of your hand? Well, you can with the Snaptain SP300 which comes with a gravity sensor strap that you wrap around your wrist and will allow you to control the drone through hand movement. A drone that will make you feel like you have superpowers, so a great choice for kids but everyone will enjoy flying this drone. The propellers have ringed guards which have LED lights inside them and so if you fly in the dark, it really makes for a stunning spectacle. Like most other toy drones on this list, it can do 360° flips,one-key return and a couple of speed modes. This drone will make an excellent choice for a kids gift.
Key Features
- Gesture Controlled Drone
- Gravity Sensor Mode
- Auto Hover
- LED Lights
- 3D Flips
- 7 Minutes Flight Time
