Finding a drone within a set budget can be quite troublesome, especially when the budget is quite low.
But it is not impossible to find a $20 drone (or less) that can be just as fun as more expensive models, as it will be proven in the following sections.
Even if you are looking for the lower price range of the drone market, you will be quite surprised when you will find that you still have some options to choose from. Obviously, the quality of these drones will not be top-notch but with a budget of up to $20, you can still get a drone good enough to make you enjoy every second of the time you spend playing with it.
Most of these drones are specially designed for indoor use and may lack in some certain areas but considering the budget, it can be understood why.
Also, most of them may even be specially designed for kids, which would be a great plus if you are looking for one as a gift for a kid, also you can enjoy it as well even if it is designed for kids. We all have our childish moments, don’t we?
On the list below, you’ll find the some of the best cheap drones that you can buy for under 20. If you are new in the drone world and want to learn the basics of flying a drone, or perhaps you’ll like to give someone a great gift? These drones are what you need.
This is the ultimate list concerning the cheapest of the cheapest drones in the market.
For more information and product description of any of these drones, click on the product name or picture.
$20 Drone
Features
Price
- Flight Time: 6 min
- Range: 100 ft
- Size: 3.39 x 3.39 x 1.22 in
- Flight Time: 10 min
- Range: 30 ft
- Size: 4.33 x 2.36 in
- Flight Time: 8 min
- Range: 328 ft
- Size: 3.8 x 3.8. x 1.22 in
Best $20 Drones (and Under)
- Flight Time: 6 min
- Range: 100 ft
- Size: 3.39 x 3.39 x 1.22 in
One of the best low budget drones available on the market, the Skyking F008 successfully combines quality with price.
The drone is a perfect choice for beginners as it has multiple features that improve the flight experience even for the ones that never controlled a drone before. The drone is able to maintain a certain altitude and avoid crashes due to the hovering mode.
Also, as the Skyking F008 has headless function you don’t need to worry for the drone’s orientation. The chances of losing and crashing the drone are highly decreased by the one key return feature. A fully charged battery can grant you about 6 minutes flight time and it can be fully recharged in about 50 minutes.
As extra safety to increase the drone durability, the propellers are protected by a sturdy guard layer. The speed can be adjusted as you can select from three levels (low/medium/high) for a change of pace.
Pack includes:
- 1 x Skyking F008 Mini Drone
- 1 x Drone remote controller
- 1 x USB Battery charger
- 1 x User Manual
- Flight Time: 8 min
- Range: 131 ft
- Size: 1.65 x 1.65 x 0.79 in
Cheerson CX-10 Mini is a mini $20 drone suitable for indoor usage. It has a small and compact design making it easy to use without any risks of damaging the surroundings. The battery can last for up to 5 minutes and as the drone has a built-in battery, it requires charging after every 5 minutes of use.
The charging time can be considered quite short as a full charge can take for not more than 30 minutes. To decrease the risk of getting the drone damaged or the surroundings due to the sudden stop caused by battery consumption, it has a low power alarm function.
The Cheerson CX-10 can easily be used in the dark as it is equipped with LED lights to easily see the drone and its orientation. The drone benefits of three different speed levels that can be quite exciting for a change of pace. As a drone specially designed for kids, it can be a great gift for a kid that enjoys flying.
Pack includes:
- 1 x Cheerson CX-10 Mini Drone
- 1 x Drone remote controller
- 4 x Spare Drone propellers
- 1 x USB Battery charger
- 1 x User Manual
- Great quality, Stable performance
- FREE Standard shipping from 5 to 7+ days
- Fast order processing from 24+ hour
- Easy to install
- Very good support
- Flight Time: 5 min
- Range: 98 ft
- Size: 3.3 x 3.3 x 1.4 in
The GoolRC T36 mini drone is one of the few $20 drones that provide beginner-friendly functions. The Headless mode can be a great help for beginners that have troubles with regaining the sense of orientation after a few acrobatics.
Also, the drone is able to come back to you by itself due to its one key return function, which can be a great plus for a low budget drone. As it has changeable batteries, the flight time can be greatly increased, and you can enjoy way more time playing with the drone without having to take breaks to charge the drone.
A fully charged battery can grant you about 5 minutes of flight and it can take up to 50 minutes to fully charge one. The drone has every propeller guarded by a propeller guard layer; therefore, it is less likely to break any propellers due to collisions.
As a drone measuring only 3.3 x 3.3 x 1.4 inches the GoolRC T36 can be considered a mini drone and the most suitable flight environment for such a drone is indoor flight. Also, the drone can be a perfect choice as a gift for a kid as its toy-like design make it look like a helicopter toy.
Pack includes:
- 1 x GoolRC Scorpion T36 Mini Drone
- 1 x Drone remote controller
- 2 x Batteries
- 4 x Spare Drone propellers
- 1 x USB Battery charger
- 1 x User Manual
- 1 x Screwdriver
- · GESTURE REMOTE CONTROL: -First of all, unlike the other Remote Controller, it looks like a mouse...
- · HEADLESS MODE: When you go forward in the beginning, your drone will go forward when you press...
- · ONE-KEY RETURN: With built-in positioning system, the drone can auto locate the remote control,...
- · 3D FLIPS:This drone can perform the 360 degree flips roll with one key,it is very easy to use...
- · AFTER-SALES SERVICE: Please feel free to contact us by email directly when any problem happens to...
- Flight Time: 10 min
- Range: 30 ft
- Size: 4.33 x 2.36 in
The iGeeKid Mini Drone is a hand-operated mini $20 drone that does not require a remote control at all as every movement is implied by hand gestures.
It is more suitable for kids as controlling this type of drone can not be seen as a challenge at all, however, it can prove itself quite enjoyable even for adults. Its shell-like protective frame boosts the safety of your kids and your home as an accidental collision can not inflict much damage and the propellers can not make any harm.
The iGeeKid Mini Drone has a flight time of around 5 minutes and a full charge can take for up to one hour. The drone is designed for indoor usage and it benefits of features such as One key take-off and landing and altitude hold as well.
The drone can be started by simply tossing it into the air and then you can just enjoy your time playing with it.
Pack includes:
- 1 x iGeeKid Mini Drone
- 1 x Drone remote controller
- 1 x USB Battery charger
- 1 x User Manual
- Flight Time: 8 min
- Range: 328 ft
- Size: 3.8 x 3.8. x 1.22 in
The Space trek UFO drone prioritizes drone safety and crashes resistance by granting the drone a circular shield frame that will protect the propellers and the drone from any collision.
As it has a compact design that protects both the drone and the surroundings from any accidental collision, it is a perfect drone for kids and beginners, as well for indoor use. The drone has a built-in rechargeable battery that can grant the user at least 5 minutes of flight time.
The drone has an auto turn-off feature that automatically turns off the $20 drone to lower both the possible damage and the power usage when a collision occurs.
The Space trek UFO drone has two levels of speed and it can be used even outdoors when the wind allows it. Due to its headless mode, the drone can be suitable for beginners as a training drone.
Pack includes:
- 1 x Space Trek UFO Drone
- 1 x Drone remote controller
- 1 x USB Battery charger
- 1 x User Manual
- 2 x Spare Drone propellers
- 1 x Screwdriver
What to consider prior buying $20 drones
Even if the budget is tight, you should consider a couple of things before buying a drone as the drone should, at least, reach a certain level of performance in order to worth the money.
Flight time
Even if the flight time won’t match the flight time of a budget-friendly drone ($20 – $150) it does not mean that you shouldn’t try to look for the maximum amount of flight time you could possibly find.
Most of the times, these low-cost drones have a flight time of about 3 to 5 minutes, however, you should try to find one that grants you enough flight time to make you happy with the acquisition. You may even find drones able to fly for more than 5 minutes within this budget.
Changeable battery
While most of them will have built-in batteries, some drones may grant you the possibility to change the batteries.
This fact can be a big plus and can greatly affect the flight time. Being able to change the battery means that you are able to multiply the flight time by the number of batteries you can get. Therefore, you can easily exceed 15 minutes of flight time by purchasing more batteries.
Consider the functions
Of course, it wouldn’t be surprising to notice that low budget drones lack a lot regarding their features and functions. Some of them may present functions such as one key take-off and landing but these are special cases.
Most of these low budget $20 drones don’t have any functions to help beginners, therefore any drone that has at least one beginner-friendly function can be a great help against crashing it.
Consider propeller guards
You may think about, why do I need propeller guards on a drone-like this one. There is a chance of crashing even when you are using a drone with a lot of functions that avoid crashing.
The propellers are quite thin and fragile, and at the same time are a vital component of a drone. The lack of functions on low budget drones can very easily lead to a collision and other accidents and the most vulnerable parts are the propellers.
Having a propeller guard is a big bonus as you may not need to buy as many spare propellers as you would buy if the drone would be operated without guards.
Therefore, if the drone does not already have propeller guards, it would be wise to buy some separately, by doing so you would easily save quite an amount of money and also the time involved in waiting for delivery and changing the propellers.
$20 Drone: FAQ
Is it worth to buy cheap drones?
Yes, even cheap drones can make the difference between a boring afternoon and a great afternoon. If it is cheap it does not mean that it is worthless, of course, you won’t have the same quality of expensive drones but you will most likely operate the same.
You can either play with a $200 drone or either with a $20 drone, the result will be the same: you having a great time.
Even if the $200 done would be easier to operate and would allow you to do some things that the cheaper one would not (such as video recording, etc.) the flying experience would be mostly the same after enough practice with a $20 drone.
With enough experience with a low budget drone, you may even be better at flying than the ones that only use an expensive drone, that fact due to the lack of functions on low budget drones; while other rely on functions you rely solely on skill.
Can I fly low budget drones indoors?
Yes, absolutely. Most of them are specially designed for indoor usage as these are kid orientated drones.
However, you are also able to use them outdoors if the wind allows you to. Most of them are not wind resistant as these drones are not too powerful and do not weight enough to withstand the wind.
Therefore, it is even recommended to try to avoid using these drones in windy environments and try to use them indoors instead.
Drones Under $20 Conclusion
As you can see, you can find enough low budget drones on the market, so you have quite a variety to choose from.
Anyway, it is recommended to do a bit of research about the drone you are intending to buy in order to avoid any misunderstandings and inconveniences even if it is low priced.
However, even if some drones have some functions implemented, you should focus on a bare minimum (as you are looking for the bottom price layer on the drone industry) as some features may not be needed in the type of environment you are going to use your drone; thus, if you are using the drone solely indoors, features like one key return may not be needed.
If you’d like to read about more drones for new users, check out our best quadcopters for beginners post.
$20 Drone
Features
Price
- Flight Time: 6 min
- Range: 100 ft
- Size: 3.39 x 3.39 x 1.22 in
- Flight Time: 10 min
- Range: 30 ft
- Size: 4.33 x 2.36 in
- Flight Time: 8 min
- Range: 328 ft
- Size: 3.8 x 3.8. x 1.22 in