10 Best Drones under 500 USD in 2023

Article By: Michael Perez Published On: October 22, 2023 , Last updated on : November 25, 2023 | Reviewed by : Editorial Board

We now live in an age where technology, once thought to be fiction, has become a reality, from artificial intelligence to remote drones. But drones are expensive, and you need one that is both functional and cheap. If you must have a drone without breaking the bank, we recommend one that goes for at least 500. So, we’ve compiled for you a list of the best drones for under 500 USD.

What should the best drones for under 500 have?

Before we look for the best drones for under 500 USD, we need to go over some factors. These will form the basis for how we can find the best drones. We’ll look over the drone’s control and range, image quality, and battery life and then explain why for each one. No need to add the price tag here since we already have that covered.

Control and Effective Range

When looking for the best drone, there are two things you need to look out for control and effective range. After all, you’re going to send it out to remotely take pictures of places far away from where you are. The drone needs to be easy to control and maneuver. There’s going to be a lot of obstacles in the not-so-free sky, and you have to maneuver past all of them.
Another to look out for is the effective range of the drone. It’s only natural that with all remote-controlled gadgets, the further the device, the weaker it gets. Thankfully, a lot of drones out there have a much larger range than your average store-bought RC car. With that said, however, given their price range, finding one with a very long range will prove difficult but not impossible.

Image Quality

Most of the drones on this list, aside from having a fairly large range given their price, also have cameras. Granted, you’ll be using them for other tasks like carrying packages or the like, but you’ll need the camera for navigation. Moreover, in conjunction with the aforementioned effectiveness of the remote control, cameras are a must for better maneuverability.
We’ll be looking at the image resolution and how much detail the drone can show. Given what we’re dealing with, we’ll have to temper our expectations for the drone camera’s graphical fidelity. We’ll also have to ensure that the screen tear is kept to a minimum, as they can make navigating the drone very difficult.

Battery Life

The next factor to look out for is the drone’s battery life; the longer the battery life, the better, obviously. The length of the drone’s battery life indirectly affects the drone’s movement range. We’ll also look out for whether or not those batteries are rechargeable or interchangeable. And if it’s the latter, then we’ll check how easy it is to replace those batteries.

The best drones for under 500 | Top 9 picks

With these consideration factors in mind, it’s time we dive into our list of the best drones for under 500 USD. For each entry on this list, we’re going to review each of them, complete with respective pros and cons. But at the end of the day, which drone is the best for you is up to you to decide. This list just makes the drone picking process easier.

List of the best drones for under 500:

1. DJI Mini 2
2. Bwine F7MINI Drones
3. DJI Mavic Mini
4. EXO X7 Ranger Plus
5. Holy Stone HS720G FPV RC Quadcopter
6. DEERC D50 Drone
7. Potensic ATOM SE GPS Drone
8. Ryze Tech Tello
9. Potensic P4 Foldable Drone
10. BETAFPV Cetus

High flying tech for dirt cheap

With drone technology already making headways, it’s important that more people get their hands on it. After all, the more people use new technology, the more likely they can better understand and better support its growth. With the best drones for under 500 USD, we hope you can get a taste of what drone technology is capable of.

Drones can be very versatile. To prove that, look at our take on the best drones for hunting. Additionally, don’t forget to go through our review on the best drones for real estate photography.